a few words about my blog

About two months ago, someone I know began a blog. Soon after that, as I was taking a morning walk, I got an idea for making my own blog about something that interested me very much -- music. Since then, I have noticed that I get ideas for the blog every day -- either through my thoughts about music or because of particular musical experiences that I have on that day, whether listening or playing. It's been an amazing experience!! I have had a number of positive comments from my friends and relatives -- thanks!

The Mighty Pipe Organ

This evening I went to an organ recital with two friends. Ah, the mighty organ! The first piece was the famous "Toccata and Fugue in d minor" by J. S. Bach.



I have loved listening to the organ since I was in high school. My boy friend was an organist and he took me to all kinds of wonderful organ concerts at the university. The organ at the university was an immense Baroque organ whose pipes were all exposed. It was often so loud that it rumbled your seat, rumbled your chest! This was in the days before rock and roll and really loud music, so it was very exciting and thrilling! We heard many world famous organists of the day, including E. Power Biggs, Virgil Fox, and Marcel Dupré. One of the highlights of those concerts happened when a sealed envelope was given to the artist. Inside was a theme. The artist was supposed to look at the theme briefly, then perform an improvisation on that theme. It was always amazing to see what happened!

One summer, while I was in high school, I took organ lessons at the urging of my mother, who thought I could probably earn money in the future by playing the organ in churches. It was fun learning to play the bass notes of the chords with my feet! I practiced simple hymns. I had to learn the particular legato touch which is required for playing the organ. It's quite different from playing the piano keyboard.



The organ we heard this evening had 4 keyboards, plus the pedals. It's amazing to watch an organist play with their hands and feet flying around the notes.

Another wonderful thing about organs, beyond their loudness, is the incredible variety of sounds they can produce. Each "stop" has pipes which are shaped differently, made of different materials and produce sounds with or without reeds.

One of the first records I ever bought contained the Grosse Sonata from the 94th Psalm by Reubke. Here is the grand fugue.

A Great Climax!

While working in the garden just now, my iPod switched to playing "April 5, 1242", music by Prokofiev, which he composed for the movie, "Alexander Nevsky". I remember listening to this on my walk on a very hot summer morning -- I got goose pimples!! It happened again today as I listened!

This music is also known as "The Battle on the Ice". The Teutonic Knights and the Russians, led by Nevsky, have a fantastic battle on the ice.

The Teutonic Knights, being German, sing "Peregrinus expecativi" (We are pilgrims, searching . . .) Their helmets are strange and scary! They are singing in Latin, being Catholic, which makes them appear ominous to the Russians, who are Orthodox.

The scene begins with a calm morning, the mists are flowing over the ice as each side prepares for the battle.
Gradually, gradually, the music becomes louder and louder and faster and faster as the two sides approach each other. At the end, the climax is reached as the two sides meet and begin fighting, on horseback with their swords.




Alexander Nevsky, as portrayed by an actor in the Eisenstein movie from 1938. This film can be seen as anti-German propaganda, reminding Russians of how Germany tried to take them over before and failed.

It's a great climax moment in music because it takes 5 minutes for the sound to build!

A Japanese Character - tanoshii

This beautiful Japanese character means: "enjoyment", "comfort", "ease." In combination with the character for "sound", it means "music" or "enjoyable sound". Since I enjoy music so much, this character is one of my favorites.

I cried a little

Today in the grocery store, a woman passed me in the aisle. She stopped and said, "Aren't you Mrs. R . . . .?" I said yes. She told me her name and reminded me that her three children had been in my music classes. She said, "I want to thank you for touching my children's lives. I want to thank you for giving them music." As I walked on, a tear rolled out of my eye. It's the best thing a teacher could hear.

Gutsy, Full of Rage

The Foo Fighters song, The Pretender. You might ask, "How can a person such as you like this kind of music?" My answer is this: "Is there a person alive who has never felt rage and passion? Is there a person alive who does not sometimes feel hemmed in by the rules of society? Is there a person alive who does not despair at the thought of their own mortality?" I heard this song for the first time today as I listened to my favorite radio station, WXRT, as I drank a little whiskey and fixed dinner. My socks were knocked off as I listened!!



Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend
Keep you in the dark
And so it all began

Send in your skeletons
Sing as their bones go marching in... again
The need you buried deep
The secrets that you keep are at the ready
Are you ready?
I'm finished making sense
Done pleading ignorance
That whole defense

Spinning infinity, boy
The wheel is spinning me
It's never-ending, never-ending
Same old story

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

In time or so i'm told
I'm just another soul for sale... oh, well
The page is out of print
We are not permanent
We're temporary, temporary
Same old story

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

I'm the voice inside your head
You refuse to hear
I'm the face that you have to face
Mirrored in your stare
I'm what's left, I'm what's right
I'm the enemy
I'm the hand that will take you down
Bring you to your knees

So who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?

Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

What if I say I'm not like the others?
(Keep you in the dark)
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
(You know they all... pretend)
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

What if I say I'm not like the others?
(Keep you in the dark)
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

So who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?

Playing the Piano -- Early Years

My earliest memories are of listening to my mother play the piano as I drifted off to sleep. My mother had majored in piano and organ in college. She played Schumann, Chopin, Beethoven and others. I begged her to teach me to play. I wanted to play the piano so much! But, she wouldn't teach me until I was in third grade. My mother was my only piano teacher until I went to college.

My first lesson was such a disappointment. "Tommy Tunes" -- I played middle C for four beats and repeated that, etc. "No, mother!", I said. "I want to play like you -- with two hands!". Haha, I can't believe I was so naive.

I learned quickly. By sixth grade I could sight read a lot of music. I would come home from school and go straight to the piano. I could play for hours and hours . . .

Kraftwerk - Autobahn

This is long -- about 11 minutes and it takes forever to load.

I just figured out how to embed a YouTube video.^^

Belly Dancers

Ah, the belly dancers tonight!! They are so passionate, playful and skilled! They dance with abandon and joy! Music comes to life when they dance. One astonishing thing about the evening was the variety of music the dancers used. Apparently, one can belly dance to ANYTHING! As long as it has a beat!!


At the end of the performance, a lot of the dancers came on to the floor and improvised some dances. I jammed a little on my violin, along with two drummers. I tried to match the style and joy of the dancers!! It was so much fun!

The World of A Capella

I was so surprised the day my friend told me about European a capella groups, such as the Swedish group, Riltons Vänner and the German group, the Wise Guys! Imagine this! In today's world of over-produced, gimmicky sound tracks, there are people who are brave and good enough to use just their voices and vocal sounds to make music! And, these groups are popular! This music is so strong and pure! It's just so much fun!

Riltons Vänner is the group my friend told me about first. My friend went to the same music gymnasium as they did. Isn't the lead singer pretty? I wonder if all Swedish girls look like that? ^^ Here is their song: Längtar till sommarn. It means, "Longing for Summer", which the Swedes must do after the long, dark winter.


Here is one from the incomparable and amazing Wise Guys. They usually have some kind of satirical "edge" to their songs. The title of this song is: Jetzt und hier. "Here and Now".

Wir gingen zusamm’n
über Eis und durch Flamm’n,
lagen träumend im Gras,
hatten einfach nur Spaß.
Es ist höchste Zeit
für’n besonderen Tropfen.
Es ist höchste Zeit,
uns auf die Schulter zu klopfen.

Wir haben’s geschafft
mit gemeinsamer Kraft,
sind zusammen im Ziel.
Das war mehr als ein Spiel.
Es gibt eine Zeit,
um sich Sorgen zu machen,
aber jetzt ist die Zeit,
um zu tanzen und zu lachen.

Das Wichtigste sind wir
das Jetzt und Hier,
und dass wir alle hier zusammen sind!
Ganz egal, ob das so bleibt
oder auseinandertreibt:
Es zählt jetzt nur, dass wir zusammen sind!



Then, I ran across a Japanese a capella group!
The song is called "Hitori" ("Alone"). Here it is:

Music and the Brain

My friends and I attended a lecture on "Music and the Brain", by Dr. Douglas Anderson. He is a neuro-surgeon and a professional singer.

Dr. Anderson talked first about "consciousness". To demonstrate something about this, he sang "Peace Be Unto You" (Der Friede sei mit dir) from Bach's Cantata No. 158. He said that consciousness is a qualitative experience -- you have a sense of what is happening, sensations of light -- of mood. He said these experiences are subjective, that is, they are experienced only by the person who has the experience and have no existence outside of that person. These experiences are single and unified. He stressed that "consciousness" is "real". It can be seen on an MRI Image. He showed us an animated "coronal orientation" that occurred when someone was listening to "Et Incarnatus" from Bach's B Minor Mass. This music is particularly known for its evocative and dramatic nature. You can hear it here:



As early as 1861, Broca discovered the modular character of the brain. He identified 54 divisions of the brain. He identified specific brain sites for language. Later on, researchers discovered the sites for emotion in the brain. These sites are verified through the use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the brain. Researchers also identified the left side of the brain as the site for music and language and the right side of the brain as another site for music. The auditory sections of the brain are much larger than originally believed. This was probably necessary as a survival tool. There are three different sites for auditory functions of the brain:
1) Listening to words
2) Thinking of words
3) Speaking words

Music and language look very similar on MRI and they seem to be processed in overlapping areas of the brain.

