I have been practicing my Greek pronunciation with my new CDs that go along with my texts. While I mostly nailed the pronunciation from reading the guides in the texts, there were a few things I wasn’t doing right so it has been helpful.
This process reminded me a bit of working out the ornaments in Rameau. I had used the chart that he made and was reproduced in my book to make sure I was doing them the way he intended. However after listening to Blandine Rannou play some of the pieces I am working on I realized that I had not quite understood one of the ornaments.
A curved slash before a note can mean two things. If the note is approached from below it is a "port de voice." However if the preceding note is higher, the note used should not be a lower auxiliary note but a higher one. This ornament is called a "coulé." I learned this ornament as a "coulé de tierce" from my teacher Ray Ferguson, but it was never notated the way Rameau does.
Funny how these two processes seem similar to me. In fact doing ornaments in baroque music reminds me of working towards correct pronunciation in a foreign or classical language. It seems to happen in the same part of my brain and in the same way.
I checked out another graphic novel type book yesterday at the library.
Can’t we talk about something more PLEASANT ? a Memoir by Roz Chast came out recently and I have had my eye on it. It’s about the death of her elderly parents.
Passing through the Graphic Novel section I noticed it. This means I now have three graphic whatchacallits (they’re not all novels… comic books?) sitting in my to-read column.
The other two were birthday gifts.
One! Hundred! Demons! by Lynda Barry.
A gift from my friend Rhonda Edgington. Thank you, Rhonda!
The Graveyard Book: Volume 1 a Graphic Novel Adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s book by the same name. It’s signed by Gaiman!
This was a gift from daughter Sarah. Thank you, Sarah!
I find it interesting that two people thought I needed a graphic novel/whatchamacallit for my birthday.
This afternoon is the annual “Blessing of the Animals.”
I haul my electric piano over to church so that I can play for it in the church yard outside. I hadn’t double checked my equipment until this morning.
It turns out that the amplifier is still working and I found a cord that doesn’t seem to have a short in it. I guess I’m good to go. I haven’t checked my battery set up but can easily run electricity from the church.
To test it, I used the harpsichord setting and played some Rameau. I have this evil notion of using that setting this afternoon and playing baroque keyboard music for the Animal service.
I guess my standards are shit. It doesn’t help to have Wendy Carlos in your ears.
I remember playing a gig for a local high school teacher who objected to the sound of my electric piano. It reminded him of the Blues Brother’s lounge band sound, Murph and the Magictones.
Ahem. I have actually spent some time performing in lounges and bars. Shows to go you I guess.