Classical Music and Russians (5-18)

• Rachmaninoff​ (5): Sergey Rachmaninoff  (1873-1943) was a Russian musician and composer during the Russian Romanticism movement known for his piano concerti. ​​

• Anton Chekov (8): (1860-1904) Russian author and playwright; part of the theatrical realism movement; famous works include The Cherry Orchard and The Seagull.

• Shostakovich: Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was a Russian composer known for his symphonies and concerti. He lived during a time were the Soviet Union pressured and restricted artists. 

  • ​Symphony No. 10 Movement 2 (8)​​: Listen/watch it here

• Kryzystof Penderecki (14): (1933-2020) Polish composer known for his "novel and masterful treatment of orchestration;" he composed a few operas and won 2 Grammy awards

  • Capriccio​: a solo for Tuba that he composed

Poncy (6): ostentatious, pretentious, or effeminate (British word)​​

Fencing Terms/Equipment (7-18): PDF and YouTube video

• Terms in script: mask (7), foil (8), gloves (9), En garde (8), advance (15), parry (15), riposte (15)​

Iconoclast (8): "a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions; a person who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration"​

"No man is an island" (10): poem by John Donne on “interconnectedness of humanity and the impact of loss”

finallement (12): "finallly" in French

Il culmine (12): "It culminates" in French

"Alexander wept for there were no more worlds to conquer" (13): It’s a quote from Die Hard (movie). Some historians might have previously said similar things, but it’s not a historical accurate quote.

Die Hard (13): blockbuster movie that premiered in 1988 about a NYC police officer trying to save his wife who is being held hostage by terrorists at the Nakatomi plaza.

Put on a happy face (14): song originally sung by Dick Van Dyke in the musical Bye Bye Birdie 

Van Gogh's ear (14): Van Gogh cut off his ear “in a fit of madness” after failing to achieve his dream of building a community of artists at his home

Picasso's bed hopping (14): Picasso had many “lovers” throughout his life. Many reported he was extremely misogynistic and dehumanized his partners.

Michelangelo grave robbing (14): Although no official record exists on the subject, many scholars believe that several famous Renaissance artists, including Michelangelo and Da Vinci, took up grave robbing to study the human form. There is significant evidence that they took part in illegal dissections. 

"A touch, a touch I do confess!" (16): Laertes says this to Hamlet in Act 5 Scene 2 during their duel

Eat, Pray, Love (17): colloquially used to describe someone “traveling alone to another country on a whim to find oneself, especially after going through a difficult time;” The term originates the movie/memoir written by Elizabeth Gilbert

Julia Roberts (17): American actress who has starred in over 50 films including Noting Hill, Eat Pray Love, and Runaway Bride.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (17): A 2001 coming-of-age film staring Blake Lively, America Ferrera, and Alexis Bladel about best friends who find a pair of jeans that someone magically fit all of their varies body types.

America Ferrera (17): Honduran-American Actress/producer/director known for Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Superstore, and Barbie.

Arsenic (20): Arsenic is a naturally occurring element in the environment. Rock, soil, water, air, plants and animals all contain some level of arsenic. In large doses it can be extremely toxic, and can cause serious harm in extended periods of small doses.

Ask Jeeves (23): Once a competitor search engine to Google, it is now known as Ask.com; the idea behind it is much like how ChatGPT operates today, but it was conceived in the mid nineties.

Pressure points causing instant death (23): Pressure points are an idea that originates in ancient massage techniques and traditional Chinese medicine. There are many studies that show the benefits of acupressure (using pressure points to treat illness), but little evidence to support the idea that pressure points can cause instant death. That being said, there are areas of the body where nerve endings or blood vessels are more exposed, and when these areas are hit, they can cause significant pain and unconsciousness. The idea of using pressure points in combat gained popularity through the 1970s and 80s.

