This has been a week of reunions, a celebration of long time friendships that have lasted a lifetime. These friendships have all happened because of our common interest in the pipe organ. My current houseguest is Barbara Adler, whom I met in December 1972 on a visit to Hawai’i in anticipation of my move here.… Read More Old friends
When I was in college, I had “socially distant” organ lessons with my teacher, although of course, that term was completely unknown in 1968. It was at the University of Southern California in the “prehistoric” days when my lessons took place in Bovard Auditorium and the organ console was down in front of the stage.… Read More Socially distant organ lessons
Last week I was copied on an email message from a woman who is a former graduate student at the University of Oklahoma. It so happens that she is a former student of Adam Pajan, who stayed with me as my houseguest while he is on a 3-island Hawaii concert tour. She was trying to… Read More I knew I had it somewhere!
I only spent one year in Princeton, NJ, attending graduate school at Westminster Choir College where I obtained my Master of Music degree in Organ Performance, but I daresay it had more influence on me as a musician than did five years of organ lessons in high school, a summer studying with French virtuoso Marcel… Read More A sad day
Today, more than four months before my concert date of October 30, 2016, I played through my program before an audience of two: Scott Fikse, who will conduct a small chamber choir to sing the four-part chorales, and Todd Beckham, organist. Amazingly enough, I heard myself say many of the things my students tell me: But… Read More Sneak preview
Carl decided to sleep in this morning so I came into Boston from Newton Centre all by myself. (You have to give me credit, as I am directionally-challenged!) One great perk of this American Guild of Organists convention is that in addition to the usual convention badge, convention book bag and convention program books (we… Read More Another day at the AGO Boston (marathon)
I spoke to a former student today, who had attended both of my Bach concerts, and she made a remark about my performance: How do you get such a high level of note accuracy? I didn’t hear any wrong notes! Oh, I told her, there were a couple. Actually, at the time of the performance,… Read More The importance of note accuracy
A couple of months ago I received an invitation to become a subscriber (read “sponsor”) for a book about my former organ teacher, Joan Hult Lippincott, and I was happy to send in my contribution, with the promise that I would receive a free copy of the book. Here was the promotional copy: Head of the organ department… Read More Practice means playing perfectly!
Sunday, January 8th was the Baptism of Christ and I programmed two settings of “Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam” by J. S. Bach. They were both from a collection called “Clavierübung” or “keyboard practice,” which is sometimes referred to as Bach’s German Organ Mass because there are chorale preludes on the Ordinary — the… Read More Amazing coincidences
One of the really great things about attending the Boston Early Music Festival is the sometimes chance meetings we have with people with whom we have made music. Two nights ago we were coming out of Jordan Hall from a concert and walked by an outdoor cafe. There was Richard Savino, theorbo player from our… Read More Chance encounters of the close kind