Friday, April 19, 2024

Julianne's delicate bouquet

I must say I was both amused and bemused by Chronically Online Man Discovers His Salvific Vision of Beatrice, which is one of the songs Julianne Petersen sings in her university Capstone Concert.

Amused because what guy wouldn't look at the beautiful and good-natured Julianne without seeing a Beatrice? Bemused because I wonder… no, never mind…

One of the nuggets in this little treasure is her duet with her sister Katie on a song they co-wrote: Silly Girls.

As an English literature student, Julianne's purpose was to write poetry which she then converted into song. But it's not just any poetry. She's not being a mere lyricist. She's writing true poetry (no doubt that's why she admires Bob Dylan). The result is a fine wine with an excellent bouquet. A very fragrant performance indeed.

This material has little in common with the styles she exhibits in her family Bluegrass band, the Petersens. Nor is it in the vein of typical girl pop. It's something special to which people with refined tastes are likely to relate.

And then Julianne, being Julianne, drops a bomb on everyone near the concert's close when she reports -- without elaboration -- that a few months previously she'd been hit by a truck. She looks none the worse for wear, thank God. Well anyway, the brush with death inspired a bit more music and poetry in What a Lovely End, What a Lovely Life. She still bears a scar from that scrape, which is why I've dubbed her Scarface the Beautiful. (You'll notice that in the concert she's careful to limit views of that side of her face, but later she became very self-confident about letting the public see it.)
Scarface the Beautiful

Google AI squib on Dante's Beatrice
Beatrice was the fiancee of Dante Alighieri. In The Inferno, Beatrice is Dante's deceased lover. She has a relatively small role in the book, but she plays a much bigger part in the two subsequent books of The Divine Comedy.

Beatrice's primary function in The Inferno is to intervene on Dante's behalf by sending Virgil to guide him. Beatrice is also a mirror upon which divine love is reflected and serves as the pilgrim's bridge to salvation.

Beatrice was described as a "pure" soul worthy of heaven. After losing a bargain with Lucifer, she was forced to accompany him to hell to become his bride. Her capture was the catalyst for Dante's journey through the Inferno and the redemption of his soul.

Beatrice was the daughter of Folco Portinari, a Florentine banker. Dante fell in love with Beatrice when he first saw her at the age of nine. They had a second encounter near the Arno River in Florence when both were in their late teens. Dante did not see her again until exactly nine years later in 1283. Tho the two barely spoke during this second encounter, Dante's love for her grew stronger. Beatrice died at the young age of twenty-four and Dante fell into a deep sadness. Dante would dedicate much of his early poetry, written in the vernacular dialect of the streets of Florence, to Beatrice.

BEATRICE, an album by Julianne

Order a hard copy:
https://petersenband.com/product/beatrice-julianne/

Get Spotify version:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6AwJ5pQrVbFQnqbc5ViLKQ

Get Apple Music version:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/beatrice/1698860073
Find the Capstone gems by Julianne HERE or HERE.

Below is May Baby, in a cut from the Capstone performance:


And here is another cut, What a Lovely End, What a Lovely Life

And here is Mom and Dad

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