tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88561870752240981182012-01-27T05:59:28.903-08:00A journal including subjects related to the arts, with a strong historical connection to the subject of choice, as I taught both in the arts and history as well.LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.comBlogger3901100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-7098296568201833132012-01-26T10:50:00.000-08:002012-01-27T05:59:28.947-08:00

Is there a subject learned and taught by Man that is more vulnerable to the cosmic dust of change, outside perhaps, astronomy, than history itself?Take, for instance. a series of lectures done at St. Mary's in Wimbledon, at the Wimbledon Village Club, done during the winter months of 1863, 64:The Club was created for members of the middle class, with a reading room holding some 600 volumes,

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-12856121525000370702012-01-20T10:31:00.000-08:002012-01-20T14:18:37.010-08:00

On January12, 1953, a unique example of the Unexpected took place:On this day, the omnipresent Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto was performed live and recorded by the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz, with the acclaimed conductor George Szell and the New York Philharmonic.The personal history formed between Horowitz and this Concerto had long been in place, beginning in 1928 when a young Horowitz

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-52703605520826777822012-01-12T10:15:00.000-08:002012-01-12T10:51:03.097-08:00

In April of 1943, the Second World War started to turn in our favor. American troops had landed in North Africa and were becoming an intrinsic part of the final defeat of Rommel's vaunted Afrika Korps. Hitler, like Napoleon, was beginning to understand the mammoth mistake of invading a country about one sixth the size of the earth's land mass, and Mother Russia was beginning to exact an

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-70985486298202290822012-01-04T10:41:00.000-08:002012-01-04T11:17:04.199-08:00

Some of you may have read my blog on Varian Fry, whom History has called "the artists' Schindler." Fry altered the course of the history of art by way of his saving many of the great artists and writers in Occupied and Vichy France before Hitler could lay his hands on them.Well, there was a woman in Paris whom we may call a female incarnation of Varian Fry, and, sadly, like Fry is not

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-32839982226891389172011-12-30T10:41:00.000-08:002011-12-30T11:36:39.595-08:00

I finally got around to read Liszt's book centering on his friend and fellow composer Chopin.As regards the nature of the commentary, there was nothing unexpected, as it is well - known that Liszt had a deep and genuine admiration of Chopin's language.Liszt projects a constancy in the redolence of his love for the gift that Chopin possessed, and in a relatively non-technical perusal of a

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-77452562492544633372011-12-23T16:32:00.000-08:002011-12-23T16:51:32.601-08:00

In the blog of Clementi I had done earlier today, I had forgotten to relate an item of importance dealing with the influence that Clementi had on not only the possibilities of the keyboard, but also on the advent of early Romanticism, as it eventually asserted its power later in the 19th century:When Beethoven passed away, the authorities dealing with the affairs and possessions of the fabled

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-87778349552682978012011-12-23T10:40:00.000-08:002011-12-23T12:29:00.620-08:00

Why is it that the piano music of Muzio Clementi is heard less than it should be?The world of music recognizes this composer; however, as Horowitz once wryly said, "I am famous, but not well-known." Another way of reasoning with this dilemma is the simple fact that both giants we call Mozart and Beethoven were two of Clementi's contemporaries; therefore, partial historical obfuscation, and

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-73987579319055224582011-12-14T10:12:00.000-08:002011-12-14T10:31:02.439-08:00

The name Bernie Krause may not be familiar to you; however, you may find his story one of fascination, as it applies to the art of music:Born in 1938, his initial interest was music, which he delved into at about age four, first in violin, then composition. Yes, he was considered a prodigy by many.As he grew, he pursued the guitar as a primary instrument, ending up with the famous group The

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-21191775325427533902011-12-12T10:21:00.000-08:002011-12-12T10:47:52.160-08:00

Music is perfect for giving on Christmas, of course - how about some suggestions?For children, how about the perennial favorite, Peter and the Wolf? If you can find an old recorded version with Eleanor Roosevelt as the narrator, it is truly a classic reading. Another is a charming reading of Peter by the legendary Leonard Bernstein - or how about Sting?? It is really very good!Another piece for

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-9939479139127221382011-12-07T09:48:00.000-08:002011-12-07T10:56:35.131-08:00

It was a Sunday in 1941; specifically Dec. 7th, that the forces of Imperial Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into the Second World War.Our entry into history's greatest conflict resulted in some truly significant events; for instance, a solution to the lingering depression in America, due to an almost immediate conversion from a peace-time industry to that of a

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-83824556641477163162011-12-02T11:09:00.000-08:002011-12-02T11:31:05.973-08:00

Dumbarton Oaks was a glorious estate owned by a gentleman named Robert Bliss and his wife, in the Washington, D.C. area. In celebration of their 30th anniversary, the legendary composer Igor Stravinsky was commissioned to write a work , which he wrote not for orchestra, but an ensemble. This work, not very well known except to Stravinsky's followers, was ultimately titled "Dumbarton Oaks

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-61927357891905543152011-11-23T10:47:00.000-08:002011-11-23T11:23:02.168-08:00

The famous novelist Michael Crichton passed away in 2008 from cancer, leaving an unfinished story behind. Evidently Crichton's agent was impressed enough with this unfinished work to contact another author to ask him if he would be interested in completing it.At first this author, whose name is Richard Preston, hesitated, obviously due to the rather unique proposal offered him; after all, how

