Tag Archives: Mozart

A Top 5 List

Posted on May 8, 2013 by

High Fidelity is a novel by Nick Hornby about a guy named Rob who works in a record store.  It’s funny, poignant, heartbreaking, and hopeful. Rob has a penchant for making lists – of imagined conversations, ex-girlfriends, and pop music. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bach, Books about Music, Inspirational, Mozart, Music History, Music Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

With Shining Eyes

Posted on April 8, 2013 by

Conductor Benjamin Zander “has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it – and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, and new connections.” This 20-minute video is packed … Continue reading →

Posted in Mozart, Music History, Performance, Videos | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

You do not have to choose

Posted on February 28, 2013 by

“I will defend the absolute value of Mozart over Miley Cyrus, of course I will, but we should be wary of false dichotomies. You do not have to choose between one or the other. You can have both. “The human … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Inspirational, Quotes | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Jaws and Trills

Posted on September 2, 2012 by

Friday night, with my daughter, I watched Jaws for the first time in my life. It came out when I was in my teens and simply everybody went to see it – standing in line-ups that went around the block … Continue reading →

Posted in Piano pedagogy, Practice Tips, Technic, Theory | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Antidote for everything western

Posted on July 8, 2012 by

It’s early July in Calgary, Alberta, which means just one thing. The Calgary Stampede. The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth. To which we are all supposed to respond, “Yeehaw.” It’s all about celebrating a cowboy culture – the boots, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Inspirational, Mozart | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Cycling meets Mozart

Posted on May 28, 2012 by

Anyone in Canada who knows (and cares) anything about professional cycling is on a bit of a high. Victoria, BC cyclist Ryder Hesjedal won the Giro d’Italia yesterday – the second biggest pro cycling race in the world – second … Continue reading →

Posted in Inspirational | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

So you think you can give a recital

Posted on April 1, 2012 by

Along the same lines as yesterday’s post, here’s what the 14-year-old Mozart did at one exhibition (a.k.a. concert) while on tour in Italy: 1. One of his symphonies was played by professional musicians. 2. He was soloist in a piano … Continue reading →

Posted in Books about Music | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Mozart C Major as you’ve never seen it before

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

This is the familiar Mozart C Major sonata K. 545 with a wonderfully descriptive harmonic analysis – and don’t let those words frighten you! (and don’t let the French title scare you, either). It shows just how big an emotional … Continue reading →

Posted in Music Humour, Theory | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Mozart’s Letters, Mozart’s Life

Posted on January 21, 2011 by

I haven’t read many biographies of composers. I’ve start a lot, but finished very few. Robert Spaethling’s Mozart’s Life, Mozart’s Letters kept me spellbound. Not once did I get bored or bogged down in the details; I couldn’t put it … Continue reading →

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