“Is it not by love alone that we succeed in penetrating to the very essence of being?” This is a quote by the renowned Russian composer, Igor Stravinsky, named by Time magazine as one of the most influential people of the 20th century. Stravinsky received recognition not only for his compositions but also for his skills as a pianist and conductor.

Stravinsky was born in 1882 in Oraniebaum, Russia but raised in St. Petersburg. According to his autobiography, his childhood was troubled. His father was a bass singer and young Stravinsky began piano lessons, studied music theory, and began his hand at composing. Even though he clearly had a fascination for music, his parents expected Stravinsky to become a lawyer. The studies clearly did not interest him, as he attended less than 50 classes in four years. His father passed away in 1902, and after being prevented from taking his law finals and earning a half-course diploma, Stravinsky was able to focus all his attention to his musical interests.

In 1905, Stravinsky began to take private lessons from Rimsky-Korsakov, who became a father figure to him. In that same year, he became engaged to his second cousin, Katerina Nossenko. They married in 1906 and had two children—Feodor and Ludmila.

In 1909, Stravinsky presented his Fireworks composition in St. Petersburg. In attendance was Sergei Diaghilev, the director of the Ballets Russes in Paris. Diaghilev was impressed and commissioned Stravinsky for orchestrations and then for a full-length ballet score, The Firebird.

Stravinsky moved to Europe and penned three more ballets for the Ballets Russes: The Rite of Spring, Petrushka, and Pulcinella. Stravinsky’s work can be classified into three stylistic periods: The Rite of Spring and Petrushka ended his Russian Period. Stravinsky moved next into his Neoclassical Period—defined by Pulcinella and Octet (1923), which lacked the large orchestras of former ballets and used wind instruments, the piano, and choral and chamber works. Lastly was his Serial Period, which included the use of dodecaphony, the twelve-tone technique devised by Schoenberg. Stravinsky’s ballet Agon displayed this technique.

For many years, Stravinsky romanced two women—his wife Katarina and his mistress Vera. Katarina, Stravinsky, and their daughter Ludmila were all stricken with tuberculosis; Katarina and Ludmila died from the disease. After months in the hospital, Stravinsky survived and moved to the United States shortly thereafter. His marriage to Vera was a happy one despite rumors of several affairs. Stravinsky died in 1971 at the age of 88.

There is much more interesting information about him on the Simply Stravinsky page…click on the link to read all about him!

Happy Learning !

Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, Le Corbusier was a world-renowned architect and writer famous for his contributions to Modern Architecture. Although he was born in Switzerland, he became a French citizen in his 30s and was a pioneer in studies of modern design and was focused on providing citizens of large, crowded cities with more space and better living conditions.

Le Corbusier studied at the La-Chaux-de-Fonds Art School under Charles L’Éplattenier. Le Corbusier’s architecture teacher at the school was René Chapallaz, who had a huge influence on his earliest houses. During his early years, Le Corbusier traveled around Europe, sketching structures. Of these, his sketchings of the Parthenon would become famous and he would praise the structure in his collection of essays titled “Towards an Architecture” (Vers une architecture) released in 1923.

In 1918, Le Corbusier met and teamed up with the Cubist painter Ame’de’e Ozenfant and together they published a manifesto, Après le Cubisme, established a new movement, Purism, and established the Purist Journal, L’Esprit Nouveau. It was in the publication of the first journal in 1920 that Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris adopted Le Corbusier as his pseudonym. It was a reflection of his belief that anyone can reinvent himself.

Le Corbusier’s most famous works, the Villa Savoye, were located in the suburbs of Paris. The villa was made of reinforced concrete and combined classic and modern elements. The villa was predominately white, with little decoration, reinforcing Le Corbusier’s thoughts that white was functional, practical, and that color distracted from the landscape.

There is so much more to study about Le Corbusier. His most famous buildings, his paintings, and his furniture designs are just a few of the interesting things to absorb about him. Skip over to Simply Le Corbusier and be prepared to be dazzled! If you have any questions, send a question to the expert via the Forum. And don’t forget to take the Simply Le Corbusier poll and while you’re at it, send a friend an electronic postcard!

Happy Learning!

An article published by The Washington Post recently turned the spotlight on gifted children and why, in increasing numbers, parents of these children are pulling their children out of public schools. The reason given is because of the No Child Left Behind Act and the fact that it focuses on low-performing students and pretty much leaves the gifted students out in the cold.

