Music played at the December 15, 2014 session

Thanks to Sachie for hosting our Sunday afternoon session and for sharing her Yamaha grand piano.
In addition to the usual diversity, there were some delightful arrangements of Christmas favourites.

Here's what was played:

Liz -- Enrique Granados, Vals Poético No. 6
Lynda -- Pietro Alessandro, Gesù Bambino, arrangement by Tom Roed from Christmas Encyclopedia
Vanessa -- traditional, What Child is This, arrangement by Charlie Bisharat
Christopher/David  -- Johannes Brahms, Intermezzo O. 117 No. 1, transcription for clarinet and piano by Eric Simon
Winnie -- Adolphe Adam, O Holy Night, arrangement by John Sullivan Dwight
Julie -- Dimitri Kabalevsky, Prelude Op. 38, No. 9
Sachie -- Alexander Scriabin, Sonata No. 4, 1st Movement, Op. 30
John -- own arrangement, Jingle Bells, variations in the style of 10 classical composers

2nd round:

Christopher -- traditional, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, In the Bleak Midwinter, arrangements by Christopher Norton
David -- Maurice Ravel, Piano Concerto in G Major, first section of 2nd Movement Adagio Assai, SoundCloud recording of David playing this piece is here
Vanessa -- Irving Berlin, White Christmas
Lynda -- Lee Mendelson & Vince Guaraldi, Christmas Time is Here from a Charlie Brown Christmas, arrangement by Tom Roed
John -- own arrangements, O Holy Night, Huron Carol
Winnie -- Don Besig, Sleep, Little Baby, Sleep
Sachie -- traditional, O Tannenbaum, arrangement by Vince Guaraldi
Julie -- Sergei Rachmaninoff, Études Tableaux, Op. 33 No. 8 in G Minor

Are you Canada's best amateur pianist?

The CBC is running a contest for amateur classical pianists. Does anyone dare to enter?

http://music.cbc.ca/#!/Piano-Hero

Wine expert Natalie MacLean donates Yamaha baby grand to city

And you can play on it!

http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/city-of-ottawa-gets-gift-of-music-1.2140036
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/video-donated-piano-brings-music-to-the-lobby-at-ottawa-city-hall

Should all piano keyboards be the same size?

The loosely-organized group PASK (Pianists for Alternate Size Keyboards) doesn't think so: http://www.paskpiano.org/

They also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pask.piano

Demise of a Karn pump organ

This article in the Ottawa Citizen shows the sorry end of an antique pump organ, dumped beside a city road:

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/abandoned-organ-strikes-sour-note-with-park-piano-project

Music played at the November 16, 2014 session

These performances were on a Pleyel grand piano and a Grotrian-Steinweg upright.

Round 1:
- Janice G: Elmokhum-mus Elmasry for Harpisichord by Ali Osman
- Gared: Prelude and Fugue in D Minor Book 2 by J. S. Bach
- Gregory: June from the Seasons by P.I. Tchaikovsky
- John: “Impromptu after hearing Tchaikovsky” (original improvisation)
- Karin: Album leaf by C. Debussy
- Irina: Valse Op. 69 #1 by F. Chopin
- Julie: Prelude Op. 38 #5 by D. Kabalevsky
- Sachie: Sonata # 4 Op. 30, first movement, by A. Scriabin
- Winnie: Sonata in C major by W.A. Mozart
- Janice and Karin (two piano duet): Gavotte varié (Variations on Ba Ba Black Sheep) arranged by M. Mungo-Park

Round 2:
- Gregory: Solveig’s song by E. Greig
- Gared: Prelude in C major, original composition
- John: Original improvisation on “Twinkle twinkle little star”

Music played at the October 19, 2014 session

Thanks again to Mitchell for hosting our Sunday afternoon session at Ottawa Pianos.  It's always a pleasure playing on such fine instruments.  Again, there was a pleasing diversity of modern and classical music, and some new discoveries.

