Month: November 2015

Fugue in C    D. Buxtehude (1637-1707) [ORGAN] "Open My Eyes" M.R. Edward (1810-1865) Improvisation Clara H. Scott (1841-1897), the author of the lyrics for "Open My Eyes" was a Midwesterner, born in Illinois. In 1856 (age 15), Scott attended the first Music Institute held in Chicago by the then well-known C.M. Cady. By 1859…

Organ Trio Sonata in Cm (1st mvmt.)         J.S.Bach (1685-1750) “How Firm a Foundation” Voluntary       F. Gamba  (1705-1740) It was pointed out to me on Reformation Sunday that “you know, the organ can be played quietly too,” to which I replied “Not on Reformation Sunday!” Meanwhile, I thought I’d…

A key principle of the martial arts is that for every ‘strength’ in your opponent there is a weakness you can exploit. (Also known as Yin & Yang.) And, more generally, for every ‘good’ thing you do, there can be an unforeseen negative side effect. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t do ‘good’ in…

Andante un poco adagio (KV309) W. Mozart (1756-1791) [PIANO] “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones” Improvisaton Mozart was once approached by a young man who was interested in Mozart’s advice on how to compose a symphony. Since he was still very young, Mozart recommended that he start by composing ballads (songs). Surprised, the young man…

Symphonic Meditation on “A Mighty Fortress” W.Zeitler Jan Hus (1369–1415) was one of the earliest reformers — something of a “John the Baptist” laying the groundwork for the Reformation that was to come a century later. Hus was a Czech professor and preacher who — influenced by England’s John Wycliffe (1331–1384) — railed against the…