Chose some interesting music to play this weekend at church. I’m still working on learning “Danse” by Debussy. I can play it. But I’m trying to get a deeper mastery of it for the actual performance. It feels good to dig a bit deeper into it and learn it more thoroughly.
Instead, I’m planning to play 4 variations on the tune of the opening hymn, Puer Nobis Nascitur, by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. It’s kind of funny to play this at this time of year since the tune name refers to its original use around Xmas.
But the words we will sing are “That Easter day with joy was bright.” Interestingly these words in their original anonymous 5th century Latin precede in origin by 1000 years the “ancient” tune that Sweelinck set and we will sing.
I have always wondered why organists who play in the annual Hope College Tulip Time organ recital/marathon don’t play more Sweelinck. Recently a local church has hired an organist who seems to be talented and doing stuff. Since she is also a staff accompanist at Hope maybe she will play more Sweelinck in a Tulip Time recital (if they invite her…. usually it’s just alums). Her name is Rhonda Sider Edgington and here is a link to her web site. She had a recital this past Sunday which I missed. Looking at the Hope Sentinel press release on it, it looks like she played a piece by William Bolcolm.
I have thought about trying to meet her. The best way would be to attend one of her recitals or show up at an AGO meeting. The upcoming meeting on Dutch buy tubs diazepam organ tours looks pretty deadly to me. As my brother recently pointed out, we Jenkins love to stand on the outside and look in and feel excluded. I do feel pretty isolated locally. I suspect that a younger musician who is not pedigreed from Hope College might have a bit of a different flavor than most of the other locals I rub shoulders with (or don’t as the case may be).
At any rate, I want to stop blogging and go practice.
My postlude Sunday is pretty goofy. It’s by the German composer, Johaness Matthias Michel, and is from his collection “Organ, Timbrel, and Dance.”
It’s based on the tune for Sunday’s closing hymn, In Dir ist Freude – words – Day of delight and beauty unbounded by Delores Dufner.
It’s dedicated to Leonard Bernstein and uses the hemiolic dance rhythm of “America” from “West Side Story.”
Hey I said it was goofy.
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For Economists Saez and Piketty, the Buffett Rule Is Just a Start – NYTimes.com
These French scholars have been tracking the world economy for two decades. Discouraging that the U.S. is such a leader in inequality.
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Mali – Ancient Books Stolen – NYTimes.com
This stuff always interests me.
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California – Teenager Held to Ensure Testimony in Rape Case Is Released – NYTimes.com
Looks like cooler heads finally prevailed in this.
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Turning the Tables on Russia – NYTimes.com
Interesting little scandal involving U.S. politicians and businessmen trying to expose corruption in Russia. Reading the comments is very fascinating. It looks like the NYT left out some of the connections between the people exposing the scandal and their own self interests. What a mess.
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