… John Tavener died this past fall … Plough obituary … NYT obituary … For the last six years of his life, Tavener was crippled and in constant pain. Already suffering from Marfan syndrome, a congenital disease that affected his heart, eyes, and muscles, he suffered a series of heart attacks which he barely survived. […]
giving thanks for pain … Read More »
And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. A masterpiece can be said to be a work with the capacity to outlast its time and speak to cultures vastly different from its own; to transcend its time and place and inspire
we shall not cease from exploration … Read More »
… Ian Marcus Corbin discusses Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs … “ … Górecki offers graceful, meandering exploration that, if one is patient, offers the humbler salve of continuity. This sort of grief, Mr. Górecki seems to sense, must be lived through, not rushed past. What consolation does come comes by way of passing time,
sorrow shared is sorrow made bearable … Read More »
Death – there’s no denying it – lies at the very heart of life. The only thing that enables our consciousness to grasp this and, having endured the realization, to be liberated from it is love. Each in his own way, Chopin and Rachmaninov have meditated upon this unfathomable mystery and transfigured it with music.
death … liberated by love … Read More »
… Frank Davidoff in a recent Annals of Internal Medicine “Music Lessons” … “Recognition of music’s laserlike focus on performance could help us regain a more appropriate balance in medicine between knowledge and performance (between knowing and knowing how).” Perfect practice makes perfect … “Endless performance without feedback drifts into stagnation, whereas endless reflecting and
what musicians can teach doctors … Read More »
… Leon Fleisher … who recently played and gave Master Classes at Wichita State University. Fleisher’s own story is a powerful tale of death and resurrection which he tells in his memoirs My Nine Lives. A rising pianistic prodigy, he suffered focal dystonia in his ‘30’s and his (one) career was cut short. He continued
“music begins where words stop … “ Read More »
There is a balm in Gilead To make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead To heal the sin-sick soul. Some times I feel discouraged, And think my work’s in vain, But then the Holy Spirit Revives my soul again. If you can’t preach like Peter, If you can’t pray like Paul, Just
There’s a man goin’ ’round, takin’ names There’s a man goin’ ’round, takin’ names An’ he took my father’s name An’ he leave my heart in pain There’s a man goin’ ’round, takin’ names (And he works through mother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, etc.) Brother and sister, aunt and uncle Man goin’ ’round takin’ names
there’s a man goin’ round takin’ names … Read More »
… as she has enters hospice care … an interview with links to Robin singing “The Plan” … “What We Are Worth”. from the NPR interview … Rogers’ background could have come from a blues song. She was a teenage runaway who slept in abandoned cars and abused alcohol and drugs. She says she’s been sober
robin rogers – new blues cd – tops the charts … Read More »