Here's what was played:

Mary Ann -- Mendelssohn, Song Without Words "Duetto", Op 38. No. 6
Gared -- Amy Beach, Hermit Thrush at Eve, Op. 92 No. 1
Liz -- Oskar Merikanto, Valse Lente, Op. 33
Gregory -- Ross Jutsum, Rivers of Living Water
Karin -- Robert Palmer, Evening Music
Mary Lou --  Shostakovich, Preludes, Op. 34 No. 1 & 2
John -- Haydn, Symphony No. 94 "Surprise", 3rd movement, own piano transcription
Jennifer -- Respighi, Three Preludes on Gregorian Melodies, No. 1
Lynda -- Gerald Martin, Dark Eye Boogie
Jorge -- Bach, Prelude & Fugue No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846
Sachie -- Rachmaninoff,  Prelude in E Flat Major, Op. 23 No. 6
Julie -- Debussy, Prelude, Book 1 No. 9 La Serenade Interrompue
Elizabeth -- own composition, 12 Bar Blues
Christopher & David -- Bach, Concerto for Two Keyboards, Second Movement, BWV 1062

2nd round:

Jorge -- Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 14 "Moonlight", 1st Movement, Op. 27 No. 2
Gared -- own composition, Patience
Julie -- Kabalevsky, Prelude, Op. 38. No. 5
John -- own arrangement, Daleko-daleko (Far away, far away)
Christopher -- Oskar Merikanto, Valse Lente, Op. 33
Elizabeth -- Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 8 "Pathétique", 2nd Movement, Op. 13

Music played at the September 21, 2014 session

Vanessa hosted today's session.  Here is what was played, courtesy of John who took notes.

1st round:
Karin - Debussy: Album Leaf in F major
Greg - Vaughan-Williams: Songs of Travel: The Vagabond
John - Beethoven: Sonatina in G
Jorge - Bach: Prelude & Fugue in C Major (from the Well-Tempered Clavier)
Tim - Brahms: Intermezzo, Opus 117
Vanessa - Cy Coleman/Peggy Lee/Bill Schroeder: I'm in love again

2nd round:
Vanessa - Arthur Herzog Jr/Billie Holliday: God bless this child
Karin - Mendelssohn: Song without words: Opus 19, Nº 2 in A minor
Greg - Brahms: Waltz in A♭
John - Improvisation on United Church hymn "Beautiful Gaia"
Jorge - Improvisation in the Dorian mode
Tim - Schumann: Opus 15 Nº 1: Von fremden Länden und Menschen

Report from the group lesson with Roland Graham on September 7, 2014

Performers:  John, Marilyn, Céline.  All three performances were really well done!

Observers: Nick B, Christopher, Janice S, David R, Gregory

Opening Discussion

Last year, the October meeting of the Ottawa Piano Group was held at Southminster United Church on the beautiful Heintzman nine foot concert grand piano.  Roland mentioned that we were the first group to have performed at Southminster on this recent acquisition.  For many years, this piano was at Massey Hall in Toronto and is said to have been used for performances by great pianists of the last century such as Horowitz and Rubenstein.
Since then, the piano has been equipped with a Dampp Chaser for humidity control and tuning stability, a dolly for ease of movement, and a Jansen adjustable artist bench.
Roland indicated that the format of the afternoon would be that of a group lesson.  He would listen to each person play, ask them questions, provide general comments, and ask others in attendance for constructive comments; the goal being for everyone to listen more critically and encourage some discussion amongst the group.
One of Roland’s teachers once said that you can only conduct a “masterclass” in the presence of a “master” such as an Angela Hewitt; hence the term group lesson.