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-37645801804092672552011-11-19T13:53:00.000-08:002011-11-19T14:31:30.690-08:00

Of the sonatas written by Chopin, his first is the least known.The principal reason is logical - he was just seventeen when he began writing it, and the Chopin the world has known since 1849 was yet to be formed.However, even though the formalism and barriers of his formative years are in evidence, the luminescence and wonderfully conditioned boundlessness germane to the Chopin we know begin to

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-49928463720133600362011-11-17T13:06:00.000-08:002011-11-17T13:46:40.750-08:00

Among the relatively few eminent women composers of the 19th century, Cecile Chaminade was among that small coterie.For those of you who are not very familiar with this composer, just a few words:Chaminade was an accomplished pianist, with her debut in her late 'teens - she became known in France as a fine teacher, with a distinguished career in teaching lasting over a half century - she may

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-9195327283202928782011-11-11T12:21:00.000-08:002011-11-12T05:19:19.794-08:00

Those who are familiar with the eccentric and unpredictable ways of the great Italian pianist, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, know that this reclusive genius recorded a relatively small number of performances. Arguably, among the more important events in his recording span were the 1st, 3rd and 5th piano concertos of Beethoven, with Guilini and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, in live

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-9473771053787080122011-11-07T06:53:00.000-08:002011-11-07T15:41:25.078-08:00

When the acerbic,wonderfully gifted columnist Andy Rooney passed away at the age of 92 a couple of days ago, I thought of the wonderful combination of a long life, followed quickly by his departure. Just three weeks after his retirement, Rooney said 'goodbye' to us all.One of his colleagues remarked that the only improvement possible would have been to have departed three days after

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-1587377554213260572011-10-27T10:44:00.000-07:002011-10-27T15:46:57.842-07:00

Some of my most poignant memories stem from recitals; not mine, but students of mine.Try these two incidents for size:One of my young ladies emerged to play a work of Clementi. There's nothing really unusual about a Clementi performance; HOWEVER, she was sufficiently nervous to begin a work by the composer which did not happen to be the work intended for that golden moment.I have never

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-24629595878019517702011-10-24T10:48:00.000-07:002011-10-24T11:18:04.856-07:00

It's obvious that, from time to time, my head is not connected to my neck; for example, to have forgotten until now, the 10th month of the year, that 2011 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of the 19th century's legends, Franz Liszt.It's not really necessary to re-dig the information germane to this overpowering musician, as I have written so often in my blogs about him.Perhaps,

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-11575057217036155142011-10-20T11:15:00.001-07:002011-10-20T13:53:16.320-07:00

Arguably, Bach is generally thought of as the most influential composer of the last three hundred years. The magic of sound and numbers, in unparalleled symbiosis, which this titanic musical thinker has given life to, has filtered into virtually all composers' thought processes since his time.Those of us in the field think of Bach and his powers almost daily, as his language permeates our

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-69078302999073654012011-10-12T10:58:00.000-07:002011-10-12T11:25:42.953-07:00

During my early teaching career, I was far more involved in listening to pop and jazz than I am now, and total democratization in my musical tastes came out of this period.One of my many pop heroes during this period was Roger Williams, who passed away last week at the age of 87. His splashy and crystal-clear playing was always attractive to my young ears, and his immense success in such

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-8145667767318983012011-10-05T10:45:00.000-07:002011-10-05T11:31:07.642-07:00

On Sunday last, I was listening to Prokofiev's glistening 5th Piano Concerto - since high school days, Prokofiev has been one of my heroes coming out of the twentieth century. My first encounter on the piano was his Fugitive Visions, and have loved them since, let alone essentially most of his output. I remember my personal piano-war with his mammoth 7th Sonata; however, it was truly worth the

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-43620053981615543982011-09-26T10:19:00.000-07:002011-09-26T11:07:34.307-07:00

Why did I find myself whistling, then humming one of my own tunes this morning?Why do tunes pop up in our inner hearing apparatus?Why is there, at least at times, the "tune of the day?"I got to thinking about the nature of the kinds of power that music has over us, and it shows up in countless, let alone, rather strange ways, from time to time:With the overwhelming power that the music of Wagner

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-84999730881470078732011-09-22T10:43:00.000-07:002011-11-26T10:06:51.362-08:00

On March 2nd of 2012, I will be playing Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf."This statement may sound rather strange to those of you who know this composition as it is normally performed; that is, with narrator and orchestra. Of course, the entire world is familiar with this particular incarnation.Well, Prokofiev gave birth to this wonderful work in 1936, getting it down on paper in four days.

