Author Archives: Ryan Libel
Deeper Appreciation
It probably goes without saying that the more you know about something the more you can appreciate it. As I approach this new movement of the Vivaldi concerto, its layers of musical wonder are being made manifest to me – I see in the work beauty that, prior to playing it, I could never have […]
A King Day Song
My organization held a screening of the film Soundtrack for a Revolution back in November of 2016 – the PBS film highlights music as a tool for social change during the civil rights movement. Our screening was a response to the then-recent election of an unapologetic racist to the highest office in America. Since, the […]
New Year’s 2018 – Notes on Focus
One year ago today, I published my 500th post on Musical Me. Today’s post is my 545th. I started this blog both to chronicle my project to learn to play the violin, and to foster disciplined writing. The twin pursuits emerged as an epiphany one Monday afternoon back in October of 2013, each conceived as […]
L’estro Armonico, Vivaldi’s Opus 3
L’estro Armonico, Harmonic Inspiration, is a work of Italian Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi published in 1711. Popular in the composer’s lifetime, as were many of his works, the collection of concertos has been transcribed countless times since its original publication. L’estro Armonico contains twelve concertos, which, according to Wikipedia, were written in a 7-format. The […]
A Lincoln Center Christmas in Chicago
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is a gifted group of over 150 world-class artists dedicated to performing and promoting chamber music. Last night an ensemble from the group treated Chicago with a winter-welcoming special – The Brandenburg Concertos. Michael and I had good seats for the magnificent performance at the Harris Theatre adjacent […]
Turning the Page
Seven months in I am turning the page on the first movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto in A Minor. Not only do I feel ready enough, but my copy of Suzuki Book Four itself compelled me to move on when, during my practice session on Monday, as I flipped to the first movement’s third and final […]
Art and Science
Lately, Teacher has been working with me on dynamics. Loudness is, of course, one of our universe’s seemingly infinite continuums. The loudest loud can always be shouted down by something else; the softest soft can be softer. An infinity stretches between. Within the oeuvre of just one man, dynamics help create the delicate dance of […]
Four Years/Life Uncomplicated
Not a day goes by that I don’t consider my gratitude for my musical pursuit. Even on days I don’t practice, I see the violin case out of the corner of my eye and smile. Nearly always, I’ve got one of the pieces in my repertoire playing on repeat in my head. And, though not […]
Ryan Libel 