Book Review

Good King Harry
by Denise Giardina

As is indicated by the title, this novel is a fictional biography of Henry V, told from his point of view. It's a fairly straightforward narration, focusing on Henry's struggle with the competing and often conflicting demands of remaining true to his personal principles and being a good and effective king. The demands of the crown are heavy and numerous, and so are the standards of just behavior that Henry holds himself to. I watched the Kenneth Branagh movie of the Shakespeare play this weekend as an accompaniment to the book, and they did indeed go well together.

Soliciting Advice on Application Stuff

University of Oregon requires its doctoral students to choose a secondary area of musical study to augment their major. You have to apply to this secondary area, although the "application" is just a matter of adding a couple of extra items to your portfolio. I chose the Ethnomusicology (world music) secondary area, and I have to write a brief statement about why I want to study it.
So I've written up a couple of paragraphs, which you will find behind the cut. Comments and feedback are humbly requested. You don't need to know anything about music. Also, during my visit to the school, I had a chance to talk with the ethnomusicology professors. One of them pretty much said that since he'd already had a chance to talk to me, he was not going to be looking at my statement with a terribly critical eye.

( Ethnomusicology Application Statement )

Thanks much for your help.