Most at risk are math prodigies and creative writing students. Because the focus now is on teaching the basics and raising school district test scores, the school’s curriculum is structured and does not include enough flexibility to include a different way of thinking to resolve a problem. Because of this, students who may be math geniuses begin to hate math; kids who may be future novelists begin to hate to write and rue the thought of another writing worksheet in class. Our teachers’ hands are tied; they can see that some of the students are well past some of the rudimentary exercises presented in class; but they also have a curriculum to follow and lack incentives to appropriately educate all the students in the classroom to master the curriculum, not just pass it.

It takes a special kind of person to educate a child; a person of strong will, courage, and lots of patience. And that is just to deal with the imposition and intrusion of the government in their job. But it is a job of love. Most teachers try to do as much as they can with gifted students, including book reading programs, extra creative writing assignments, math projects, and other things that may go outside of the curriculum. Thankfully, some teachers will not be hampered by governmental policies; instead they will use it as motivation to do what they love best: teach and watch children flourish.

Happy Learning!

p.s. Click here if you would like to read the Washington Post article.

“But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”

The above is a quote from William Butler Yeats, a Nobel Prize winning poet and dramatist. Yeats was born in 1865 and studied in London. From an early age, he was interested in both Irish legends and the occult, which showed up in the early phases of his work. Yeats earliest volume of poetry was published in 1887, displaying heavy influence by Percy Bysshe Shelley and Edmund Spenser.

Yeats was profoundly interested in Irish myth and supernatural experiences—so much so that he was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an occult group which combined themes of Christianity with those of medieval Kabbalah, Theosophy, magic practices, and ancient pre-Christian religions. He was an active recruiter for the Golden Dawn, bringing in his uncle George Pollexfen, Maud Gonne, and Florence Farr.

Yeats held an unrequited love for Maud Gonne and after many years of pining for her, she married someone else (oh, the horror!). Yeats went on to marry George Hyde-Lees, a woman he had met through his occult circles. Despite a 27-year age difference, the marriage was a success and produced two children, Anne and Michael. Not only was the marriage itself a success, Yeats and George worked together on his works, engaging in a form of automatic writing. This involved George contacting various spirits and guides who then, in turn, communicated back characters and history during trances. Wow!

Yeats is definitely a fascinating historical icon. There is a wealth of information left to be studied, i.e., his poetry, more information on his occult involvement, and some very interesting notes to some of his poems (available in free downloads). Hop over to Simply Yeats and read about one very captivating poet!

Happy learning!

Because of cutbacks in school programs, it has been said that schools have become regimented and structured; often missing out on tapping into the creative side of the students. At Simply Charly, it is our goal to offer a new and different portal for students and teachers to explore historical figures. How exciting would it be to pull up the Simply Charly Web site, completely devoted to favorite historical figures, after studying them in class? Simply Charly’s Web sites come complete with awesome caricatures, quiz questions about each icon’s life, electronic postcards that could be sent to others, and other exciting information that could be downloaded and referenced again and again.

Simply Charly is designed to serve as a complement to our teachers and educators and offers a way to stir the students’ creative minds. We provide students and other absorbers of knowledge a new and different way to gather information on historical icons by supplying access to videos, audio clips, and other materials that can be used to supplement the curriculum received through regular learning environments.

Speaking of creative minds, Sir Ken Robinson makes a very compelling argument that students have all been educated to be good workers, rather than creative thinkers. He believes that a radical rethink of our education system needs to be done; one that cultivates creativity and acknowledges that everyone does not learn the same way.

Click on the video to watch this very enlightening presentation.

Happy learning!

Greetings all!

Hope you are enjoying the spotlights on your favorite Simply Charly historical icons. There is just so much cool and amazing information about each icon that it is a virtual treasure hunt! Who knew that Charlie Chaplin had such an interesting life and started performing at such an early age? And that Sigmund Freud was favored over his siblings and that his parents sacrificed everything for his education? Wow!

Since you are learning so much, why not share the wealth? After reading about your favorite historical figure, click on Spread the Word in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen to send a personalized postcard that includes a caricature of your icon. You can include a personalized message. By sending the postcard, you can let all your friends and family members in on Simply Charly; don’t keep all the fun to yourself!

If you haven’t done so, read what Simply Charly is all about by clicking on the About Us link on the Simply Charly home page. This will give you some background information on what our goals are here and why we do what we do. Also, just as a FYI, go back and recheck the Simply Freud site…there are some free downloads that may interest you.

As always, don’t forget to sign up for the free newsletter. And, look for the forum to be up and running soon!

Happy learning!