One of the most interesting aspects of Dr. Anderson's lecture was the notion that there may be individual receptors in the brain for each musical note. The auditory cortical areas respond to musical stimuli in the following ways: the right superior temporal lobe responds to pitch evaluation. Speech activates the left side.

"Et in spiritus sanctus" from Bach's B Minor Mass was the next musical offering. Dr. Anderson stated that, with experienced music listeners, metabolic activity increases as the tonal stimulus becomes more consonant. And, different parts of the brain are stimulated by different kinds of music!







Dr. Anderson cited a study by Janata et al. in Science for December 2002, in which they showed that the relative representation of tonal tracking provides a mechanism by which transposition from key to key can occur without the loss of internal pitch relationship and tonal coherence. To demonstrate this, Dr. Paul Bouman played Bach's "Confiteor" from the B minor Mass on the keyboard. This music constantly shifts from key to key and is never at rest until the end. One key is linked to another.

This photo shows MRI responses to different keys in the brains of three experienced music listeners.

In conclusion, Dr. Anderson stated that music is not "brain candy". Rather, it can be viewed as a precursor to speech. In fact, many languages have a tonal aspect. Music is related to specific sites in the brain which are different from other auditory input. Music can alter emotional states. Interestingly, he remarked that, as of now, no site for "consciousness" has been identified in the brain.

He concluded the lecture with the singing of "Magnificat" by Bach. "For He that is Mighty hath done to me great things and Holy is His Name."













Douglas Anderson, M.D.

The Saddest Music I Have Ever Heard

The saddest music I have ever heard was composed by Tchaikovsky. It's the 4th Movement of his Symphony No. 6, the "Pathétique".
The music opens with a loud lament. Then, it seems as if we take a breath, trying to get a peaceful feeling, but instead, the music becomes more and more agitated. Then, the sadness returns. The downward flowing melody is like a sigh. The violins play the melody, which becomes lower and lower, ending on their open G string, the deadest sound in the world. Meanwhile, the bassoons explore the lowest part of their register. We are now in the depths of despair.

The middle section is a tragic telling of our sadness. It is dramatic and emotional.

The end returns to music like the beginning.

I defy anyone to find sadder music than this.

The Creative Process (Once)

How do songwriters come up with their ideas? I touched on this topic in an earlier post, "Inspiration" in August, my 3rd post, which was about Eric Clapton's wife, who was also George Harrison's wife at another time. She took no credit for inspiring their songs which were written at the same time as she was with each ("Something" and "Layla").

So, how do songwriters work? I was extremely privileged recently to witness a "real time" creation of a song by a friend of mine. I heard the first several lines, then I heard more lines, until the whole song was finished. I can't even explain how exciting that was! The resulting song is beautiful.


This same creative process is demonstrated in the movie "Once". This movie is a very low budget film ($500,000 I think). It stars Glen Hansard and Margeta Irglova. In real life they are both song writers and musicians. In the movie, we see the characters working on their songs. First, they have one little idea. Then, bit by bit, the song grows and is completed. Most important, we see how the feelings of the characters grow into songs. The movie, as a low budget production, is all the more effective because the hand held camera makes everything seem so real, like a home movie I might make. And there are no glitzy Hollywood special effects -- just the simple story of two people who enjoy each other and who enjoy making music together.



I am waiting for the DVD of this film. It was not shown in very many theaters in the U.S. but became popular by word of mouth.

All The Songs Here

oncethemovie.com - - lots of pics

Patricia Barber

For years, when I was teaching, the other teachers at the lunch table said, "Liz, you should go to the Green Mill and hear Patricia Barber." Well, I never did.

In 2004 a lot of things about my life changed. I developed a new zest for living! I began to explore many new things. I wanted to explore new kinds of music. Jazz was one of those things. One of my friends deeply loved jazz and I decided to explore it on my own. I took out a couple of Patricia Barber discs from the library. I fell in love, once again.

In succeeding years I have been able to see her perform three times -- once at the famous Green Mill in Chicago, once in Oak Park at the Arts Center (it was a benefit for college students majoring in music and the arts) and again at Symphony Center in Chicago -- free day of music. My friend and I couldn't get in to the first show there so we waited 2 or 3 hours to see the next show. It was worth it!

