Of Piano & Philosophy

Hello folks! It is a beautiful summer day and I spent it all indoors in the lovely air conditioning. I played some piano, and tried to do my music theory, but apparently I am not very good at music theory! It is hard. On to philosophy! I am looking forward to teaching Anselm’s ontological argument,…

Hi everyone, and a happy Juneteenth to you. I continue to work on the Bach two-part inventions and Mussorgsky’s The Old Castle as well as Brahms Hungarian Dance #5 and the Grieg Lyric Pieces. I am glorying in going barefoot around the house and my left third toe is better though I think I will…

I am enjoying myself preparing for my class in Fall. Right now I am working on God’s attributes, such as eternity, omniscience, omnipotence, etc. Also I am reading about the Romantic period in music, having finished the classical period with the great trio Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. I hope to write more frequently now that…

Well, it’s truly been long since I’ve written. I wound up with 5 A’s, 1 B, and 2 incompletes. That’s what I get for taking eight classes and an informal 9th class over at Case! I am crazy about “The Old Castle” from Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. I am playing it on piano and…

It’s been a long time since I have written, but I have had a great time. Yesterday was the first round of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, and I saw some excellent pianists at Gamble Auditorium in Berea, Ohio. Eileen came with me and brought lunch. I love the ladies’ dresses. But the music, yes,…

Today is my Uncle Johnny’s 80th birthday – hurrah! I did an interview of my piano professor and turned in the final draft today. I learned a lot doing this interview and writing the profile with the “dominant impression” that goes with it. Every discipline, even English, can teach us something. Last night Melody and…

Greetings, everyone! A busy month has passed by and I am getting over a sickness. Thank you loyal followers for sticking with me! I finally played all the way through Wedding Day at Troldhaugen. Will post more soon. Happy 29th of February tomorrow!!

Greetings everyone! I like the movie Groundhog Day, and I wouldn’t mind repeating today for a period of time. Tomorrow is a math test, and I have studied very much for it. I am working on the first two-part invention of Bach, the one in C major which is generally considered the easiest one, and…

We are learning about Euler paths and circuits and Hamilton paths and circuits in Contemporary Mathematics. I am still working on the first two pages of Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, and trying to get into the Berceuse, an earlier lyric piece of Grieg’s. At Tri-C I am still working on Beethoven Piano Sonata #20 second…

What a pleasant time of the winter for a snow day! January 19, 2024. Right smack in the middle of winter, and poor people everywhere are contending with the elements. I am reading The Norton Field Guide to Writing, and learning more active ways to read, such as all-pro and all-con, and writing things in…