Performance by John - 2nd movement of Mozart's Sonata in C Major (K545)

Before playing, John mentioned that this is sometimes referred to as the “easy” Mozart sonata.  He had listened to six different recordings, all with different tempos, and selected a tempo somewhere in the middle.
First impressions of John’s performance: nice touch, singing melodic voice, good steady tempo, good appoggiaturas, a few wrong notes, tendency to speed up as the piece progressed, end part was a bit too loud in proportion to the rest, and a nice close.
Roland observed that while the second movement is easier than the well known first movement of this sonata, it’s not at all easy.
The tempo works and it’s a nice touch; avoid the tendency to overplay.
How do we fix the tendency to speed up throughout a piece?  Start in the middle and think of the correct tempo.  Take a challenging part and pick a tempo that works for that, and use the same tempo for simpler parts.
The first note of a piece can be difficult to play, especially if marked as P (soft).  It’s a balance between being too careful and too much.  In general, it’s better to err on the side of too much.  The first note of every phrase should sing out a bit. The analogy was cited of starting a car on a hill. Be careful that the bass accompaniment does not become too vertical (with accentuated beats) rather than a background texture.
Most musical phrases have three parts, sometimes referred to as a “hair pin”: anacrusa (the unstressed notes before the strong beat of a phrase), accent (strong beat), and the falling away as it resolves.
Writing words to a tune, as John demonstrated with this second movement, can help with memorization.
The pedal on pianofortes of Mozart’s time had limited sustain capability. While the sustain pedal is an essential part of the modern piano, too much pedal can make the sound a bit “wet” where it’s difficult to discern the details.  As an alternative, take your foot off the pedal and try “finger pedaling” where the fingers overlap and stay depressed while playing different notes of a chord.  This opens up more articulation possibilities.
In selecting a tempo, find one that is comfortable to sing.  How slow can you make it and still have a sense of line?  Playing music is like riding a bicycle in that there is a sense of momentum.  A good way to practice fast more complicated music is to play it at a deliberate slow tempo.
For Mozart pieces, tempo and dynamics are usually within a certain range, as compared to, for example, the Romantic period.  The result is usually more convincing by staying within that range and not playing too loud.  Pieces by Bach are within an even narrower range of tempo and dynamics, with the exception of the concertos.  It’s about judgment, musicianship and making more informed choices.
While it’s useful to listen to recordings of a particular piece by various artists, don’t get caught up; they are just a guide.
While there are various books that attempt to describe these musical attributes, the tradition with classical music had been that of master and apprentice.

Marilyn - Humoresque by Dvorak Op. 101 No. 7

First impressions of Marilyn’s performance: nice singing melody, good dynamic balance, appropriate tempo, good contrast with the middle part.
Roland mentioned that a humoresque is typically a light, whimsical melodic invention with a distinct rhythm.
We should be using our ear to determine the appropriate amount of sustain pedaling.
A wrong note can sometimes disrupt the flow of the music.
Rubato, a relaxation of strict time, is often used when completing one section before the main melody begins.
An appoggiatura is a musical ornament consisting of a dissonant note resolving to a harmonic one, usually trailing off with a quieter sound.
With the lead-in, try to find a way to connect more, making the musical phrase as smooth as possible.
When we first approach a new piece, how are we to make musical decisions on how it is to be played before learning all the notes?  At the outset, you need to take a step back for some perspective of what you want.  One approach is to start with playing only the top and bottom notes to get a sense of the structure and outline.  It’s a good way to learn a piece and better understand it. Everything else is supportive.
An analogy is first building the frame structure of a house.  It’s also learning a piece the way the composer might have composed it; first coming up with some catchy melody and later filling in the texture and details. For this initial go, you don’t need to use the final fingering.  Later on, when you are trying to polish each of the voices, then using the correct final fingering is important.
The second, more complicated part of the piece has a similar shape and line as more layers are added.
How do we decide which musical line should be in the foreground?  One approach is to listen to recordings of what other artists have done.  In some cases the melodic line can move from part to part.  With a Bach fugue all voices are equally important.

