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Victory Against the Formican Hordes – Poem by G. Stolyarov II

Victory Against the Formican Hordes – Poem by G. Stolyarov II

G. Stolyarov II


Deep in the crevices where there is scantly light,
Formican hordes amassed, antitheses of right:
The tyrant queen, attendant sycophantic knaves,
Vast quantities of servants – or compliant slaves –
Not even one savant among them to protest
Antagonistic ploys to rouse their dormant nest.
In wanton disregard of property and tact alike
At my abode they militantly sought to strike,
Past every antechamber to the kitchen went,
Detected every speck pursuant to its scent,
In swarms outrageous antics perpetrated,
Blatantly coveted the food refrigerated!

Defiantly I stood against them, justice-bound,
In Reason my advantage could be found.
Against the vast, infestant foe I called to fight
Abundant bait abetted by the Mighty Mite.
Combatant infantry, by gel intoxicated,
Conveyed the poison, as anticipated,
To queen and to the infant larvae of their brood,
With rampant appetites devouring fatal food.
Through errant treachery these looters had invaded,
Thusly, through treachery, their remnant faded.
And yet not one foe would its evil ways recant,
Therefore, no mercy asked – no mercy could I grant.
Mark Antony himself, transplanted from the grave,
Would have scant means these miscreants to save.
Only oblivion did the doomed assailants find.
Rejoice triumphantly, victorious mankind!
As at Lepanto and Antietam, so now here
The valiant defense of right did persevere,
And while Constantinople’s walls once failed,
My adamantine bastion has prevailed!

Observant reader, heed the moral of this tale:
Gargantuan numbers may incessantly assail
What we hold dear with brute, malignant force,
But if ascendant Reason charts a constant course,
No giant, teeming mass man’s fortunes can derail.

Beautifying the Universe – Article by Kyrel Zantonavitch

Beautifying the Universe – Article by Kyrel Zantonavitch

The New Renaissance Hat
Kyrel Zantonavitch
February 18, 2015
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Human beings naturally, healthily, nobly, and heroically seek to live and thrive, with the maximum possible quantity and quality of life.

Humans are god-like creatures, at least potentially, who concoct their own purpose, and find their own meaning. Family, friends, humankind, and the gods can’t supply these.

The Holy Individual naturally and nobly strives for greatness and happiness – and even for sublime transcendence. He attains all of this – if he can – via success and triumph in his battles, and accomplishment and achievement in his work.

The potentially magnificent human individual observes the universe, his fellow man, himself, and all of life. He uses his insight and wisdom to conquer knowledge and draw powerful conclusions. Upon these he develops his sacred hopes and dreams – and then tries to realize them. He works and fights and struggles to move them from the realm of fantasy to the realm of reality.

Human beings need to make the world a better place, both socially and materially, i.e. both improving society and the physical environment. After all, the individual intimately lives in both. They exist for him to use and manipulate – so he should exploit them to the max.

But as a kind of partner to society and the environment – who naturally seeks integration and harmony with them – a proper individual strives to enhance and uplift them as well. He needs to leave the world a better place than he found it.

The ultimate purpose of life seems to be to make the cosmos more beautiful. To render it more organized and harmonious. To leave it more ordered and useful.

It’s the sacred moral duty of every man to make his world less random and chaotic – less metaphysically empty and dead. To render it resonantly more alive, exciting, and intense – if he can. The naturally disintegrating universe needs to be made more well-groomed and exuberant.

The cosmos needs to become more aware of itself. To be ever more all-seeing, and yet successfully introspective too. Ever more cohesive, coherent, self-driven, and self-controlled. Ever more wonderful and lovely to behold.

Art is the most important part of life in many respects. Especially visual and audio art, such as paintings and music. Man is the artistic animal.

A vivacious, dynamic, heroic life is itself a kind of work of art. And it seems to potentially live on forever via memory and records – and eventually via time/space warps and time/space travel.

The universe may be fundamentally cold and indifferent – but it’s always watching. And if a given human being is sufficiently good and great – the cosmos will enjoy and remember him forever.

Kyrel Zantonavitch is the founder of The Liberal Institute  (http://www.liberalinstitute.com/) and author of Pure Liberal Fire: Brief Essays on the New, General, and Perfected Philosophy of Western Liberalism.

Transhumanist March (March #12), Op. 78 (2014) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

Transhumanist March (March #12), Op. 78 (2014) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

The New Renaissance Hat
G. Stolyarov II
December 8, 2014
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The Transhumanist March depicts the accelerating improvement of the human condition and the overcoming of human limitations through technological progress. An ambitious and benevolent melody intensifies throughout the piece, pushing onward to champion the radical improvement of the human condition through the lifting of age-old barriers and the conquest of both space (through settlements on new worlds and elsewhere on Earth) and time (through the reversal of senescence and the curing of deadly diseases to achieve indefinite lifespans).

