Complete, garage sale expectations, Rossini in the news

The 2023 Major League Baseball regular season concluded last weekend. I only went to one game all season; a Royals-Rangers game back in May (my team, the Royals, lost). I didn't watch a single Royals game on TV this season. The broadcast rights are currently owned by Bally Sports which is not available on YouTube TV. It sucks that fans of any team in any city can't watch THEIR team play on TV anymore without subscribing to a particular provider or network. I think the games should all be on broadcast TV for FREE. I have also become frustrated by the sharing of broadcast rights by multiple providers. There are MLB games on ESPN, Amazon, Apple, and Fox. There are NFL games on Fox, CBS, NFL Network and Amazon. And the same goes for college football. I never know where a game is going to be carried. Everyone wants a piece of the "big money" pie. But back to baseball. There were 35 complete games pitched this season....total. Half of the teams didn't have any complete games. Just another example of how the game has changed and evolved with respect to pitching. Forty years ago, in 1983, there were 745 complete games. In 1974 there were 1061, and that was before expansion when there were only 24 teams. 

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Many of the residents in our neighborhood are having garage sales this weekend. This morning, Reba and I walked by many of them on our morning walk. I was surprised at the lack of garage sale awareness in today's world. Garage sales are a way to get rid of things you don't want. They are not designed nor intended to make you rich. Prices should be in CENTS more than DOLLARS. At the end of the weekend, if you have made a little money and most of your stuff is gone, that's a win. But something has changed. Everyone is pricing their items like they are a retail store. An old office chair? $25. Nope, should be $1.00. An old, beat up kids desk made of fake wood, $75. Wrong, go with $1.50. A book for $1.00. Nope, books should be 5 for .25 cents. How about those old shoes for $5.00 per pair? Nope. Go with .25 cents per pair. When did this all go so wrong?

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Gioachino Rossini isn't in the news much these days. He died in 1868. But in 1842, he was in the news. This clip is from the October 4, 1842 edition of the New York Herald. His newest composition, the Stabat Mater, was being performed in New York. The work received it's world premiere on January 7th of that year in Paris. I can't verify if this was the first performance on the Stabat Mater in the United States, but it seems like it is possible given there weren't too many cities here that had the resources for such a production. I will keep searching for that answer. Stabat Mater is defined by Oxford as "a medieval Latin hymn on the suffering of the Virgin Mary at the Crucifixion." It means 'the Mother was Standing'" Rossini's composition is very beautiful. Here is a short clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNi4hG7VWvI

Where are you Jerry Smith? Talking non-stop. Too many Pitchers. New (old) Brahms Piano Music

 

One of my high school buddies, Jerry Smith, is a fantastic artist. He is also a wonderful musician. And fairly recently, much later in life then most, he became a father. Jerry and I became friends primarily because we shared a passion for music...specifically the guitar. I came from the classical world of violin studies. Jerry came from the world of art and became a guitarist-musician-songwriter. We met in the middle. Forty years later, I can't get a hold of him. He lived in California most of the past forty years...we talked about 2 years ago. But he has stopped answering his phone and returning my texts. Perhaps his number has changed. I hope to find out how to reach him. But on 2-26-1996, Jerry and I got together at his apartment here in Kansas City while he was in Art School. We jammed and had a few beers. He put his guitar down and picked up a pencil and a pad of sketch paper and drew me. How cool is that?!?!? It hangs on my wall to this day. What a special thing. Thank you Jerry, forever. And let's re-connect soon!

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I try to take Reba for a walk every morning. These days we try to get out before 8:00 am to beat the heat. I live in a nice subdivision called The Meadows of Winterset. There are a lot of dogs here who also get walked in the morning. There are also a lot of runners-walkers who get out early to beat the heat. I see most of same people every morning. And most of them are talking on their phones. What the hell? I like to get away from my phone as much as possible. But I don't think other people feel the same way. They are talking at the top of their lungs as they pass by Reba and I.....how rude and pathetic. I don't want to hear your conversations. I want peace and quiet.  Oh well....