Have you ever called your new boyfriend by your ex-boyfriend’s name? Ever told someone, “Oh, I just love your new horse, oops, I mean house”? Credit those slips of the tongue—Freudian slips—to Sigmund Freud, the noted neurologist and psychiatrist. Freud focused on theories of the unconscious mind and repression, where one buries memories and feelings that they don’t want to deal with.

Freud was born on May 6, 1856, in Příbor, Moravia, Austria to parents who favored him over his siblings because of his intelligence. Even though they were poor, Freud’s parents put everything they had into his education. The family relocated to Vienna, where Freud graduated with honors from the Leopoldstädter Communal-Realgymnasium before joining the medical faculty at the University of Vienna to study under Darwinist professor Karl Claus.

Freud discovered the school of psychoanalysis, the act of talking through one’s issues with a psychologist or therapist. This was believed to lead to revealing repressed emotions and feelings and help the patient identify and resolve childhood conflicts with parents or others. Freud himself could have benefited from psychoanalysis; he had a deep fear of death and he had deep resentment toward his father and even identified early childhood sexual feelings toward his mother.

There is much more information about Freud to get to know, i.e., his early research on cerebral palsy, his development of the id, ego, and super-ego, and his relationship with Carl Jung, his most promising student. Click the About Freud link to learn more about Freud and his brilliant mind! Don’t forget to take the Simply Freud poll when you are done!

Happy Reading!

Charlie Chaplin was a very interesting person! Born in 1889, his mum and dad were both entertainers; dad, however, was an alcoholic and mum suffered from a mental illness. He began his career early, touring in a musical at age eight and performing in a play at age 11. By the time he was 17, Chaplin was performing regularly with the Fred Karno’s English vaudeville troupe, which led to his relocation to America in 1910.

In 1913, Chaplin signed a contract with Mack Sennett at Keystone. In 1914 alone, he made 35 movies (that’s about a movie every 2 weeks)! Keystone is where Chaplin created his signature character, “The Little Tramp.” The baggy clothes, the mustache, and the hat were all designed to disguise his age — he was only 24 at the time.

Play the video to view “Easy Street,” one of Chaplin’s best films:

Did you know that Chaplin co-found the United Artists studios? Movies were becoming longer and he and other filmmakers banded together to form a studio that allowed for more control over their work. Chaplin also had brushes with the United States Government, having his Visa revoked by President Hoover after being accused of sympathizing with communists and voicing un-American sentiments.

Chaplin was also quite popular with the ladies. His marriage to Oona O’Neill, daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill, seemed to be the good relationship. They had eight children together; unfortunately, Oona was traumatized by Chaplin’s death and the grief led her into alcoholism. She died from pancreatic cancer in 1991.

There is so much more information about Mr. Chaplin and his history in silent films! On the Simply Chaplin page, click About Chaplin to get his full biography. And don’t forget to take the Simply Chaplin poll to test your knowledge!

Happy learning!

Greetings all! Simply Charly hopes that you are getting much use out of all the information on our featured historical individuals. Is there one historical icon that you idolize? Click the Simply Charly Free Stuff link and download a free wallpaper of your favorite artist, thinker, or songwriter. How cool would it be to have a one-of-a-kind caricature of your favorite icon on your desktop?

Want to know more about Einstein’s ideas and opinions? Want to see some of Chaplin’s films? Click the Simply Charly Store link. The Simply Charly Store is an awesome resource that offers unique items related to the historical figures on our site. Here you will find additional resources, ranging from Stravinsky’s albums to collections of Chaplin’s silent films, which you can purchase and enjoy at your leisure.

Test your knowledge each week with the Simply Charly Poll. Do you know for which novel Hemingway won the Nobel Prize? Located at the bottom of the Simply Charly Home page, and on each historical icon’s page, the polls are a fun way to test your knowledge. Head over and take the polls and see if you need to brush up on your knowledge!

Happy Learning!

Whew! Simply Charly is working hard to make updates and bring you the most exciting educational site ever! There are many additions coming soon, like the addition of Simply Gödel (information on one of the greatest mathematicians to ever touch a group of numbers) and Simply Hemingway (Nobel Prize winning novelist; ever hear of him?).

Simply Charly is also working to assign a resident expert on each site to field any questions that you may have. The Simply Charly Forum, where you can share your thoughts and ideas, and carry on discussions and debates, will be up and running in October!

All in all, Simply Charly is quickly becoming your best bet for information on historical figures in the areas of art, humanities, literature, music, philosophy, science, architecture, and politics. A number of sites are available now that contain a wealth of information about different historical figures. Go and check out what’s available. You won’t be disappointed.

To keep up with all of the new information, sign up for the free Simply Charly newsletter.

See you soon!