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-55921953477033525082011-09-13T11:02:00.000-07:002011-09-13T11:40:07.729-07:00

During my active years as an educator, I taught at both high school and college level simultaneously . My boss in the music department at the high school began his tenure a year before a certain student graduated from this school. That "certain student" became one of the twentieth century's best known musicians, and one of history's most prolific composers, with well over 500 compositions that

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-67730653441666327292011-09-08T11:02:00.000-07:002011-09-08T11:32:41.535-07:00

When I recall, in my formative years, the power of spectacular luck, simply by being with a teacher who passed on to me countless aspects of musical and pianistic thinking from two giants born in the 19th century; well, I consider myself anointed with good fortune.This teacher, with whom I studied for several years, was himself a student of one of the last teaching icons who straddled two

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-8439706710502374232011-09-04T12:41:00.000-07:002011-09-04T13:18:01.970-07:00

I recall one of the leading pianists of our time remarking to me about the power of dialogue in the middle movement of Schumann's Piano Concerto. Knowing that movement so well, let alone having performed it so many times, I was struck by this pianist's assertion that the seamless nature of "conversation without words" in this music remains unequaled, in his view. Using the contextual essence

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-86261717422329181422011-08-19T12:08:00.000-07:002011-08-19T13:48:31.075-07:00

A few days ago, I was deep in the process of looking over recordings in my collection that I hadn't heard in quite some time, and I came across a CD I had forgotten about. It was a recital by the gifted Spanish violinist Ricardo Odriozola, and it included my Suite Baroque. I can assure you that I tell you this, not because of his performance of one of my works, but because of the location of this

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-28135083753139321102011-08-13T07:40:00.000-07:002011-08-13T08:20:55.213-07:00

During my education years, especially in the advanced aspects, there were innumerable conversations among both fellow students, let alone professors and various artists centering around the piano legend Art Tatum. Even though Tatum was in the Pop field, his gigantic gifts have been a constant issue among musicians in the Classical field, and such giants as Rachmaninoff , Stokowski and Horowitz

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-87154126998076697212011-08-07T13:20:00.000-07:002011-08-07T13:55:21.821-07:00

On more than one occasion the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz uttered his dislike of Brahms, and between the words one can sense the discomfort Horowitz underwent in the playing of the composer, especially in the two Piano Concertos. At times he actually expressed to people like Dubal his disdain for the way Brahms wrote for the piano, citing weaknesses in the composer's creative delivery;

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-66520588027976194732011-08-01T10:05:00.000-07:002011-08-01T10:34:29.238-07:00

In mulling over some of the letters that Beethoven wrote, I am gripped by the level of determinism and the illimitable power of the core of the creative thrust that a Beethoven possesses.For the great composer to have become totally deaf by way of a process that tortuously required years for consummation is Tragedy of the highest magnitude; however, be reminded that there were other issues in

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-6880056094912973112011-07-23T13:53:00.000-07:002011-07-24T13:47:07.541-07:00

As I have written in a previous blog, a famous encounter in New York took place in 1928 between the legendary pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff and the 24 year - old sensation from Mother Russia, Vladimir Horowitz, resulting in that famous exclamation by Rachmaninoff after his hearing Horowitz play his 3rd Concerto; namely, "He swallowed my Concerto whole!"And the fact that Rachmaninoff himself

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-85745880369560939602011-07-15T13:24:00.000-07:002011-07-15T13:57:08.592-07:00

Mendelssohn is justifiably compared, in terms of precocity, with Mozart.He wrote music at an extremely early age, and publicly appeared as a pianist before age ten. He possessed an assiduously keen curiosity about his world, and traveled a great deal, having been born into a family of power and wealth; after all, his grandfather was the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, his father Abraham one of

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-33424106376660294172011-07-11T11:19:00.000-07:002011-07-23T13:52:39.950-07:00

"A horse must be led to water, but every pencil must be led.""You're right - any bird can build a nest, but not every one can lay an egg."(Hardy) "Call me a cab." (Laurel, confused, asked) "What?" (Hardy, in mounting impatience, said "I said, call me a cab!" (After a second or two, Laurel, in a rather confused state, said "You're a cab.""What did he die of - he died of a Tuesday, or was it

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-60432856699526049742011-07-05T10:21:00.000-07:002011-07-06T13:05:47.596-07:00

The power of prescience appears in all human pursuits - sometimes it is unconscious, such as Scarlatti's legendary Sonatas, written during a period before the piano, but fit the piano so superbly, that there are those who feel that pianists like Horowitz and Gilels bring to ultimate reality the full potential of these masterpieces, even though they were written for the harpsichord.Or, take

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-19772371775779565812011-07-01T13:40:00.000-07:002011-07-01T14:14:51.882-07:00

As a child, I was a voracious reader, and at a rather early age, I stumbled across the famous book on Mozart by the brilliant authoress Marcia Davenport called, simply - "Mozart."I must have read the book four or five times (I remember being of elementary school age), falling more and more into the world of Mozart painted so exquisitely by Davenport, and for a long time Davenport's world of

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-58559635783478629472011-06-26T15:17:00.000-07:002011-06-26T15:43:02.999-07:00

We know that Beethoven began to grow deaf around his 28th year, and that total deafness was the inevitable visitor during the latter adult years.However, one must be reminded that, according to either Thayer or Schindler, or both; it was stated that, from time to time, some hearing would reappear for short periods, and in poor quality.Generally, from about 1816 he ceased conducting his own

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-38844717678662849752011-06-22T11:01:00.000-07:002011-06-22T11:20:26.590-07:00

This month, in other years, serves as a defining time in the history of modern man.Three events come to mind:In 1942, during the first week in June, American air power at Midway Island permanently destroyed the offensive phase of the Japanese Empire's prosecution of the Pacific war, resulting in the inevitable collapse and defeat of Imperial Japan in World War II.In 1944, in the early dawn of

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-85951071843601923762011-06-20T08:38:00.000-07:002011-06-20T11:36:09.643-07:00