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I read every boxscore of every MLB game each day on Baseball-Referenece.com. I am very happy with the new rules that were implemented this season to increase the pace of play...specifically the pitch clock. Games going past 3:00 hours are rare now. BUT, I am not happy with the state of pitching in general. Back in my day, you had a starter, perhaps a reliever, and then a closer...3. Today, teams regularly use 6-8 pitchers in a game...so between both teams, we are watching 12-16 pitching changes per game. Who are all these guys???  Most pitching changes come between innings, so the pace of play has not been eroded. BUT....that's a lot of dudes taking the mound every game. Too many, I say! Forget about Wins and Loses....they are not relevant individual statistics anymore. It's a win or loss by committee.

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Here's a fairly new release of Brahms' Piano music. This was recorded in 1952 and re-released last year. I was stunned by this music. I love so much of Brahms' music already, but most of these pieces were new to me. The recording is stellar...a testament to sound engineering from many generations ago. It sounds fresh and contemporary. And Brahms is working with colors and textures that maybe we don't expect from him. I hear thoughts and ideas that are years ahead of his time. Maybe you will too.

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What am I doing here? New music that is old. Thoughts on our National Game.

Once again, a long time has passed since my last entry. Yes, I have been busy....but I just don't know what I want this Blog to be...or do...anymore. It was so easy at first, in 2014, when I started. Classical music. Write about and share classical music. But nine years later, I feel like I have run out of things to say about classical music. And it has felt very formulaic too; tell you about a piece of music and share a link to a video on YouTube. So what am I going to do?

I am going to keep going. Music will still be the focus, but I will open up to other topics too. I love to write. Sadly, too many people no longer like or find time to read. But screw it....I am still here.

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I love discovery and learning. Today, a video popped up on YouTube that caught my eye:

I have never heard of Cal Tjader...until today. But I recognized the album cover:

This is a CD from my collection. I am very familiar with Debussy...but Cal is new, so I took a listen and really enjoyed it. I then went to Amazon Music and searched for more music from Cal Tjader and found a ton of it. He was a jazz musician, primarily a vibraphonist. So today has been a day of musical exploration thanks to some algorithm at YouTube. I also learned about another new (well old but new to me) artist that I will talk about in my next post. Stay tuned!

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I did watch the MLB All-Star Game a couple of weeks ago. What stood out to me was how uninteresting it was...to me at least. And I figured out why. When I was a kid, there was no interleague play. The only time the AL and NL met was in the All-Star Game and the World Series. These were the only times the great players and teams from each league faced off against each other, and it was exciting to see. Now, they play each other every week. I think interleague play has been a good thing overall by creating natural rivalries and such, but it has diminished both the All-Star Game and the World Series, in my opinion.

Classics in Film, Streaming, Saucers

I have been reflecting lately on the ability of some people to remain calm in stressful situations. Specifically, athletes like Patrick Mahomes. NFL quarterbacks face supreme pressure to read the defense and get rid of the ball in a matter of seconds. Mahomes does this well. He almost always makes the right decision. He stays calm. Well, completely unrelated to Patrick Mahomes, but related to classical music and the art of staying calm in difficult situations, I re-watched a great movie called Fearless which was released in 1993. It stars Jeff Bridges who plays a man who survives a plane crash...one of the only to survive, and the only one not to be injured...he walks away unscathed. In the aftermath of the crash, he pulls away from his family, and everyone else in his life for that matter, while trying to process the trauma...trying to understand why he was the fortunate one. The crash scene is very vivid and realistic. And as the scene unfolds, music from composer Henryk Gorecki plays; specifically the first movement of his Symphony no. 3 known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Souls. I think it is a brilliant choice by the director, Peter Weir. 