Download the MP3 file of this composition here.

A PDF file of sheet music for the Transhumanist March can be downloaded here.

See the index of Mr. Stolyarov’s compositions, all available for free download, here.

The artwork is “Depiction of a futuristic city” – a digital painting by Cronus Caelestis, used pursuant to a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike Unported 3.0 License and available for download here.

This composition and video may also be freely reproduced using the same Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike Unported 3.0 License.

Remember to LIKE, FAVORITE, and SHARE this video in order to spread rational high culture to others.

Grand Procession, Op. 14 (2001-2002) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

Grand Procession, Op. 14 (2001-2002) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

The New Renaissance Hat
G. Stolyarov II
November 9, 2014
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“Grand Procession” was composed by Mr. Stolyarov in 2001 and 2002. It was Mr. Stolyarov’s first attempt at a multi-instrumental composition. Since MIDI sequencers were not available to him then, Mr. Stolyarov had to play each track by hand and attempt to align it with the played-back recording of all the other tracks. The present version is remastered using the SynthFont 2 software, with the Evanescence 2 and GMR Basico 1.1 instrument packs.

This composition is written for piano, flute, organ, harpsichord, and a string section. As the name suggests, it is meant to evoke images of a triumphal procession – of a civilian rather than military nature (since most of the instruments involved would not be available to a military band or orchestra).

Download the MP3 file of this composition here.

See the index of Mr. Stolyarov’s compositions, all available for free download, here.

The artwork is “The Coronation of Napoleon” by Jacques-Louis David, painted in 1805 and available as a public-domain image here.

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March #3, Op. 23 (2003) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

March #3, Op. 23 (2003) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

The New Renaissance Hat
G. Stolyarov II
October 25, 2014
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Mr. Stolyarov composed this piano march in July 2003. It is meant to illustrate the echoes of a triumphant advance, reverberating throughout a vast expanse, as in the colonization of a new frontier.

This work was remastered using the SynthFont2 software, with the Evanescence 2 and GMR Basico 1.1 instrument packs.

Download the MP3 file of this composition here.

See the index of Mr. Stolyarov’s compositions, all available for free download, here.

The artwork is Mr. Stolyarov’s Abstract Orderism Fractal 46, available for download here and here.
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Minuet #4 (Triumphal Minuet), Op. 36 (2004) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

Minuet #4 (Triumphal Minuet), Op. 36 (2004) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

The New Renaissance Hat
G. Stolyarov II
September 27, 2014
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Mr. Stolyarov composed this classically inspired minuet for piano in 2004. It conveys a mood of achievement, celebration, and forward-looking aspiration.

This work was remastered using the SynthFont2 software, with the Evanescence 2 and GMR Basico 1.1 instrument packs.

Download the MP3 file of this composition here.

See the index of Mr. Stolyarov’s compositions, all available for free download, here.

The artwork is Mr. Stolyarov’s Abstract Orderism Fractal 56, available for download here and here.
Remember to LIKE, FAVORITE, and SHARE this video in order to spread rational high culture to others.
March #11, Op. 60 (2009) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

March #11, Op. 60 (2009) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

The New Renaissance Hat
G. Stolyarov II
August 24, 2014
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This is a triumphal march – a monumental celebration of great victories and accomplishments. It employs three principal related themes, with each theme being accompanied by a variation immediately after it is presented. The majority of the march is composed for two pianos, a brass section, and timpani – although the second occurrence of the first two theme-variation blocks is orchestrated differently, with the brass section being replaced by an organ and a second part added for timpani.

This work was originally composed in 2009 and has been remastered using the Finale 2011 software.

Download the MP3 file of this composition here.

See the index of Mr. Stolyarov’s compositions, all available for free download, here.

The artwork is Mr. Stolyarov’s Abstract Orderism Fractal XXII, available for download here and here.

Remember to LIKE, FAVORITE, and SHARE this video in order to spread rational high culture to others.

Liberation, Op. 20 (2003) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

Liberation, Op. 20 (2003) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

The New Renaissance Hat
G. Stolyarov II
August 17, 2014
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This 2003 composition by Mr. Stolyarov, written in a mid-19th-century style, reveals the true nature of liberty as experienced by the creative mind, not free from all order, but free to create and relish an order of one’s own.

Download the MP3 file of this composition here.

See the index of Mr. Stolyarov’s compositions, all available for free download, here.

