Linda Greenhouse is the New York Times reporter who covers the Supreme Court.  She will be interviewed today on Fresh Air by Terry Gross.

I just wrote a long post about my experience at a funeral yesterday and then decided it was probably inappropriate for a public posting.

After the funeral, I came home drained and confused. The funeral went fine. I am still processing the event and my reaction to it. Church makes me crazy.
It was a huge affair. People were packed in the pews and also sat in the choir area. There were chairs in the next room with a big flat screen video of the altar area. This area was not full but there were people there. The gathering sang so well I had difficulty keeping up with them with the little organ.
The closing hymn was “For All the Saints.” All 8 stanzas. People sang their hearts out.

They buried the ashes of the deceased in the small garden on the grounds of the church. I think that’s pretty cool.

I have been practicing a jig by Alice Parker for the organ all week. I thought it was scheduled for my prelude this morning. But, when I checked the bulletin yesterday I found I had my weeks confused. This is good. One more week to prepare the Parker.

This is Alice Parker. She is wonderful. She has written a ton of choral music as well as organ music.

Interestingly enough today’s postlude is “Canzon on Martin Menoit” by Andrea Gabrielli “Martin Menoit” is a choral piece by Clement Janequin. I was checking out the meaning of the original tune and found this info at the website of the Ottawa Chamber Music Society:

“… in Janequin’s narrative Martin menoit, Martin’s amorous interlude on the way to market is interrupted at the moment of truth when the pig, tied to his lover’s leg for safekeeping, understandably takes fright.”

I circumspectly changed the title in the bulletin to Canzon on a theme by Janequin. Heh. It’s a great piece.

And Gabrielli has also written a Ricercare on the same theme. What a guy. (That’s actually the composer Hassler in the picture but I still think it’s kind of a cool pic).

My prelude today is “Meditation” by Barry Cabena, am Australian composer. (For some reason I always thought he was Canadian but poking around on the web this morning taught me differently.)

I told Mark this week that I felt a bit like Father Mackenzie in Eleanor Rigby “…. writing the words to a sermon that no one will hear… no one comes near…” except I’m practicing the notes to a prelude and postlude no one will hear…. heh….

This afternoon my church community is burying a woman who was a pillar of the community. I am playing for that also.

Since coming back from Fenton, I seem to be playing a lot of John Adams for some reason.

Specifically, Phrygian Gates by him. The score is just about 60 pages long. It has no movement designations that I have been able to find. But I am noticing that there are some places that feel a bit like movement ends. This is handy because since it’s John Adams it’s a bit, how shall I say?, repetitive and actually a bit on the tricky side for me to learn. So sections are helpful not only for learning but maybe for excerpting on the street (which is where I would like to play this piece…. specifically in the park).

Also have been doing a bit of cooking.

Went to the Farmer’s Market yesterday and bought

cherries,

blueberries, bib lettuce (not pictured) and

broccoli.

Yesterday I made

a ricotta cheese pie, banana bread and braised the broccoli in olive oil that had been seasoned by cooking garlic and ginger in it.

The broccoli worked. The banana bread was soft in the middle.

I used two recipes for the ricotta cheese pie.

For the crust, I used my Italian Time/Life book I have been perusing. I used a spring form pan. The crust is great!

For the filling I improvised a bit using a recipe I found online. It called for 2 lbs of ricotta cheese and I only had under one. I supplemented with about a half pound of whole milk yogurt. Basically to make the filling you beat egg whites (I used my whisk instead of the electric mixer. It’s much more fun whisking.) and then mix together the cheese, yogurt, sugar, flour, egg yolks, orange and lemon zest, almond extract, vanilla and a bit of lemon juice. Fold in the beaten whites and bake.

I cooled it overnight and cut a piece this morning. It fell in the middle and is also a bit gooey in the middle. Probably needed more time in the oven. But what is done is pretty good.