Category Random Musical Encounters
See Roda Say Hoda
Aside from my violin practice, musical exploits for me as a participant are few and far between. Yesterday afternoon, however, I was fortunate enough to get to broaden my horizons both musically and martially in a special martial arts workshop at my school. Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art I’ve written about before, and I’ve […]
Funereal Chanting
I was at a Greek Orthodox funeral this past week for the father of a colleague, who passed at age 86. I’ve been inside a couple of Greek Orthodox churches, so I knew about the elaborate ornamentation common to the cathedrals, but until Wednesday I had never attended a service. I arrived early, to an […]
Another Minor Week
I won’t have a lesson on Wednesday – instead, I’ll be attending the funeral of a friend’s father. So that means I’ll have to wait another week to start in on the Beethoven I’ve been anticipating so wildly; the extra week I forced myself into with Gavotte by Lully will become two. Of course I […]
Fit as a Fiddle
I have a new Fitbit device – a little bracelet that records all of my movement activity. It’s really a souped-up pedometer that connects to an online database that logs my activities via my computer or other wireless devices. It tracks physical activity and also provides interesting sleep tracking data. It’s marketed as a fitness […]
Merry Maids?
It seems I am not fated to practice in isolation. At home, the condo is in a building with 449 others. Of course only about fifteen or twenty of them can realistically experience the joyous sounds of Ryan’s Beginner Violin on a daily basis – few grace the seventeenth floor who do not live on […]
Juice Newton Live in Haysville
I have not seen many concerts. It’s never been a priority for me, and I’ve written here before about a lack of initiative in seeking out live music. That’s starting to change somewhat, but as far as pop acts go the list of folks I’ve seen live is extremely short. All the same, about 20 […]
The Nutcracker
It was a normal Monday off for me yesterday, so I took the opportunity to put up our Christmas tree. Doing so as a child, we always put on Christmas music and made it a family affair – even so, I think we managed, in our incredibly musical household that loved Christmas more than just […]
I’m no 10 Year Old
I was chatting with some friends last night about music for a moment – she’s an academic in sociology/education; he’s a former-rocker now rabbi. He’s also a record collector extraordinaire. One wall of their condo is dedicated to a specially made built-in that contains more records than I’ve ever personally seen outside of a music […]
Greats Provide Access to the Past
Sunday night Michael and I watched a 2013 episode of Live from Lincoln Center on Youtube – the episode featured a chamber music setting for a tribute to Mendelsohn, the great composer. Playing for us were none other than Emanuel Ax on the piano, Yo Yo Ma on the cello, and Izhak Perlman on the […]
De Sarasate and a Whistler
I’m a big fan of Whistler – over the years I’ve seen galleries of miniatures, of women, and of his distinctive draftsmanship. I’ve also twice fawned over his Peacock Room at the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery. His work with composition and light and color and interesting subject matter are all eminently compelling. Of course I’m not […]
Ryan Libel 