The world knows of the determinism of the Heiligenstadt Testament that the 32 year - old composer wrote to his brothers, but was never delivered; first, his thoughts about suicide due to his increasing deafness, followed by a determination, through rationalization, of his desire to continue and complete the job he was placed upon Earth to do.But one should be reminded that this sense of

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-55903962876008719482011-06-15T10:37:00.000-07:002011-06-15T11:33:06.719-07:00

There is a dilemma which, from time to time, confronts those of us who pursue the profession of music, and no argument is ever lost or won - the issue involved remains.In this case, it deals with the 're - writing' of a masterpiece by someone other than the composer. I am not relating to the writing of transcriptions of originals, such as the nine symphonies of Beethoven having been reduced to

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-24647973681555367342011-06-06T10:03:00.000-07:002011-06-06T10:32:19.444-07:00

We all know that today's date marks the 67th anniversary of Operation Overlord, better known as D-Day, the day that the Allies, in the largest amphibious undertaking in the history of warfare, landed on the coast of Normandy to actuate the liberation of a suffering people and bring the war to Hitler's Germany.Another history-altering event took place two years earlier, also during the first

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-87984681469970313772011-06-03T10:58:00.000-07:002011-06-03T11:45:40.048-07:00

With all of the technically daunting works that have been written for the piano, especially from Beethoven's time to the present, one aspect of the multifaceted world of pieces of great virtuosity is stamina.It's one thing to deal with the problems of conquering the towering difficulties of this kind of work for the piano, such as how to make music emerge from the finger gymnastics which are

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-53860081828317497912011-05-31T11:36:00.000-07:002011-05-31T12:28:54.386-07:00

Domenico Scarlatti was born in 1685.Vladimir Horowitz in 1903 (or 1904).Their collaboration was born after over two centuries had gone by.The younger Scarlatti (his father Alessandro was the renowned writer of opera) got to formally write most of his keyboard masterpieces down in middle age, the core of which are his 555 Sonatas, the first 30 of which he called "exercises."Vladimir Horowitz

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-54937276627449412842011-05-26T12:50:00.000-07:002011-05-26T13:25:17.997-07:00

The world knows of the power of the gigantic 1804 masterpiece that Beethoven titled "Waldstein."It most assuredly ranks among the more important of the 32 piano sonatas of The Master.But, among those who involve themselves, either as performers or listeners, of this massive work, inevitably have to come to terms with a passage toward the end of the third movement; specifically, how to perform

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-16717878431341592572011-05-20T11:48:00.000-07:002011-05-20T12:21:09.919-07:00

When I was a kid, the crooner of that time was Bing Crosby. I thought of him as a kind of vocal Methuselah, singing sweet nothings in his sixties.Then came Blue Eyes; that is, Frank Sinatra, who made it well into his seventies as both the leading crooner and a talented actor.And now our present time has one Tony Bennett, who, at age 85, is simply magical in his story-telling through the popular

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-56572082155464941442011-05-13T10:59:00.000-07:002011-05-13T11:20:31.875-07:00

The name Haydn is known, of course, throughout the world of music; therefore, it would be a waste of both your and my time to hash over the material so well known to us.One lesser known aspect of his activities as a composer may, perhaps, be of interest to some of you:We know that his immense architectural abilities to build so many of his wonderfully luminous ideas from smaller elements is,

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-87117882776309033442011-05-08T07:32:00.000-07:002011-05-08T07:49:14.460-07:00

On this date in 1945, it was publicly announced that the Second World War was officially over, and that VE(Victory in Europe) Day would commence.How times have altered - Hitler conquered all of France in about six weeks, and from 1939 to 1942 was absolute master of Western Europe. And his 1000 year Reich disappeared in 12 years.Two bombs vaporized in horrific finality the aims of the Japanese

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-51749777896783044922011-05-05T10:24:00.000-07:002011-05-05T13:21:52.497-07:00

A few months ago, I heard for the first time a composition for the violin and piano, written by a contemporary composer.That initial experience, on my part, is still in my memory, as I have rarely been struck in a first hearing as I was struck that evening. It entered my consciousness immediately as an example of some of the most adroitly sculpted ideas written for these instruments that is

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-40591356998913061512011-04-25T14:15:00.000-07:002011-04-27T07:09:06.345-07:00

The entire world recognizes the wonder child Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and his unequaled attainment level.But; perhaps, just a few words about his older sister, Marie Anna, born five years before Amadeus...Of course, any of us who follow the course of the history of Western music know that the wonder child had an older sister, who demonstrated undeniable brilliance in keyboard abilities at an

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-24260309637175761812011-04-21T13:12:00.000-07:002011-04-21T15:34:32.459-07:00

I was looking over some of the piano music of Prokoviev the other day, in the event I should like to go back to a period of practice time involving the fracturing of some of my knuckles in order to catapult some of his music into existence for some future recital - do keep in mind that Prokofiev wrote piano music almost exclusively for his own technique, as virtuoso composers traditionally do,

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-2615860111643824402011-04-14T12:09:00.000-07:002011-04-14T12:48:44.441-07:00

There is no need, on my part, to relate any aspects of the careers of Franz Josef Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as the world knows of them so very well; however, the calendar divulges a truly unique confluence simply by way of the birth and death years of these giants:Let's examine - Haydn's span was 1732-1809.Mozart's was 1756-1791.Mozart, for a brief time, was a student of Haydn, and