Céline - Duetto (Songs Without Words) by Mendelssohn, Op.38 No.6

First impressions of Céline’s performance: singing melody alternating between right hand and left hand, nice finish.
The trickiest part of this piece is keeping the filler notes very quiet while the melody sings out.  Slowing the tempo a bit might help with this.
It would be useful to map out the dialogue between the soprano and tenor voices.  The goal is to hear in advance where your attention should be.
Hand weight management is key in playing the melody and the supporting notes at the same time, particularly with the same hand.
Look at the note stem directions to ascertain the top and bottom lines.
At this point in learning the piece, focus on practicing the latter half. Start there each day and play very slowly.
Try playing octaves only to get a sense of the musical line and structure.  With all the notes, there is risk of losing the line.
The triplet/duplet combinations are easier to practice slowly and again it’s a matter of hand weight management.
It was observed that while Céline had the score in front of her, she played the first part from memory.  When there was a memory snag, it was then difficult to recover by finding the right spot in the score.
Kinesthetic memory (when we know a piece by heart and play it on autopilot) and music score reading/playing are different cognitive activities.  For any particular piece, the recommendation is to use one or the other.

A "grand piano" towed by bicycle visits Ottawa

Check out this story from the Ottawa Citizen:

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/globe-trotting-pianist-rolls-through-ottawa-on-his-bicycle-driven-piano

Music played at the August 17, 2014 session

A small gathering for the last summer session, which was hosted by Janice G. Here are the pieces that were played:

1st round:
Marilyn - Bach: Prelude no. 1 from the Well-Tempered Klavier
Vanessa - Gounod: Ave Maria
John - Adolphe Adam: O holy night
Janice - Rachmaninoff: Elégie (opus 3, no. 1)

2nd round:
Marilyn - Louis Alter: Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?
Vanessa - Tony Scivetta: My love went to London
John - improvisation on the black keys
Janice - Ali Osmon: Elmokhm-mus Elmasry (played in an Egyptian scale)

3rd round:
Vanessa - own compositions
John - two Russian folk songs

Music played at the July 20, 2014 session

Thanks to Winnie for hosting another afternoon of enjoyable music!

Here's what was played:

Karin -- Edward MacDowell, Improvisation, Op. 46 No. 4 in F Major
Jorge -- own baroque composition
Julie -- Rachmaninoff, Étude Tableau, Op. 33 No. 8 in G Minor
John - own arrangement of hymns:
           Rex Lelacheur, Canadian Centennial Hymn
           Halle, European hymn tune appearing in Schicht's Choralbuch in 1819
           Morning Hymn Medley: "A glorious day is dawning", "Still, still with Thee when purple morning breaketh" and "Joy cometh in the morning"
Christopher -- Chopin, Nocturne Op. 72 No. 1 in E Minor
Winnie -- Beethoven, Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement
Grace (guest visiting from Edmonton) -- Chopin, Polonaise in G Minor
David -- Bach, Siciliano from Flute Sonata No. 2, piano transcription by Wilhelm Kempff

2nd round:

Jorge -- Bach, Invention No. 3 in D Major, BWV 774
Christopher (clarinet) & David (piano) -- Percy Grainger, Irish Tune from County Derry, duet transcription by Terry Oxley
Julie -- Bach, Prelude and Fugue in E Major, BWV 854
John -- own arrangement, Russian folk song Daleko, daleko (Far away, far away)
Grace -- Russian Waltz, Story for the Mother, Three Guitars
Karin -- Edward MacDowell, Marionettes - Part 8 Epilogue, Op. 38 No. 8
Winnie -- Massenet, Meditation from opera Thais

3rd round:

David -- Beethoven, Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement
Jorge -- Manuel Ponce, Intermezzo
John -- own composition, Chorus of Morning Glories

A piano practising blog worth looking into

Graham Fitch, a pianist and teacher in London UK, has a blog called "Practising the Piano" at http://www.practisingthepiano.com/blog/.

With over 100 free postings about various techniques, stumbling blocks, advice, and resources, it's definitely worth bookmarking.

Fitch also contributes to Pianist magazine (https://www.pianistmagazine.com/), which is a resource that some of our piano group members recommend.

Strawberries and sheet music

We’ve all heard of the 100 mile diet and the apparent benefits of buying food locally. The local strawberries, for example, are always so much more flavourful and juicy than those that are imported from afar.

