Little Bach Fugue in C, BWV 952 required insights into its organized structure so I could better teach it. But how much analysis was required and could it be trusted?
Month: February 2013
Piano Technique: Are arpeggios “boring?” I don’t think so!
Arpeggios don't deserve a bad rap!
Piano Lesson: What I learned from an adult student about Bach Invention 4 in D minor (VIDEOS)
Today was an ear-opener, though I admit to having had a set of preconceived ideas about this Bach composition. (in two-part counterpoint) Just from having studied it myself, parceling out each separate voice in a step-wise, layered approach, I could impart what I learned as a self-delivered lecture. But the ingredient, of adding a student… Continue reading Piano Lesson: What I learned from an adult student about Bach Invention 4 in D minor (VIDEOS)
Rekindling memories of Van Cliburn, the Cold War, Kirill Kondrashin, etc
A friend sent me a link to her favorite performance of Tschaikovsky's Bb minor, WARHORSE concerto-- the one with the big splash CHORD opener. Pianists dream of conquering these sonorities without a falter, but not necessarily in their lifetime. For me the easiest way to reach to the stars on this one, was to sit… Continue reading Rekindling memories of Van Cliburn, the Cold War, Kirill Kondrashin, etc
A Church where high-level music-making and PIANOS are in abundance
A musical and spiritual paradise found!
A pianist is a COLLABORATOR NOT an “accompanist”
The "A" word is officially banished from my vocabulary, even if its residual usage in books, newspapers, old reviews, can't be controlled. To boot, anyone who's been handed a stack of music by the High School vocal teacher to ready for the mid-year Christmas program and a few others in between Thanksgiving and semester break,… Continue reading A pianist is a COLLABORATOR NOT an “accompanist”
Revisiting an old piano piece learned years earlier
I find my current musical journey down memory lane to be joyful and challenging--especially as I cut and paste the Mozart Rondo: Allegro, K. 311 pages to fit comfortably on the piano rack. (Deja Vu, Haydn C Major Hoboken XVI35--Haydn pinned and unpinned) I wrote to a musician friend during the height of my frustration.… Continue reading Revisiting an old piano piece learned years earlier
What’s Happened to Music in Churches, Temples and other religious sanctuaries with the latest update from Berkeley CA
Heart Attacks and Haydn!
I couldn't help but chuckle at a stream of advertising overlapping my Haydn D Major, Hoboken XVI 37 Sonata: "FOUR SIGNS OF A HEART ATTACK" The Google ad, as it ran, uncannily tracked KILLER passages in this composition that would pose a risk to cardiovascular health (Especially the brutal contrapuntal bass line in the Development… Continue reading Heart Attacks and Haydn!
The viola will soar to artistic heights in collaboration with pianist, Irina Morozova
Anna Serova, incomparable violist, will collaborate with Irina Morozova, pianist in concert, Feb. 8. Don't miss it!
Arioso7's Blog (Shirley Kirsten) 