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-43239885095562280182011-04-12T10:56:00.000-07:002011-04-12T11:18:35.024-07:00

On this date, in 1945, the sudden death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sent shock waves through our country, our Allies, and our enemies.As I have written before, there was some fear that Roosevelt's passing would have an effect upon our war aims; and, in actuality, there was some degree of panic about whether the fortunes of war would pass to the enemy - of course, by this time, Nazi

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-57752568079329275802011-04-04T10:57:00.000-07:002011-04-04T11:25:01.238-07:00

When one thinks of an artist who worked well into old age, Grandma Moses is well remembered. I believe that she died in her 101st year. and was active as she approached that magic century mark.Not far from where I live, a furrier began painting after his retirement, and became very well known for his delightful work; so well known that his works were seen in many art studios and other centers

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-88630215923394857662011-03-29T10:51:00.000-07:002011-03-29T11:09:01.582-07:00

I was thinking of Noel Coward the other day, and mulching over the attainments of this true "Renaissance Man."He achieved much fame in so many areas of the arts; primarily in drama, writing and music.Even though his "Blithe Spirit" gained much notoriety, an equally impressive endeavor came out of a film; a film considered by many to be one of the more distinguished war dramas coming out of the

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-50512192599768474072011-03-24T13:14:00.000-07:002011-03-24T14:16:45.252-07:00

During one of my more recent inane musings, the thought struck me; especially during these turbulent times, about the number eleven:11/11/ - The Armistice, ending the First World War...9/11 - The first direct attack on the U.S.A., toppling the Twin Towers, which killed more people than those who died at Pearl Harbor...2/11 - Mubarak steps down as President of Egypt, leaving the Unknown to

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-76377480018642912802011-03-17T10:01:00.000-07:002011-03-17T10:26:04.290-07:00

Allow me to preface this blog by stating that I am not criticizing, merely commenting:When I take note of how so many of us listen to music through loudspeakers that are millimeters in size, wrapped around our ears; I ask how many of us DO get back, at least occasionally, to loudspeakers that are some three or four feet in height?This question encountered me yesterday, when I came across a

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-29670627644669267282011-03-13T13:43:00.000-07:002011-03-13T14:08:30.095-07:00

Those who saw the Polanski masterpiece, "The Pianist" well remember the pianist, Szpilman, playing on a Steinway grand piano in the midst of the rubble of Warsaw, for a German officer, who befriended and protected Szpilman from certain death, as the pianist was a Jew.The stark and lurid portrait of the sounds of a piano emanating from the horror of the ruins in the center of the Polish city

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-54678597604438805912011-03-10T10:46:00.000-08:002011-03-10T11:21:44.956-08:00

I once asked a great pianist what, for him, was the most difficult piece he had ever worked upon.I expected something like "Islamey" of Balakirev, or, the infamous piano reduction of the third movement of Tchaikowsky's 6th Symphony.What I got was a rather unexpected answer, and within a fraction of a second after my question was asked. Without blinking, he replied "nothing is easy."A deep

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-71902576773494799302011-03-04T16:20:00.000-08:002011-03-04T17:00:41.919-08:00

Where the elemental power of the human will can take a man or woman is sometimes most compelling a subject, and under certain conditions it can alter the course of human history.Take the three examples I now cite:Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will) is, even today, considered one of the most powerful film documentaries ever created. Leni Riefenstahl, a popular movie star and ballet

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-63871671110619340722011-03-02T11:05:00.000-08:002011-03-02T11:26:40.534-08:00

My blog, written shortly after the passing of George Shearing on Valentine's Day centered around his legendary perusal of "My Funny Valentine," which tells us of his love, let alone his knowledge of the classics.I thought that in the event you do not know of a CD by Shearing which best informs us of his magnificent fusion of the Classics and Pop music, please look for the CD titled "My Ship."I

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-91352801292105258892011-02-23T14:30:00.000-08:002011-02-27T11:15:24.697-08:00

After listening to the recording of the Feb. 11th concert, performed by Ricardo Odriozola, violinist, and Einar Rottingen, pianist, which I have already written about, some thoughts emerged:The three local composers represented(I was one of them) all projected an aspect of the art of writing that formed a common bond; that being, the importance of a strong and undeniable attachment to the

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-23810373266033760972011-02-22T10:32:00.000-08:002011-02-23T05:34:46.124-08:00

An event during what I believe was my first year as a teacher came back to me last evening, and I share it with you now:One of my students and his girl friend, my wife and I went into the city to hear a singer we had heard quite a bit about, and had curiosity about her, and so -We went into town by public transport, then took a taxi to the nightclub the singer was appearing in.To call it a

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-82570704999434258152011-02-17T11:13:00.000-08:002011-02-17T11:36:11.784-08:00

It is with deep sadness that I acknowledge the passing of George Shearing, in New York, in his 91st year.I have discussed Shearing in past blogs, one including an interview I had with him during my twenties.It is somewhat ironic to me that he passed away on Valentine's day, as the most highly developed and powerful arrangement he ever made was on the Richard Rodgers tune, "My Funny Valentine."As

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-27385373250337683522011-02-13T08:30:00.000-08:002011-02-13T09:20:08.919-08:00

