Change

Going to move over to Tumblr.
See you there!
http://violistinvt.tumblr.com

Phoenix?

Miss this creative outlet....maybe a return is necessary.

Father

Today I am thinking of my dad. He would have turned 64 today. He loved the Beatles (When I'm 64) so for me this year is more significant than next year. Cigarettes cut his life too short 20 years ago.

I don't think I would have been a musician without his help. Almost every musical milestone until I went to university involved him.

My first memory at three, was going to Chedoke Park with him hand in hand and Vivaldi's guitar concerto playing through my mind.

He taught me some folk guitar at 6. He taught me chords at 7. He made me sight read at 10.

I remember his thick orange binder stuffed to to breaking point with photocopies of the entire guitar repertoire (it seemed) of the local library. It was filled with Dowland, Bach, and countless Spanish exercises. I had been playing viola for a few months and had no technique. Didn't matter to him. He would open that 10 lb. 6" book and open to a random page and say "Okay, read this!". And I would read it, always badly. This went on for 5 years. Torture.

He was remarkable. He strived to learn his entire life. Taught himself guitar at the age of 24. He was an incredible nature photographer and painter. Had a passion for science that I didn't see again until I met my husband.

Mendelssohn was his favourite composer. For him, Mendelssohn was a composer who he thought was underrated, a genius in his opinion.

My dad was disappointed that I had never composed since he thought that was the highest calling of being a musician. He implored me not to be "just a music box", not just to be a violist.

I guess maybe I should tell you now that I am not just a violist anymore. Something changed in me this autumn. And I think it quite spooky that the pieces that changed my perspective were two Mendelssohn duets I arranged for voices and string trio. And now composing does not seem as daunting anymore.

I will always miss him. But what he gave to me will always be there. Thank you and love you Dad.

Seven

Seven is a lucky number I think.

Today I hold in my hand a sonata. One that was written for me. Four movements. And someone else wrote a three movement piece for me. So that is seven movements. The really cool thing is that both composers live here in Vermont.

So I have three thoughts....

1. Guess I am sort of worthy of being a violist in Vermont now.

2. I am blessed.

and

3. I have a lot of practicing to do now! Gulp.

Day 14-tiny observation

It was one of those days where every minute was tightly scheduled until an half-hour ago.

Not a bad or particularly stressful day, but a busy one.

Needed to record-I'm so close to finishing the first half of the challenge.

Chose the Janacek pizzicato parts which happen to be very difficult.

It's getting better but some notes are getting lost-in pizz, every note should be crystal clear. Back to work with the metronome tomorrow afternoon (after another active day).

Therapy by Viola

This was also the summer of withdrawal and waiting.

All summer I was expecting an appointment. The one where specialists would diagnose my other two boys with autism.

It finally happened last week. Now I have time to think about it.

Now we are left with working out the logistics of raising three children on the spectrum. Feel like I've struck out on the parenting front.

In all honesty playing the viola seems a lot easier right now. Just stringing one note after another.....

Maybe I need a piece that will reflect my mood of bitterness. Been drawn to the Penderecki Cadenza. That may be the salve I need. As well as a new blog devoted to parenting kids on the spectrum. I will have to soldier on.....

Which Bach Suite......

to work on next?

Well Spring is kind of here (raining buckets today) and just trying to figure out what to do next musically.

[Got the non-musical things covered: spring cleaning-barely started, pressure cooker-used it twice (feel like I'm living the dangerous life), workout-starting etc. etc. oh yes it's still a toy store in the living room!]

I always keep coming back to the Bach Suites. Love the pieces. When I moved to Vermont and was not allowed to play professionally, I would comfort myself by playing the First and Third Suites over and over. And then started to practice them in great detail. Finally two years later when I could play again for an audience, these two suites were the new cornerstone of my repertoire.

But now it's time to learn something new. Have already played the D- and the C- (this one badly) as well. So it's between no. 4 and no. 6.

Leaning towards the Fourth. Contemplative. Beautiful. But it's in E flat. And almost everything I've done lately has been in this key. Maybe it's the way I'm feeling. Keys have different moods for me. And E flat is very comforting right now.

Then there's the Sixth Suite. Extroverted. Exuberant. Difficult technically. Usually in D often played by violists in G.

Very curious what people think.....

Greatest Hits for the Viola?

Not a bad weekend...

Shostakovich went well.
Brahms songs went *really* well.

Slept for 8 hours in a row.
Saw a sappy movie ("A Good Year"-not sure about the Crowe slapstick parts).

Got lost in the Dartmouth Bookstore. Had to leave before I got broke.

Found a cool British book on how to become an orchestral musician.

Becoming an Orchestral Musician: A Guide for Aspiring Professionals

The writer (principal flautist of BBC) mentions a book of Marcel Moyse's. In it he puts his most difficult passages for the flute so that he wouldn't have to carry around many books.

How I Stayed in Shape

I thought that was extremely cool-going to do this.

What would go in my book?

1. Walton first two pages.
2. Bach C minor Prelude
3. Schumann Marchenbilder-Rasch
4. Peer Gynt
5. Mozart 35 last movement

More to come later...