Patricia Barber is a pianist/singer/composer. She covers standard tunes but is known for her amazing creativity. Her back-up band is on the same wave length with her. It's fun to watch her perform. She has some odd mannerisms and she always plays barefoot! Last year, Patricia Barber received a Guggenheim Fellowship, which enabled her to create "Mythologies", a concept album whose songs are all based on Greek myths.

Patricia Barber Songs

First Orchestra Rehearsal

Last night was the first rehearsal of the local symphony orchestra, a group I have played with for many years. However, I didn't go to the rehearsal because I will not be in town for the first concert. They will play Beethoven's 3rd Symphony. I will miss it!

Last year I wrote a small booklet, A History of the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest. It was sold at concerts. Thanks to Denise and her husband for fantastic layout and graphics! Here is the first page. If you click on it, you can read it!

Something Silly

This concerns music only obliquely, but, it's one of my favorites. I guess it's a limerick.

A tooter who tooted the flute
Tried to tutor two tutors to toot.
Said the two to the tutor,
"Is it harder to toot or to tutor two tooters to toot?"

Sex Pistols - - One Better!

SEX MACHINE GUNS!! Really!

From Ehime, Shikoku, land of "mikan" (tangerines). The song is "Mikan no Uta" --"Tangerine Song".

The lyrics say, "Tangerine, tangerine!! If you don't like tangerines, you're not really Japanese!" and they sing, "Ponjus -- tangerine juice -- it's the water of life!"

My friend who lives on Shikoku, told me about this! She went to a karaoke bar with her work colleagues for a soubetsukai (good-bye party) for one guy who is leaving that job. All of her colleagues are younger. She is 32. All of a sudden this quiet guy started screaming the "Mikan no Uta" song. She was so surprised.

I found out that their genre is: "Speed Metal Band"!! (who knew?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6ViVBtLwZI

(Watch out for your volume!)

Mikan No Uta Lyrics (Sex Machineguns)

Sex Machineguns - Mikan No Uta Lyrics

Ore no tamashi no sakebi da! ehime no kokoro! omaetachi!
Ehime no! mikan!

Mikan wa iroiro aru keredo
Ehime no mikan wa hitotsu dake
Ehime no mikan wo taberu nara
Nouka no ai wo kamishimero
Kawa wo suteru yatsu ga iru
Kawa wo sutete wa ikenai ze
Furo ni irete attamareba
Pokapoka

Kokoro ga nagomeba sekai wa hitotsu
Sekai ni habatake ehime no mikan

Mikan mikan mikan
Mikan mikan mikan
Mikan mikan mikan
Mikan

Ehime no mikan wa sekaiichi
Mikan wo karada de kanjiyou
Mikan wo somatsu ni suru yatsu wa
Mikan ni yararete shinjimae
Kotatsu ni mikan ga nai ie wa
Nihon no kokoro wo nakushiteru
Nihon no kokoro wo torimodose
Torimodose

Mikan wo shibore kore ga ê ponjyuusu
Inochi no mizu da ê ponjyuusu

(kick off)

Minna de nomo ehime no kokoro
Mikan wo kueba sukuwareru
Orenji ni makenai kogane iro no kajitsu
Inochi no mizu da pon.ju-su

Mikan mikan mikan
Mikan mikan mikan
Mikan mikan mikan
Mikaaaan!!!

Mikan mikan mikan
Mikan mikan mikan
Mikan mikan mikan
Mikaaaan!!!

Yeahh

Album Covers - Part One

Here are some random album covers from my iTunes collection. It's kind of a hobby of mine to hear new songs, either on the radio or suggested by a friend, then to buy a single.

This is Jasmine Tinchu, a Chinese singer whose album is called "Sound of Rain".








This is the album cover for LCD Sound System. Their song is: "North American Scum."

oh i don't know, i don't know, oh, where to begin
we are north americans
and for those of you who still think we're from england
we're not, no.
we build our planes and our trains till we think we might die,
far from North America,
where the buildings are old and you might have lots of mimes.
aha, oh, oh.
i hate the feelin' when you're looking at me that way
cause we're north americans
but if we act all shy, it’ll make it ok
makes it go away.

oh I don't know, I don't know, oh, where to begin
when we're north american
but in the end we make the same mistakes all over again
come on north americans

we are north american scum
we’re from north america



This is from Paul McCartney's newest album. I got his new tune, "Nod Your Head" free from iTunes. It's a song full of "angst" and screaming! What happened to the lyrical Paul of yore? I guess he ran into some problems recently, hahaha!

When I went to a dance recital, someone danced to this music: "How Sweet It Is" (to be loved by you) by Michael Bublé.

Carole King, what a classic oldie! I bought, "I Feel the Earth Move". I loved her movie for kids, "Really Rosie". It still makes me laugh.