Does the same idea apply to sheet music?

I’m on the email distribution list for The Leading Note, which is a wonderful sheet music shop on Elgin Street, and I’ve purchased music there several times. But yesterday I received a notice from them that was a bit worrisome. In part, it reads:

"With the impact of public domain websites and warehouse-based online stores, The Leading Note print music store finds itself at a critical point in its history.... Without reliable support from our community, it will become a challenge to continue operating a brick and mortar store.  As musicians ourselves, it saddens us to think of the possibility that a world-class city like Ottawa could lose such an important cultural hub.  However, as an integral part of the music community, we are confident that we can proudly move forward with the support of our music community behind us."

Coincidentally, at the last piano session, talk turned to the benefits of finding sheet music online, either for purchase, or for downloading free of charge from sites such as IMSLP.org. We all agreed that these can be great resources for the pianist. But clearly there can be local repercussions when the online resources start to take precedence.

Food for thought.

/Christopher

Music played at the June 22, 2014 session

Host: Lynda

Diana -- Grieg, Wedding-day at Troldhaugen, op. 65, no. 6
Delaney -- Giulio Caccini, Amarilli
Lynda -- Gershwin, Prelude No. 2
Christopher -- Schumann, Waldszenen op. 82 no. 1, Eintritt
Nick B. -- Ravel, Pavane pour une infante défunte

2nd round:

Delaney -- Joe Jackson, Not here not now
Lynda -- Massenet, Meditation from Thaïs (arrangement)
Christopher -- Granados, Valses poéticos no. 1
Nick B. -- Gounod, Funeral march of a marionette

Music played at the May 25, 2014 session

Host: David
Piano: Yamaha Disklavier DC3M4Pro, a 6'1" studio grand

We enjoyed another eclectic range of piano music. There is always an opportunity to discover new pieces! Welcome to new member Irina.

Here's what was played:

Lynda -- Gershwin, Prelude No. 1
Sue -- Bach, Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846
Karin -- B.J. Rosco, The Performance, from Dec 86 issue of Clavier Magazine
Diana -- Chopin, Polonaise in C# minor, Op. 26 No. 1
Marilyn -- Jim Croce, Bad Bad Leroy Brown
John -- own arrangement/improvisation, Medley of 10 French Songs
Gloria -- Andrew Lloyd Webber, Think of Me
Liz -- Mendelssohn, Venetian Gondola Song Op.19 No 6
Céline -- Schumann, Romance in F# major, Op. 28 No. 2
Sachie -- Rachmaninoff, Étude, Opus 39 no. 6 in A minor “Little Red Riding Hood”
Mandi -- Rachmaninoff, Prelude in D Major, Op. 23 No. 2
David -- Schubert, Impromptu in G Flat Major, Op. 90 No. 3
Liz - Mark Tanner, Lament for Typhoon Haiyan

Irina provided background music of Chopin during our refreshments.

Music played at the April 13, 2014 session

Thanks to John W. who welcomed us warmly to his home and his 1920s Heintzman "upright grand" on Sunday April 13.

For our edification and amusement Diana explained that 19th century music professor Ebenezer Prout wrote humorous words for the main theme of each of the 48 fugues in Bach's Well-tempered clavier.  The list can be seen at http://everything2.com/title/Prout%2527s+words+for+the+Fugue+Subjects+of+Bach%2527s+Well-Tempered+Clavier.