Two wonderful and powerful performers, one of whom had been a student of mine in my younger years, paid a visit from Norway, giving a recital for piano and violin to a large and receptive audience.I was fortunate in being one of three American composers represented in the recital. Other pieces were also played, including one of the most evocative and luminous readings I know of; that being of

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-66354243501495729452011-02-05T06:58:00.000-08:002011-02-05T07:32:59.439-08:00

The power of the language of music is, of course, an intrinsic part of human consciousness; however, some words entered my memory bank this morning which contain, in my view, the same essence of that indescribable power of human communication. In the event you do not know who Martin Niemoeller was, he became a Lutheran Pastor, and for a short

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-76159035967670001102011-02-01T06:56:00.000-08:002011-02-01T08:26:30.550-08:00

The art of the song came into full bloom by way of a seventeen year-old wonder named Franz Schubert, and he wrote some 600 of them in a brief life. The golden age of the Lied(song) was born in Europe.These songs were, mainly, narratives cast into a musical format, and some were truly lengthy, as they were stories, requiring many pages of music.Another form of song, most being about two pages,

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-86765442535893350372011-01-27T05:50:00.000-08:002011-01-27T06:34:16.491-08:00

Traditionally, one may consider the term 'virtuoso' when a Vladimir Horowitz, or a Jascha Heifetz, or a Pablo Casals is heard or brought into conversation.But how about another aspect within the world of music, such as Pop?When I was a kid, I heard a recording of a tune called "Well, Get it," and I was captivated by the clean, biting sounds and the cascading runs of a trumpet. The total

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-54555598783526902972011-01-24T13:35:00.000-08:002011-01-24T14:13:46.856-08:00

I have a photograph of some of the world's greatest musicians, only one known as a singer, bellowing the "Hallelujah" chorus of Handel, and perhaps there are a few of you who either know of, or possess this photograph.This group stood side-to-side on the stage at Carnegie Hall in the finale to what was called " The Concert of a Century," celebrating the 85th anniversary of Carnegie Hall. Prior

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-33663997815983128312011-01-14T11:02:00.000-08:002011-01-14T11:19:41.484-08:00

Because of the immense popularity of such works as "The Nutcracker," or the Piano Concerto, or the Sixth Symphony, the solo works for piano by Peter Tschaikowsky tend to be overlooked.The suite for piano, "The Seasons," may well be the most popular work for that medium, with "June" and "November" being the pieces most often played, and justifiably so, as the other months in that suite may be

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-22454631845127705872011-01-14T10:37:00.000-08:002011-01-14T10:59:13.580-08:00

Three days ago, one of the most popular and well-liked songstresses of the mid-twentieth century passed away.Margaret Whiting worked with almost all of the great pop and many of the jazz artists of renown, and made many memorable records during her long career. Her father, Richard Whiting, was a leading composer of pop music, and is, perhaps, best known by way of a rousing tune which splashed

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-57907006398976830872011-01-07T13:28:00.000-08:002011-01-07T14:34:03.631-08:00

I cannot recall whether I had told you about an arts class I was conducting with honors students involved, and an event I thought might have some effect upon these young people.I decided to alter the social fiber of a process which, of its own nature, requires only one being to enact; namely, the process of practice. After all, does one customarily practice an instrument before an audience?And

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-38891487560215463532010-12-31T16:25:00.000-08:002011-01-03T14:02:19.967-08:00

As the New Year is about to begin, my thoughts move to the mystery we call Time, and some points of time are impressive to me; for instance, 1685 is the birth year of three musical titans named Bach, Handel and Scarlatti the Younger.At this moment, I am considering the incredible compactness that time can project; for instance, within a period of time palpably less than a century, Haydn, Mozart,

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-55976613390839305132010-12-28T10:44:00.000-08:002011-01-03T14:04:33.988-08:00

When one thinks of the deafness of Beethoven and the elemental power of tragedy that accompanied his consciousness, the name of Murray Perahia arises.Perahia is now about 63 years of age, and is considered to be one of the handful of the living titans of the piano.Perahia was born in New York City, and received important training in America, including his graduating from the Mannes School in

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-11595176516716590302010-12-25T06:23:00.000-08:002010-12-25T07:05:38.169-08:00

As promised when I wrote the blog dealing with Lyonel Feininger and the Comic Strip, here is my follow-up:In the 1930's, one of America's more powerful authors (sadly, I cannot remember who it was), emitted a "warning" not to consider the comic strip "as anything less than an art form of strong import; nothing less."I consider the comic strip as just that, simply due to the impact it had upon my

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-86673928650887624202010-12-23T12:13:00.000-08:002010-12-23T12:42:42.058-08:00

The only serious artist I know of to gain fame by way of a comic strip he created was Lyonel Feininger, who was born, I believe, in New York, of immigrant parents, but who went to Germany for his training.Feininger was a brilliant caricaturist, let alone a rather singular painter. His interest in the art of caricature in his work led him to create a comic strip called "the Kinder-Kids," and

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-78764708281910082732010-12-17T11:02:00.000-08:002010-12-17T13:14:07.837-08:00

He was a truly diffident, unassuming and introspective man, who just happened to be one of the truly great English pianists of the twentieth century.That quiet, ruminative manner translated, innately or otherwise, into his unique manner at the piano.Actually, he is the only great pianist I am aware of who seemingly sublimated the music he performed simply by way of a natural kind of

