Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

8 I Wednesday, December 6, 2006 | The Red & Black VARIETY The Collegium ensemble to sing Performs Renaissance music By COLBY DUNN For The Red & Black Have you ever heard of a rebec? How about a gamba? When was the last time you played a lute? For the members of the University’s Collegium Musicum, these ancient instruments, with the more than 300-year-old musical compositions they perform, are a regular part of their week. The Collegium, a small choral ensemble composed of both faculty and stu dents, is devoted to per forming music written exclusively before and dur ing the Renaissance. Led by Dr. Mitos Andaya, associate director of choral activities in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, the ensemble per forms a wide range of early music, and usually with the original instruments — some of which have been out of popular use for hun dreds of years. While the Collegium per forms complex period pieces, which Andaya described as “challenging but wonderful,” the ensem ble is not exclusive to music majors or faculty. In fact, many of the members have no other connections to the school of Music. Dr. Leigh Holland, an academic adviser in Franklin College, has been a member of the Collegium for the last three years and said she joined because she just “liked the old stuff bet ter.” For Holland, the music is “like a puzzle” — it takes time to put together. A short, eight-minute motet may take five to six weeks to reach perform ance quality and even longer to fully perfect. Andaya is committed to tirelessly rehearsing a piece to achieve the original qual ity. “One of the goals of Collegium is to try to per form the music as it was meant to be,” Andaya said. That means not only perfecting the notes, but also teaching members to play unusual period instru ments like the rebec (a three-string, medieval pre cursor to the violin), gamba (a large instrument similar to a cello) and the guitar like lute. When modern instru ments are used, they are augmented to remain true to the original sound. Ashley Garofalo, a senior music major from Woodstock, joined the Collegium in Fall 2005. “I really enjoy the oppor tunity to perform such clas sic works,” she said. “There is so much to learn from this music.” That is exactly what Andaya said she hopes the Collegium can provide for its members and its audi ence: exposure and under standing of the early mas terpieces that get less attention than their mod ern counterparts. “There’s a whole world of music out there still waiting to be heard,” Andaya said. S795 PHILIP STEIN’ -0- TESLAR* Downtown Athens 706-543-3473 Mon.-Sat. 10am-5:30pm Experience the Teslar* Effect and let yourself feel more relaxed, more rested and less tense. Try it. Wear it. Live it. Feel rt. OTolv 'sdBCorpomifl2006 MnarM• wwwptacsfeifflHtt'.cari ‘Chick lit’ authors angry at book By KRISTA DERBECKER kderbecke@randb.com “Chick lit: A genre of Ac tion that often recycles the following plot: Girl in big city desperately searches for Mr. Right in between dieting and shopping for shoes. Girl gets dumped (sometimes repeat edly) . Girl Ands Prince Charming.” With this deAnition on the back of Elizabeth Merrick’s collection of short stories, “This Is Not Chick Lit: Original Stories by America’s Best Women Writers,” Merrick makes it clear that she’s forgoing the world of makeovers and blind dates for something more substan tial. This anthology, published in August 2006, features more than a dozen female literary authors such as Jennifer Egan, Francine Prose, Curtis Sittenfeld and Jennifer Davis. With its black cover and bright pink title, the book grabs attention from across the bookstore, making a statement about a new kind of female writer. At least, that’s what it attempts to do. Many of the same issues of love and loss that occur in chick lit books still are present in this collec tion. But unsurprisingly, the stories that focus on those banal themes are the weaker ones, almost not even worth reading. My personal favorite was a humorous and poignant story about Almmakers docu menting the life of Joan of Arc. “Joan, Jeanne, LaPucelle, Maid of Orleans,” by Judy Budnitz is innovative and unique, a stark contrast from the cookie-cutter chick lit novels, and even from some of the other works in the book. Despite the book’s noble intentions of raising female readers’ standards, there has been some opposition, espe cially by chick lit writers themselves. Lauren Baratz-Logstead, author of “The Thin Pink Line,” and “A Little Change of Face,” even came out with a retaliatory work soon after Merrick’s, called “This Is Chick Lit.” In a particularly nasty online response to the origi nal collection, Baratz- Logstead, said Merrick’s anthology is “bitch-slapping the subgenre of chick lit.” Maybe it is. I’ve never read BOOK REVIEW THIS IS NOT CHICK LIT “This Is Not Chick Lit” Grade: C+ Verdict: Good idea, not the best execution. any of Baratz-Logstead’s books, but I have read and enjoyed some Jennifer Weiner (“Good In Bed,” “In Her Shoes”), who also responded negatively to Merrick’s anthology. Weiner cites a letter that petitioned Oprah to include more contemporary litera ture in her famous Book Club. The letter was signed by numerous authors around the country, including some of the authors featured in “This Is Not Chick Lit.” “So on the one hand, it’s ‘Oprah, do your part for women writers! We’re all in this together, and we’re all lost without you!’ And on the other hand, we’ve got the country’s (self-proclaimed) best women writers turning up their noses at their fellow women author’ more com mercial efforts,” Weiner wrote on her Web log. She does bring up a good point. What makes these writers “the best?” If this is the absolute pinnacle of female writing, I have to admit, I’m a little disappoint ed in the lack of creativity, and also in the overall somber feel of the collection. Can a novel or short story have a happy ending and still be considered a serious book? Are readers more interested in breezy beach reads than insightful works of literature? Is it possible to have a light-hearted book that addresses deeper issues (“Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” for example)? I may not put “This Is Not Chick Lit” on the shelf with my favorites like Margaret Atwood or Isabel Allende, but being a book nerd who reads both literature and chick lit, I’m just grateful for the discussions this collec tion has fostered about female authors and their works. Greg Giraldo crude but amusing By RUSTY BAILEY rbailey@randb.com Greg Giraldo is rude, crude and doesn’t care what comes out of his mouth. In his new comedy CD, “Good Day to Cross a River”, he’ll Are at will at every type of person he can think of. Some of the most talked about people are “fat, stupid Americans.” In one part, he mentions how waitresses always ask if you “have room” for dessert. As if Americans eat so much during their main course that they have to make room for a slice of pie. But of course, we don’t just eat a slice of pie; we have Death by Chocolate. And he just goes on and on about how obese and moronic Americans are. However, he doesn’t stop there. He pokes fun at blacks, gays, couples, differ ent religions and even burns himself about being middle- aged. He mentions such things as his balls dipping into the toilet water, and how he gets stares as he walks into an Abercrombie and Fitch. Many of his jokes will make your jaw drop. You’ll think to yourself, “I can’t believe he just said that,” but at the same time you’re grab bing your side while laughing, because you know it’s just funny. Greg Giraldo’s new CD is deAnitely worth a listen. He knows how to make you GREG GIRALDO Grade: A Verdict: Don’t miss out on this hilarious take on today's American culture. laugh and never misses a beat with his in-your-face humor. THE WEST OF BOTH WORLDS UNIQUE TQWNHOME FLOORPLANS TANNING SALON Sand volleyball court Residents tan for free! Tennis courts Swimming pool with sun deck Computer lab Basketball court On-site community Barbeque grills assistance staff ‘WWlT RIVER WALK TOWNHOMES 706.548.0600 400 Timothy Rd riverwalktownhomes.com 1 Fitness center Lighted tennis, sand volleyball and basketball courts Washer and dryer in each unit river club APARTMENTS 706.543.4400 1005 Macon Hwy riverclubapts.com Pwwd jprJ pvtmtMlty P? JH AMERICAN CAMPUS COMMUNITIES Whistlebuiy • Whistlebury Walk 4 BR/4 BA 2,3,4 F>&/4 BA ♦ CONDOMINIUMS u in Townhouses & Flats Pool Ceiling Fans Laminated Hardwood Floors Stone & Stucco Monitored Alarms Energy Efficient Washer / Dryer & Microwave GEORGIA > POWER Consider Athens' Best Address for Your Future Home! Como Visit Us or Call Today! Whistlebury Whistlebury Walk 543-0320 353-2977 NOW SHOWING APARTMENTS FOR FALL 2007 JEWELRY • ART 125 EAST CLAYTON STREET DOWNTOWN Student Notes™ is NOW HIRING! Student Notes™ is now accepting applications for SPRING SEMESTER If you are an execellent notetaker and a superior student, WE WANT YOU! For info. Call 546-1440, or go to www.studentnotes.com ACCT 2101 CHEM 1212 GEOG 1113 LEGL 2700 PHIL 2200 ACCT 2102 DRAM 2000 GEOG 1125 LEGL 4400 PHYS 1010 ADPR 3100 ECOL 1000 GEOL 1121 MARK 3000 PHYS 1111 ADPR 3850 ECOL 3500 GEOL 1122 MARK 4000 PHYS 1112 ANTH 1102 ECON 2100 GEOL 1125 MARK 4100 POLS 1101 ARHI 2100 ECON 2105 HACE 2000 MARK 4250 POLS 2000 ARHI 2200 ECON 2106 HACE 2100 MARK 4500 PSYC 1101 ARTS 2000 ECON 2200 HACE 3100 MARS 1010 PSYC T> O T/T" 1 2101 ASTR 1010 ECON 4000 HACE 3150 MARS 1020 PSYC RF AT, jzoU 4000 ASTR 1020 ECON 4030 HACE 3200 MGMT 3000 RELI lUU VJ 1001 BCMB 3100 ECON 4040 HACE 3300 MIBO 2500 RELI 1002 BIOL 1103 ENTO 2010 HACE 4100 MIBO 3500 RELI 1006 BIOL 1104 ESPY 2020 HACE 4310 MIST 2090 RMIN 4000 BIOL 1107 FDNS 2100 HACE 4400 MSIT 3000 SOCI 1101 BIOL 1108 FINA 3000 HACE 5100 MUSI 2020 SOCI 1600 BIOL 3500 FINA 4000 HACE 5150 MUSI 2040 SPCM 1100 CBIO 2200 GENE 3000 HIST 2111 MUSI 2060 SPCM 2300 CBIO 2210 GENE 3200 HIST 2112 NMIX 2020 STAT 2000 CHFD 2100 GEOG 1101 HIST 2701 PBIO 1210 STAT rpTPT T7 1 3000 o n i n CHFD 2950 GEOG 1103 HORT 2000 PBIO 1220 j U 1 u CHEM 1110 GEOG 1111 JOUR 3310 PHIL 1000 ■ Call H MMA p J A afl J 4 A CHEM 1211 GEOG 1112 JRLC 5040 PHIL 1500 |706-546-1440 NOTES FOR FINALS ON SALE NOW! We are located inside Baxter Street Bookstore