Here is what we played:

Diana -- Schumann, Fantaisiestücke, Op. 12 No. 8, “The End”
Liz (via Skype) -- Mendelssohn, Song without words, op. 19, no. 4
Vanessa -- Chopin, Nocturne in E minor, op. 72, no. 1
Delaney -- Mozart, Ave verum corpus from the Requiem
Janice S. -- Bach, Invention no. 13 in A minor
Kathy -- Two pieces by Mona Rejino: Reverie and Nocturne
Nick B. -- Bach, Little prelude, BWV 933
Winnie -- Initial portions of three pieces: Mozart, Sonata in C major K545 1st movement; Beethoven, Moonlight sonata 1st movement; and Massenet, Meditation from Thaïs
John -- Own arrangements of three hymns: Danny boy, Yield not to temptation, and Purity

2nd round:

Liz -- Granados, Valses poeticos, no. 5
Diana -- Bach, Fugue in D minor, Well-tempered clavier book 1, BWV 851 (Prout's words for this are "He trod upon my corns with heavy boots—I yelled!")
Nick B. -- Bach, Little prelude, BWV 934
Janice S. -- Joni Mitchell, Both sides now
Delaney -- Satie, Gymnopedie no. 1
Vanessa -- Accompanied herself singing the aria "Verdi Prati" from Handel's opera "Alcina"
Winnie -- Bach, Prelude in C major, Well-tempered clavier book 1
John -- Own arrangements of two hymns: Alma and Heavenward

Music played at the April 6, 2014 session

Thanks to Karin for hosting and sharing her two (!) splendid pianos ... a German Grotrian Steinweg upright and a recently acquired 1912 Pleyel 5’6” grand.  And welcome to new member Mandi.

Here's what was played:

Sachie -- Bach, Sinfonia from Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826
Mary Lou -- Bach, French Suite No. 5, BWV 816: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gavotte, Bourrée, Loure, Gigue
Tim --  Schubert, Impromptu in G flat major, Op. 90 No. 3
Christopher -- Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 13 in A major, 2nd movement, Andante, D.664
Gared -- Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, 2nd and 3rd movements, Adagio and Allegro assai, K.332
Karin -- Mendelssohn, Song Without Words Op. 19 No. 2
David -- Chopin, Fantasie Impromptu in C# minor, Op. 66

2nd round:

Sachie -- Rachmaninoff, Étude, Opus 39 no. 6 in A minor “Little Red Riding Hood”
Gared -- own composition "Drunken Rabbit"
Christopher -- Cole Porter, Night and Day, arrangement by John Kember
David -- Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K488, 2nd movement, Adagio (solo piano and orchestra transcription)

Music played at the March 16, 2014 session

Host: Sachie

Karin -- Scriabin, Prelude in Gb major, op. 16, no. 3
Diana -- Beethoven, Sonata "Pathetique", op. 13, 1st movement
Liz (via Skype) -- Beethoven, Sonata, op. 10, no. 1, 2nd movement Adagio molto
Lin -- Denes Agay, Blue waltz
Céline -- Alain Morisod, Elodie
Mary Ann -- Beethoven, Archduke trio op. 97, 2nd movement Scherzo
Janice S. -- Joni Mitchell, Both sides now
Winnie -- Mozart, Sonata in C major K545, 2nd movement Andante
Gloria -- Deep river (spiritual)
Julie -- Schubert, Impromptu in Bb major D935 op. 142 no. 3
Sachie -- Rachmaninoff, Prelude in G major op. 32 no. 5
John -- 3 Russian folk songs:  Moonlight serenade, Thank you heart, and Stenka razin

Music played at the February 16, 2014 session

Host: Ottawa Pianos

6-hands sight-reading (Nick M., Diana, Nick B.) -- Scott Chalfant, Pom-pom

Diana -- Alberto Ginastera, Rondo on Argentine children's folk tunes
Vanessa -- Duke Ellington, I got it bad
Nick B. -- Chopin, Prelude op. 28 no. 4
Jorge -- Bach, Prelude in B minor
Janice S. -- Joni Mitchell, Both sides now
Nick M. -- Mozart, Sonata in C major K309 (284b) 1st movement
Daniel -- own composition "Saturday morning"
Winnie -- Jules Massenet, Meditation (originally for violin)
John -- own composition "Chorus of morning glories"
Sachie -- Bach, Sinfonia from Partita no. 2 in C minor
Mitchell -- own composition "The last dance"
Gared -- Bach, Prelude and fugue in D minor (Well-tempered clavier book 2)
Julie -- Stephen Heller, Prelude in C# minor, op. 81 no. 10
Christopher -- Larysa Kuzmenko, Mysterious summer's night
Lynda J. -- Chopin, Military polonaise in A major, op. 40 no.1
Mary Ann -- Mendelssohn, Song without words op. 19 no. 6 "Gondola song"
Delaney -- portion of Beethoven, Sonata in Eb major op. 7 1st movement