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-8090840291869039072010-12-13T10:08:00.000-08:002010-12-13T14:11:29.340-08:00

As you have read in my blog, I have projected various examples of the term "the art of" by describing the process of creativity in different incarnations; for example, my experience in bread-making, and the resultant list of exotic breads I had created.Or, to cite other examples of creativity; the way that Oppenheimer dealt with physics as a true art form by way of the exultant process of

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-14025727466894822732010-12-07T13:02:00.000-08:002010-12-07T16:35:46.142-08:00

The entire world knows, of course, that the forces of the Japanese Empire attacked the American fleet in Pearl Harbor on this date, in 1941.Over 24oo were killed on that day, and Battleship Row lay in partial ruins.Some thoughts come to mind about that Day of Infamy:The lingering Depression, by that time called by the opposition "Roosevelt's Depression," still witnessed many Americans

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-60267395980189609482010-12-05T07:05:00.000-08:002010-12-05T07:46:00.026-08:00

I haven't offered suggestions for Christmas in some years now, so I thought that I would offer some little "gumdrops" for consideration in the gift-giving department!For Christmas itself, may I suggest that you look for a recording called "Christmastide,", which is a number of carols played on old instruments - it is delightful in its simplicity and clarity. We really do not hear that often

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-12033374695351890722010-11-29T10:44:00.000-08:002010-11-29T11:14:09.825-08:00

Watched the powerful documentary, "Fog of War," which deals with the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.All of us who have seen this film know that it centers around the Secretary of Defense under President Kennedy, Robert Strange McNamara, one of the most powerful and controversial political figures of those times.I hasten to insert at this point that I take no position on the issues that created

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-90167542603031909872010-11-23T10:45:00.000-08:002010-11-23T11:26:17.054-08:00

One of my recent blogs dealt with how atmosphere serves as an elemental aspect of artistic endeavor, citing authors and musicians as some examples.In discussing the ways that the British authors P.D. James and Agatha Christie so skillfully employed atmosphere to enhance the story lines, I had neglected to mention the names of two British actresses who are forever connected to Christie's most

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-41426194272885172122010-11-21T07:15:00.000-08:002010-11-21T08:08:23.690-08:00

This week, at Symphony Hall, Boston, a very special occasion will take place.It is a salute to a truly singular musician; a violinist who performed with such notables as Artur Rubinstein, and who played for such notables as Franklin Delano Roosevelt during his tenure as President. Not only did he establish himself as a violinist of considerable stature, but also he has become renowned

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-65131549435995794192010-11-19T10:15:00.000-08:002010-11-19T11:12:55.011-08:00

The other day I was mulling over the powerful and riveting "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by the Irish genius, Oscar Wilde, whom I have already written about (isn't this work his only published novel?), and the dark, truly low-key tactics Wilde employed in producing the specter of dread throughout this unique work, and how the essences of pure malevolence and ultimate horror emerge so

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-25547466287989265942010-11-15T13:49:00.000-08:002010-11-15T15:52:30.729-08:00

One of the great mysteries of the mind is how it recreates an incident long forgotten, then suddenly reappears, and for no reason you and I can possibly understand - do read on:In 1975, I remember going to New York to witness a Horowitz recital at Carnegie Hall, and got there the day before the event.That evening, I decided to take a stroll not far from where I was staying, and it was just

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-32753271402848617772010-11-08T10:56:00.000-08:002010-11-08T11:29:45.233-08:00

Many who altered the course of history were subjected to forms of escapism by way of the creative process, an impulse that cannot be erased.Two youngsters were choir-boys, each in a different culture, and contemporaries.They both were strongly drawn to the purity of the music they heard and sang.The young German boy sang in a Benedictine surrounding, and the young Russian boy had such a pure

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-65444087654696353032010-11-08T10:44:00.000-08:002010-11-08T10:54:31.305-08:00

On June 22, 1940, a vanquished France signed an armistice with Hitler in the same railroad car the Germans signed their surrender, in 1918 at the Compiegne Forest, France.On June 22, 1941, Hitler began his descent into total destruction, by invading Mother Russia.A lesson learned? Not really.

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-41620344824473347622010-11-02T12:11:00.000-07:002010-11-03T10:31:20.907-07:00

As you know, I wrote yesterday about the address of the people notating the Horowitz transcriptions. I thought that I might share with you some personal reactions to what is transpiring during this period concerning the transcriptions:Some of you are aware, of course, that a number of the transcriptions has been recently recorded by the young Russian pianist, Arcadi Volodos.As I mentioned in my

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-75187424940117015322010-11-01T16:28:00.000-07:002010-11-02T05:27:21.210-07:00

One of two letters I had written to Vladimir Horowitz dealt with the question of looking at his transcriptions, which, to my knowledge, had not been published at that time. He answered, with an apology, that they were simply not available for scrutinizing. Frankly, I had expected no answer, as his general policy was never to write any letters dealing with musical matters.And so, since his

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-20095914277735512842010-10-25T11:00:00.001-07:002010-10-27T05:54:02.655-07:00

I'm not much of a movie-goer; however, there are some movies out there with rather interesting combines of films and internationally recognized musicians.Some examples:The 1931 horror classic, "Dracula," based upon Bram Stoker's play out of London, was given a new injection of music in 1999, written by one of America's best-known composers of our day, Philip Glass, and performed by the

