Author: william

Sonata in E-flat, Op. 7 1st mvmt.   L. Beethoven (1770-1827) [PIANO] Love Divine, All Loves Excelling Improvisation While a young man living in Vienna, Beethoven had given piano lessons to a young woman, Countess Anna Louise Barbara Keglevich. The Keglevich’s had been members of the nobility for two centuries, first in Dalmatia, then in Slovakia. Beethoven…

Prelude & Fugue in Bm, Book 1 Well Tempered Keyboard   J.S.Bach (1685-1750) "How Firm a Foundation" Improvisation This week is the last of my three selections from Bach’s Well-Tempered Keyboard (and for the next three weeks we’ll have ‘easy listening’ preludes to clear the palette!), exploring the theme that ‘less can be more than enough.’…

Prelude & Fugue in Gm, Well Tempered Keyboard II    J.S.Bach (1685-1750) “When In Our Music God is Glorified” Improvisation In keeping with the theme that sometimes ’less is more than enough’ I thought I would also devote this Sunday and next to selections from the Well Tempered Keyboard – a landmark collection of pieces…

Prelude & Fugue in C, Well-Tempered Keyboard Vol. 2 J.S. Bach (1685-1750) "All Who Love and Serve Your City" Improvisation This morning’s prelude is from Bach’s Well Tempered Keyboard – an encyclopedic demonstration of playing and compositional techniques of his day. It’s also encyclopedic in that it consists of a Prelude and Fugue in each of…

Prelude & Fugue in C, Well-Tempered Keyboard II       J.S.Bach (1685-1750) "In Christ There Is No East or West" Improvisation In today’s Gospel lesson we have the story from Mark 7 of the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus for healing for her daughter. Jesus replies (paraphrasing) "I was only sent to the house…

"Harmonious Blacksmith" G. Handel (1685–1759) [PIANO] Chorale Prelude on "Come, Labor On" Improvisation The "Harmonious Blacksmith" is the popular name of the final movement of Handel's harpsichord suite No. 5. Handel didn't give it this name — the nickname doesn't appear until the early 19th century when the movement became popular on its own. The…

Andante from Organ Concerto Op.4 No. 4   G.F.Handel (1685-1759) [ORGAN] "Fairest Lord Jesus" Improvisation Handel is most famous for his oratorio Messiah (not "THE Messiah", just "Messiah", by the way) — only one of 29 he composed (not counting 42 operas, etc. etc.). Not content with regaling his audience with 3 hour oratorios, he also…

Andante un poco Adagio (K309) W. Mozart (1756-1791) [PIANO] "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" Improvisation Although Jesus speaks for the ages, it never ceases to amaze me how much light understanding His cultural context sheds on what He had to say. What 'poor' meant in first century Palestine is yet another example. The economy of first…

Rhosymedre R. Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) "Immortal Invisible God Only Wise" Improvisation Vaughan Williams was taught to read by his grandmother from the same book she had used to instruct her younger brother, Charles Darwin. There was a great tumult among the family — like everywhere else — when The Origin of Species was published, and…