The artwork is Mr. Stolyarov’s Abstract Orderism Fractal XVI, available for download here and here.

Remember to LIKE, FAVORITE, and SHARE this video in order to spread rational high culture to others.

Triumphant Endeavor, Op. 19 (2003) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

Triumphant Endeavor, Op. 19 (2003) – Musical Composition and Video by G. Stolyarov II

The New Renaissance Hat
G. Stolyarov II
August 10, 2014
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This radiant composition by Mr. Stolyarov, composed in Spring 2003 in a mid-19th-century style, seeks to reflect the nature of struggle, persistence, and triumph in the face of adversity. The melody alternates between leisurely and intense passages, illustrating both the easy and the difficult aspects of any major undertaking.

Download the MP3 file of this composition here.
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See the index of Mr. Stolyarov’s compositions, all available for free download, here.
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The artwork is Mr. Stolyarov’s Abstract Orderism Fractal VI – Dome Fractal, available for download here and here.
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Ludwig Van Beethoven’s “Egmont”: A Celebration of Liberty and Limited Government (2005) – Article by G. Stolyarov II

Ludwig Van Beethoven’s “Egmont”: A Celebration of Liberty and Limited Government (2005) – Article by G. Stolyarov II

The New Renaissance Hat
G. Stolyarov II
July 26, 2014
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Note from the Author: This essay was originally written in 2005 and published on Associated Content (subsequently, Yahoo! Voices) in 2007.  The essay earned over 2,100 page views on Associated Content/Yahoo! Voices, and I seek to preserve it as a valuable resource for readers, subsequent to the imminent closure of Yahoo! Voices. Therefore, this essay is being published directly on The Rational Argumentator for the first time.  
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~ G. Stolyarov II, July 26, 2014

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Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his Egmont music in 1810 to accompany Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s play of the same name, a play about the struggle between liberty and tyranny, and a work that contains in itself expressions both of tragedy and profound triumph.

Count Egmont was a real historical figure, a Flemish nobleman who had loyally served the Spanish king Philip II in his earlier wars and who had received in return the administration of the city of Brussels and other parts of the Spanish Netherlands. Egmont, though a loyal Catholic, believed in religious toleration and, at the Council of Trent, openly expressed his disapproval of Philip’s persecution of Dutch Protestants.

In return, in 1568, Philip sent troops to the Netherlands under the cruel and tyrannical Duke of Alva, who ordered Egmont’s arrest and execution without a trial or clear evidence of any manner of treason. Egmont’s heroic final words in defense of the ideals of liberty and religious toleration, as well as the efforts of Egmont’s friend, William of Orange, in rallying the Dutch to resist the Duke of Alva, triggered a massive revolt against Spanish rule that eventually led to the independence of the Netherlands.

Goethe wrote a play in honor of Egmont between 1775 and 1787, in which he transferred much of his own philosophy and personality to the character of Egmont, in whom were especially prominent a devotion to individual freedom, a joy of life, and a hatred for arbitrary power. Goethe even made his Egmont twenty years younger than the historical one in order to bring the character even closer to the state of the young playwright.

Beethoven volunteered to write incidental music for the first public performance of Egmont in 1810, in collaboration with Goethe, with whom Beethoven shared the high ideals of individualism, toleration, and a government of liberty. Though the play features a tragic death and brutal oppression by Spanish troops, themes of the inevitable and coming triumph of freedom and justice permeate it.

Egmont’s death does not dull the power of the principles that he advocates and does not prevent the Duke of Alva’s defeat. Thus, when making instructions to Beethoven for the music to be written, Goethe emphasized that he wished Egmont to be a “Symphony of Victory,” and Beethoven delivered precisely that.

The Egmont Overture, itself a microcosm of the events of the play, features a constant conflict between two themes, a gloomy and overbearing minor that dominates in the beginning, symbolic of Spanish tyranny, and a powerful, radiant major, demonstrating the power of Egmont’s resistance to Spanish rule. Near the end of the overture, several harsh violin notes indicate Egmont’s beheading, but not the death of the principles for which he stands. The beheading is followed by the most triumphant fanfare of the entire work, and perhaps the most gloriously uplifting creation of Beethoven’s musical career. The rest of the incidental music was designed to be performed along with the actual recitation of Goethe’s play.

Egmont has a special significance due to its ability to capture in melody the ideas of individualism, toleration, freedom of conscience, and limited government. Beethoven’s music demonstrates in a most directly accessible form the dynamic, heroic, triumphant possibilities of a world built upon such principles, and a spirit of grandeur, dignity, and magnificence that today’s world urgently needs to restore in its art and general sense of life.