I woke up with my head buzzing with ideas for the local American Guild of Organist chapter meetings. It has been decades since I have been active with this chapter. I attended a potluck last night graciously hosted by my friend Rhonda Edgington. As usual when I see faces and meet people I am struck by the potential of the situation hence my morning buzzing. I emailed off a list to Rhonda just to stop my brain from whirring.
It looks like my piano trio has agreed to read through Beethoven’s C minor (Op 1/3). This is fun and goofy because I asked them to think about it due to its importance to the novel I am reading: An Unequal Music by Vikram Seth. This happens to me more than I like to admit. I will be reading something that mentions music or a composer and it will draw me to the actual music.
When I was younger I saw this as sort of a weakness of character, getting blown around and influenced by everything I came in contact with. Now at sixty-one I rationalize it as as intellectual hunger but actually it still feels like being easily influenced.
Now I have to print off some music. The piano part is 37 pages long. I think I will do that at church instead of using my printer at home.
For some reason I read through Liszt’s transcription of Beethoven’s 6th Symphony, first movement on the piano yesterday. Then I listened to it as I made the salad for the AGO potluck.
The salad was a combination of greens, sliced pears, gorgonzola cheese, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, red onion rings, lightly dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
It’s rainy in Holland Michigan.
I found myself with a bit more energy yesterday than usual for a Monday. That is, until I sat down at the organ and tried to work on Dupre improv exercises.
I pick these up from time to time and work through them. It’s more about harmonic progressions than improvisation…. what we called “keyboard harmony” when I was in college.
Anyway, I was doing great until I tried to work through these yesterday. Then I started feeling tired.
Started the day feeling pretty good about my improv technique. After this I was pretty sure I suck. Typical jupe mood swings.
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La Petite Zine | Michael Robbins
Michael Robbins is one of several poets mentioned in Sunday’s New York Times Book Review.
I was surprised to find that every book mentioned was available to me through Interlibrary loan:
Speaking of poetry I just finished reading Native Guard by Natasha Trethaway, our new USA poet laureate.
I found out that she was the poet laureate on NPR and checked out a couple of her books to read.
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‘The Marlowe Papers,’ by Ros Barber – NYTimes.com
Book review of upcoming release. Book is entirely in verse. As the review points out, it’s Christopher Marlowe not Philip Marlowe.
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Italy’s New Tool for Tax Cheats – the ‘Redditometro’ – NYTimes.com
Wow. Italy is experimenting with tracking purchases to find tax cheats.
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Brain Aging Linked to Sleep-Related Memory Decline – NYTimes.com
I can’t remember what this is about. Too early in the day.
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Boom in North Dakota Weighs Heavily on Health Care – NYTimes.com
Pesky health care for increased number of workers. Hell, just send them to ER.
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Carrots for Doctors – NYTimes.com
Strategies for lowering costs and improving performance.
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Makers, Takers, Fakers – NYTimes.com
Warning to Republican readers. This is a partisan article. One that I agree with:
Republicans live in an intellectual bubble. They get their news from Fox and other captive media, they get their policy analysis from billionaire-financed right-wing think tanks, and they’re often blissfully unaware both of contrary evidence and of how their positions sound to outsiders.
Of course we all live in our own bubbles. I just see more critical thinking happening in non-partisan circles.
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Timbuktu mayor: Mali rebels torched library of historic manuscripts | World news | The Guardian
Mali: Timbuktu’s Ancient Manuscripts Are Safe, Preservationists Say | TIME.com
Conflicting reports. Hope the Time.com one is right.