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-76589814598141746252010-10-18T10:55:00.000-07:002010-10-18T13:26:59.120-07:00

In my young years,I remember that the noted Spanish pianist Jose Iturbi, with whom I had some lessons (I have already written about that), upon his becoming conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic for a period of time, seemed to enjoy the double role of conducting from the piano during various piano concerto performances, as I saw him doing just that several times during his tenure. One does

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-85688287769487030362010-10-14T05:46:00.000-07:002010-10-18T05:35:51.100-07:00

"I HATE conducting - I suffer so much.""I do NOT want to hear the note - I want to hear the SPIRIT of the note!"This was Toscanini.At a rehearsal with the great singer Farrar, after several bouts with her (and she was a true Prima Donna), Farrar finally said to Toscanini, "after all, Maestro, I am a star, too - " Toscanini, while pointing to himself said "when the sun shines, the stars do not.

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-50731091359939616162010-10-11T05:39:00.000-07:002010-10-13T06:13:52.681-07:00

When I think of the word 'performance,' I consider the term 'the art of' in the very same context. To explain:In watching the performance of Roy Halladay, in pitching a no-hitter last Wednesday, in the major league playoffs which will lead to the emergence of the best baseball team in the world of 2010, I was struck by his brilliant tactics in overpowering the hitter facing him, one after the

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-63881339361432159092010-10-07T14:49:00.000-07:002010-10-13T06:12:35.107-07:00

I recently came across an old album I had totally forgotten about, which I had purchased during my early years. It was released with the title " Mozart - the Final Six Symphonies."In transferring it over to CD, I listened to the performances, all done by the legendary conductor Bruno Walter, who, fortunately for us, turned much of his attention to Mozart during his final years, after a

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-33497404925835342972010-09-30T10:01:00.000-07:002010-10-01T05:34:29.716-07:00

Those of you who follow my blog are aware that I use the words "the art of" as a vehicle to point out examples of the process of creativity outside of the arts.Besides my being involved with the creative processes germane to music, I have ventured into other areas of Man's innate curiosity in order to put into action the creative process, such as, for instance - making bread ( I AM serious!).

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-82279902271289203312010-09-25T11:19:00.000-07:002010-09-26T15:25:45.481-07:00

I cannot recall my having related the following story to you. I don't believe that I have, and it is really a rather piquant little tale:Barely twenty, George Gershwin became one of the most famous and sought-after composers of his time just months after the legendary Al Jolson sang the young man's song, one of the most popular tunes of that day, "Swanee."Gershwin became, almost overnight, the

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-72007418647201921002010-09-24T05:03:00.000-07:002010-09-30T16:03:58.654-07:00

The following is one of my more rather strange and totally unpredicted experiences in music:A respected physician who at one time treated me, with a deep friendship being the result, is as well a highly accomplished pianist, music being second only to his first calling.Shortly after 9/11 in 2001, he contacted me and asked, in recognition of the tragedy of the Twin Towers in New York, that I

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-13131954748616522802010-09-22T10:21:00.000-07:002010-09-23T05:43:29.132-07:00

Schumann once wrote an article in his journal, with the title "Hats Off, Gentlemen; a Genius!" as an encomium to his friend Chopin.I will now exercise plagiarism ( as only I can do) and proclaim "hats off!" to a truly fine violinist and esteemed teacher, who has established himself at the Grieg Academy in Bergen, Norway as a mainstay there. He has performed, and continues to perform

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-27055701370088724612010-09-17T05:44:00.000-07:002010-09-17T14:36:24.346-07:00

Recently, I decided to see if, at this point in my life, I can handle a piece of music which requires protracted stamina along with finger articulation at a high level - and so, I chose a piece by Liszt (who else?), who, simplistically stated, wrote for his own unprecedented pyro-technique, automatically making much of his piano music truly daunting technical dilemmas, even for the 21st century

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-30602703114947182652010-09-10T05:14:00.001-07:002010-09-10T05:48:24.051-07:00

When I came down with a neurological disorder some years ago, and lost about 40% of the powers of articulation in my right hand, it seemed that playing the piano would no longer be a possibility - this was simply not acceptable to me, as the piano is such a large part of what I am.So I began a rather tortuous process of self-rehabilitation , including exercises from the Phillip lexicon to

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-21118588266221413462010-09-03T10:15:00.000-07:002010-09-03T10:56:43.478-07:00

Up to this moment, I believe that I have been able, at least minimally, to describe core values in Mozart, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff. I think that Franz Liszt should be a subject as well.The compact nature of History and Genius is best made example of, say, by dates; for instance, Bach, Handel and Scarlatti were born in the same year.Well, how about the closet space given to giants of the

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856187075224098118.post-49279076037745435542010-08-31T10:48:00.000-07:002010-08-31T11:10:04.276-07:00

In perusing the very marrow of the bones of the works by Mozart and Beethoven in recent blogs, I find it really difficult to forge a way to describe, in most composers, a view, not of the style, but of the very raison d'etre of the music. May I try Rachmaninoff?After Scriabin, Rachmaninoff emerged, first in his shards of the "post- mysticism" of Scriabin, but in truth, as the totally

LHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09721318510287778919noreply@blogger.com0