2nd round:

John -- own composition "Waltz fantikaska"
Gared -- own composition "Reflections"
Nick B. -- Grieg, Raven's wedding op. 17 no. 25
Jorge -- Bach, Invention in E major
Nick M. -- Brahms, Rhapsodie op. 79 no. 2
Daniel -- own untitled composition

After the music was over, the pianists gathered for a group photo around the Yamaha grand.

Music played at the January 29, 2014 session

Host: Mary Ann

The session included five piano soloists, and a special performance by Mary Ann's piano trio.

Jorge - Bach, Prelude in B minor; and Manuel M. Poncé, Intermezzo
Lin - Debussy, Girl with the Flaxen Hair; and Denes Agay, Blue Waltz
Gloria - Bach, Bourée in A minor
John - Beethoven, Sonatina in G; and Jingle Bells in the style of 10 composers in 6 minutes
Christopher - da Rocha, Habanera; and Christopher Norton, Jane’s Song
Mary Ann (piano), Sandra (cello), Cliff (violin) - Mendelssohn, Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Andante

Music played at the January 19, 2014 session

Host: Ann

Sachie - Sergei Rachmaninoff, Étude, Opus 39 no. 6 in A minor “Little Red Riding Hood”
Tim - J.S. Bach, Italian Concerto, second movement, BWV 971
Janice S - W.A. Mozart, theme and 8 variations from Twelve Variations on Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman, K.265/300e
Daniel - Two of his own compositions, Réflexions and an untitled jazz progression; and the theme from the movie Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain by Yann Tiersen
Gared - Johannes Brahms, Ballade for piano in D minor, Opus 10, no.1 (Edward); and his own composition, Prelude in C
Darlene - Camille Saint-Saens, Gavotte in C Minor, Opus 23
Mitchell - Own untitled composition

Music played at the January 5, 2014 session

Host: Lynda

We had our first session of the new year at Lynda's. We're still growing! We welcomed two new members, John and Darlene, and beamed in Liz from the UK, courtesy of David's Skype set-up. We were reminded by the selections of Karin and Christopher that there's wonderful music to be found in magazines such as Klavier and Pianist -- a lesson demonstrated many times by our founder, Liz.

Here's what we played:

Diana -- Mendelssohn, Song Without Words, Op. 67, No. 4 in C, “Spinning Song”
Karin -- Frank Sanucci, “A Plaintive Song: to my beloved brother, Jim” in Gm, in Klavier, Sept’84
Lynda -- Beethoven, German Dances [book of 3], No. I in C, Wo08
Liz -- Beethoven, Sonata in F, Op. 10 No. 2, 2nd movement
Vanessa -- Thelonius Monk, “Round Midnight” in Gb
Christopher -- Dmitri Kabalevsky, “Dreams”, Op. 88, No. 1
David -- Chopin, Fantasie Impromptu in C# minor, Op. 66
Elizabeth -- Brahms, Waltz in Ab major, Op. 39 No. 15
John -- Own arrangement, Jingle Bells, variations in the style of 10 classical composers
…2nd round…
Christopher -- Mark Tanner, Lullaby for Prince George in Bb [in Pianist Magazine, Issue 75]
Lynda -- Schubert, Moments Musicaux, D.780, Op. 94, No. 6, “Plainte d’un Troubadour”, in Ab
Diana -- Schumann, Fantaisiestücke, Op. 12 No. 6, “Fabel” in C major
John -- Extemporaneous inventions on celtic themes using mainly the black notes.

Many thanks to Lynda for the warm hospitality and the opportunity to play a terrific Yamaha.