Leonard cohen principe de asturias

5:26leonard cohen’s prince of asturias speech no overdubbing online natalia avilayoutube – 27 nov 2016

On the occasion of his recent death, the wonderful speech that Leonard Cohen gave when he received the Prince of Asturias Award for Letters has been circulating online. It was on October 21, 2011 and those who experienced it live could not get over their amazement. “Everything that you judge worthy in my work comes from this land” was the most commented phrase among the attendees, and which was echoed by the media the next day.

Truly, the words spoken by the Canadian singer-songwriter in those eleven magical minutes can be considered a model speech.  It goes without saying that the value of a speech can be measured in two ways: by the simple effect it produces on the audience, or by its analysis of form and substance. It is, with all due respect, what happens to good wine, whose quality can be appreciated simply by drinking it, or by analyzing all its characteristics and nuances of color, aromas, taste, etc.

A master orator like Dale Carnegie used to say that words of gratitude should always aim at reaching the maximum level of satisfaction in the grateful person; and that the best way to achieve this was to let him know something he did not know, for example, by giving him a clear idea of the benefits that his action had brought him. This is what Cohen does.

19:47leonard cohen a final interview september 2016 david philip chircopyoutube – 23 feb 2018.

Leonard Cohen, poetry in song, Leonard Cohen (Montreal, 1934) the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature. For his songs of marked literary character, as well as for his non-sung works, such as Flowers for Hitler, The Beautiful Vanquished, Let’s Compare Mythologies, or the work The Favorite Game.

At the age of 32 he began his stage as a singer with the album “Songs of Leonard Cohen” (1967), which presented his classic style: baritone voice, minimalist instrumentation and lyrics based on love, loss, religion, sex and personal introspection. It contained classics such as “Suzanne” or “So Long Marianne”.

leonard cohen en el aleluya

Leonard Norman Cohen nació en Montreal (Canadá) en 1934 en una familia de emigrantes judíos. Interesado en la literatura desde la infancia, se graduó en esta materia en la Universidad McGill de Montreal en 1955. Su primer contacto con la música fue en esta época, formando parte de The Buckskin Boys, un grupo amateur de country-folk. Más tarde se trasladó a Nueva York gracias a una beca que le permitió estudiar en la Columbia Graduate School.

Es Oficial y Compañero de la Orden de Canadá, la orden civil de mayor rango del país, y Gran Oficial de la Orden Nacional de Quebec. En 2008 ingresó en el Salón de la Fama del Rock and Roll y en 2010 fue distinguido con el premio Grammy a la trayectoria. En 2011 se le concedió el Premio Glenn Gould.

Según los Estatutos de la Fundación, los Premios Príncipe de Asturias tienen como objetivo “premiar la labor científica, técnica, cultural, social y humanística realizada a nivel internacional por personas, instituciones o grupos de personas o instituciones”. Dentro de este espíritu pueden ser propuestos al Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Letras aquellos “cuya labor creativa o de investigación represente una aportación relevante a la cultura universal en los campos de la Literatura o la Lingüística”.

11:49leonard cohen’s prince of asturias speech – no overdubbingallan showalteryoutube – 25 oct 2011

The Canadian singer-songwriter was the first of the award winners to speak, and he emphasized that poetry comes from a place that no one controls or conquers. For this reason, he said that it is difficult to receive an award for a discipline that he has not managed to “control”.

For his part, Captain Toyohiko Tomioka, of the Tokyo Fire Department, a member of the delegation of Fukushima Heroes honored with the 2011 Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, shared the distinction with all those who are still carrying out their activities in the area affected by the tsunami that devastated eastern Japan and the subsequent nuclear catastrophe.

Tomioka explained that since the accident occurred, they have been carrying out the evacuation of the population, as well as the cooling of the reactor containment buildings and decontamination activities. “I myself, as the person in charge of the cooling operation, went to the site before anyone else to test all the possibilities,” he said, and then emphasized that “difficult decisions” were made.