The Fuzz (26): aka the police; “There is no clear origin for the nickname 'the fuzz,' which became popular in the 1960’s and 70’s, though there are several theories. One theory is that 'fuzz' may come from the sound of static over police radios. It may have also come from across the pond, where British police officers are known to wear somewhat fuzzy hats. Alternatively, it could be related to the short and fuzzy haircuts new officers have upon graduation from the police academy. Or it could be an odd way of abbreviating “the force", as in police force."

Encyclopedia Brown (27): fictional 10 year old boy who solves crimes for 25 cents; first featured in Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective in 1963.

Sally Kimball (27): Encyclopedia Brown’s protector, friend, and sidekick

The Ritz (30): chain of luxury hotels around the world; the first one was in Paris, and it was the first hotel to have electricity on every floor and private bathrooms; it’s name has become synonymous for something that is fashionable, posh, and expensive (ritzy)

Cadaver (32): a dead body; often used by med students for dissection

"There is a scarlet thread of chaos shot through the skein of life…” (32): Modified quote from A Study in Scarlet at the end of the fourth chapter.

Free Workers' Union (33): "The Free Workers Union (FAU) formed in the 1970s as a reorganization of the FAUD, the German anarcho-syndicalist union founded in 1918 and which had some 200,000 members at its peak in the 1920s, before being destroyed by the Nazi regime. The FAU is the German section of the International Workers Association. It is primarily a propaganda organization, with 150 members in several groups throughout Germany, but it is trying very hard to become a genuine anarcho-syndicalist union."

• Communism: "political and economic system that seeks to create a classless society in which the major means of production, such as mines and factories, are owned and controlled by the public. There is no government or private property or currency, and the wealth is divided among citizens equally or according to individual need"

• Anarchism: "cluster of doctrines and attitudes centered on the belief that government is both harmful and unnecessary"

• Socialism: "social and economic doctrine that calls for public rather than private ownership or control of property and natural resources"

Tom Clancy (40): American author who wrote political and military thrillers starting in the 90s until his death in 2013. Some of his well known works are The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and the Jack Ryan novels.

"Just the tip. Just for a second:" (44): quote from the romcom Wedding Crashers (2005). Click here to watch the scene on YouTube.

"What's in the box?" (45): reference to the movie Se7en (1995). Click here to watch the scene (spoiler alert). 

Mrs. Warren's Profession/A lady of the night (46):  A play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893 about a former prostitute turned madam whose daughter doesn't approve of her profession

Marxist (47): someone who follows the teachings and philosophies of Karl Marx

• How it differs from socialism/communism: "Under socialism, the means of production are owned or controlled by the state for the benefit of all, an arrangement that is compatible with democracy and a peaceful transition from capitalism. Marxism justifies and predicts the emergence of a stateless and classless society without private property. That vaguely socialist society, however, would be preceded by the violent seizure of the state and the means of production by the proletariat, who would rule in an interim dictatorship."​

The Guardian (47): originally The Manchester Guardian; daily newspaper based in the UK; now reports in the US and internationally

Emma Goldman (49): American anarchist who was active from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. 

Chairman Mao (49): leader of China's communist revolution in the 1930s; follower of Marxism; Chairman of the People's Republic of China in the 1950s

Vladimir Lenin (50): founder of the Communist Party in Russia; first head of the Soviet State beginning in 1917; was arrested and exiled to Siberia for 3 years in 1895 for promoting Marxism

Sacco and Vanzetti (50): Italian anarchists who were convicted and executed for a murder in Massachusetts in 1927; many argue that they were treated unfairly in court and were possibly even innocent

Margaret Thatcher (50): the first female prime minister in Europe; a member of the British Conservative Party; also known as the Iron Lady

The Red Tide (50): a term used to denote a wave of communist activity 

The Sopranos (54): a TV series about a New Jersey mob boss who seeks professional psychiatric counseling due to his poor mental state. Ran from 1999 until 2007.

Qu'est-que ce (57): "What is it/that/this?" in French

Harriet the Spy (58): 11-year-old aspiring writer who spies on people; first introduced in the novel Harriet the Spy in 1964. The character has also been adapted to TV and film.