Cheap Trick's, "Live at the Budokan" (in Japan) contains a killer song:
"I Want You to Want Me".

I want you to want me,
I need you to need me,
I'd love you to love me,
I'm begging you to beg me.

I fell in love with this song. I looked these guys up on the Internet. Now they are old! sigh

Live Coldplay -- great energy. ("The One I Love")

Every once in awhile you just have to listen to electronic rock.

Here is KT Tunstall, a singer from Scotland. I love her song, "Suddenly I See". I have found it be VERY inspiring. It's such a passionate song. It speaks about thinking about your potential -- what you can be in your life.

While at the dance recital, I couldn't believe my ears! Here was a "heavy rock" version of Mozart's Lacrymosa. There is something bizarrely fascinating about this!

Secret Codes in Music

At our last string quartet rehearsal, someone mentioned that Shostakovich often used his "signature" in his music. (DSCH=Dmitri Shostakovich), using the German style of naming notes by letter names and using the German spelling of his name. Apparently, he used this theme in two of his best works: Symphony No. 10 and String Quartet No. 8. A few minutes ago, in the mail, I received the music for this last piece. It should be fun to try to play it for the first time. Last week, we sight read through his String Quartet No. 1. It wasn't too hard and we enjoyed it!

I guess everyone knows that Bach used the letters of his name in his music, as well!!

Stage Nerves

Musicians I Have Known
I was amazed to find out, years ago, that my little student, Anna (in 6th grade), totally loved performing on her violin for an audience. She seemed to get a "rush" from it! On the other extreme, I knew a semi-professional violinist who suffered from stage nerves. It didn't seem to affect his playing, but it did prevent him from auditioning for world class orchestras. And, he was good enough to play in any orchestra.


Fainting in the Chorus
When I was young, I often felt so nervous while singing in the chorus, that I thought I would faint. Little by little, I overcame those stage nerves, but it took years.

The Shaky Bow Syndrome
When I tried to play my violin in church, I didn't think I was nervous, but my bow shook uncontrollably and I could hardly play. I watched that in amazement and there was nothing I could do.

Positive Pleasure
Over the years, I became more and more comfortable with playing in public and speaking in public. I became fearless, but even more, I positively began to enjoy performing. My first really enjoyable experiences came when I was hired as a church pianist at a small church (they didn't have an organ). They had a very nice grand piano there. I prepared all the music for the service: prelude, postlude, offertory, etc. When I played, the church congregation listened in rapt attention. I was aware of the people listening and it changed my attitude about how I played. Rather than just play the music, I tried to create beautiful and interesting pictures through my playing. It was a marvelous experience! After that I began to really enjoy performing in public.

I Fell in Love

When I was a substitute teacher in April and May, a student brought in his "Composer Report" about Fauré. His report was a PowerPoint presentation which used a short violin piece, "Après un Rêve", as played by Joshua Bell, a piece which I had never heard before. I fell in love with this music. I think I have listened to it over 100 times! And, I still love it!

Later, I found out that it was originally a song for soprano and piano. I bought that music file, as sung by Elly Ameling. I bought the violin solo, but it wasn't as good as what Joshua Bell played -- different key, etc. Well, ok, maybe I can't play like Bell, hahaha! I also got the string quartet version online (free). We tried it -- it was so-so, mostly a solo for the first violin and the other players just go, "dah, dah, dah, dah" through the whole piece -- very boring for them.

Our String Quartet

Our string quartet was formed during the summer of 2005. Valerie, Melody, Peggy and I are all members of our local symphony orchestra. The orchestra's season runs from September to May. During the summer we have nowhere to play, so we decided to meet as a string quartet. It's been a very rewarding experience! We have a lot of fun playing together and we have improved over the two years since we started. We named our group, The Harmonia Quartet, because we work together very well; we work in harmony! We have played in public only a few times. This picture shows us playing at a block party in Oak Park. Our orchestra conductor lives on this block and he invited us to play by way of promoting our orchestra concerts.


More recently we played at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn, a famous club in this area (above). However, we played for a fund-raiser! It wasn't a regular concert. But, now we can say we played there! Hardly anyone listened to us -- most people were talking as we played. Oh, well!

This picture shows Peggy and Valerie at Fitzgerald's. We like to play all kinds of classical music, including Mozart, Haydn, Borodin, Dvorak, and Shostakovitch. It's thrilling to play in a string quartet because each person can find her own musical voice, as opposed to being a part of an immense wall of sound in an orchestra. The orchestral experience is wonderful, too, in another way.

Our next performance will be in October at a church during the morning service. We are available for hire at weddings!