Category: Uncategorized

Fugue No. 13 from ‘36 Fugues’ A. Reicha (1770-1836) "Ah, Holy Jesus" Improvisation An ever popular exercise for people watchers is to compare what folks say with what they actually do. As true as that is for individuals, it’s also true for cultures. How they do Art, and specifically Music is an example to consider:…

"Your Lovingkindness In The Morning"    W. Zeitler  with Amy Gonos, soprano "Cause me to hear your lovingkindness in the morning, for in Thee do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto Thee." Ps.143:8 “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”  Improvisation Bernard of Clairvaux…

"A Leaf in the Wind" W. Zeitler "If Thou But Suffer God To Guide Thee" Improvisation At least in 'classic' Presbyterianism, a distinguishing doctrine is that our eternal fate is 'predestined' since before the Beginning. Now I'm no theologian or church historian, and I'm certainly not going to go into the pros and cons of…

Fugue W. Zeitler [PIANO] "The Church of Christ in Every Age" Improvisation One of the big themes of Lent is "ashes to ashes, dust to dust … to dust you shall return." In short, Mortality. Our bodies are of course comprised of cells, each with its own lifespan. The cells lining your stomach live about…

Toccata in Dm ("Dorian")      J.S.Bach (1685-1750) "Ah, Holy Jesus" Improvisation J.S. Bach’s arguably most infamous piece is his "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" — well known from Disney’s Fantasia, Captain Nemo plays it in Disney’s version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and it appears in too many horror movies in which the…

"Of Foreign Lands & Places"      R. Schumann (1810-1856) "Be Thou My Vision" Improvisation When I was a teenager, I fell in love with the music of Bach. I ‘moved out’ at age 17, and my adequate but meager income generated with my little self-employed business (too young to be legally employable, or even open…

Concerto in Am    A. Vivaldi (1678-1741), arr. J.S.Bach "God of Grace & God of Glory" Fugue in C     J.S.Bach Before say 1750, published music was relatively rare and relatively expensive. Nor were there photocopy machines. Consequently, if you were a musician and you wanted a copy of the latest Top Ten Trio Sonatas,…

Moderato con amabilità (‘Moderate [tempo], with loveliness’) Op. 110 L. Beethoven (1770-1827) “All Beautiful the March of Days” Improvisation Beethoven almost never dated his compositions. This morning’s prelude is a rare exception, dated December 25, 1821. Much has been made of his ability to compose ‘in his head’ without having to ‘pound it out’ on a piano,…

Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) was an important mathematician (writing the first treatise on probability), physicist (proposing the wave theory of light) and astronomer (discovering Saturn’s moon Titan). He also invented the pendulum clock — the most accurate timepiece for four centuries until the 1930s. Christiaan’s father was wealthy, which afforded him a lifetime of liberty to…

Sonata for Organ       William Herschel (1738-1825) “People, Look East” Improvisation William Herschel’s father was oboist in the Hanover Military Band, and in due time his sons William and Jakob joined as well. At that time the crowns of Great Britain and Hanover were united under King George II, and the Hanover regiment found itself stationed in…