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I spent some time a few weeks ago re-organizing and cataloging my CD collection....you do know what a CD is, right? Some of you do...but many younger people don't. Like the album and cassette tape, the CD has pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur. But I still listen to them, as well as my albums. But face it...the digital age has given all of us seemingly infinite power to access and enjoy music far beyond a CD/album/tape collection. And I must confess that my Amazon music subscription is my primary source of music these days. It just blows me away....I can find just about anything I want to listen to with a simple search and click of the button. I do think the sound and nuance of albums...and analog music overall...is still superior... but hey...the upside of music streaming is undeniable.

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I drink coffee everyday. My morning ritual starts with putting cold water in the kettle, grinding my beans, bringing the water to a boil, scooping the coffee into a French press, stirring, waiting, pressing and sipping. It's a highlight of my day. Just as I enjoy the first sip of a cocktail/wine in the evening, this first sip of coffee is essential for my enjoyment of the day, and life itself. And I have several mugs I enjoy drinking from. But what happened to saucers? When was the last time you used a saucer? I can't recall. And this is a shame. Saucers are elegant. They bring coffee drinking to a higher level of sophistication. Yesterday, I pulled out our fine set of china and served myself coffee in a proper cup with a saucer. It was beautiful, don't you agree?

Harmonics, $3.81, Schmaltz

Violin harmonics are, by definition, a violin technique in which you play overtones. You do that by softly touching the violin string with a finger on your left hand while drawing a normal bow stroke with your right hand. 

Thank you Violinspiration.com for the above definition of a technique that has always fascinated me. Composers often write music that incorporate harmonics, but one that stands out for me is Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov (1888). A solo violin plays a very long, sustained harmonic "E" as the final movement concludes. I can't think of any other piece of music that does it to this extent:

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There is a new coffee shop here in town. The owners refurbished a century old brick building and created a modern space with some nice artwork and a cool "hipster" vibe. I ordered a small, black coffee and the total came to $3.81. Add in a tip and it was a $5.00 cup of coffee. No froth, cream, cinnamon, hazelnut, whip etc....just coffee. It was good...but not $5.00 good. I went home and brewed my own at a fraction of the price. Just seems crazy to me.

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I have no shame admitting that I like "schmaltz"....musical schmaltz. While my dad was hardcore classical, my mom and grandmother also liked showtunes and popular music. My grandmother in particular enjoyed artists like Percy Faith, Mantovani, Lawrence Welk, and Liberace. These and other similar artists used lush production and orchestration in a very romantic and soft way. This style went on to become known as "elevator music" as it had no real substance....just fluff. But as a kid, I would play these records when I visited my grandparents and I was hooked by them....what I heard was beautiful to my ear. Call me crazy I suppose. I stumbled on an album by Henry Mancini this week that has a great example of this lush sound. Take a listen:

This was recorded in 1959....at the height of the "elevator music craze...if there was such a thing. I think it is wonderful. 

Bach and Coffee, Top 20 List, On-line Ordering Sucks

The bookends of my day....days....are coffee in the morning and cocktails in the late-afternoon-evening. They may be my favorite things in each day, or at least they are on the list of Tim's Top 5 favorite things in a day.  Bach is certainly on my Top-5 composer list...in fact he comes in at Number 1. But I was unaware that Bach and coffee had a close connection. Bach's Cantata BWV 211 is know as the Coffee Cantata. Here is some history about it. Thank you Sirius XM Channel 76 Symphony Hall for bringing this to my attention!

https://blogs.loc.gov/nls-music-notes/2019/03/bach-and-the-coffee-cantata/

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Rick Beato made a video last week of Top 20 "One Hit Wonders" from the 1980's. I could not resist coming up with my own list, which only includes a couple of songs from his list. Here are mine, in no particular order. And yes, I am aware that some of these artists did have success beyond just one song. For instance, The Romatics also had a song on the charts called Talking in Your Sleep. But I don't think it was a "Hit"...so that's just my opinion man.

Welcome to the Boomtown - David and David

The Captain of Her Heart - Double

The Music in You - New Radicals

Mary's Prayer - Meet Danny Wilson

Cry - Goodley and Creme

What I like About You - The Romantics

My Ever Changing Moods - Style Council

Love Plus One - Haircut 100

Promises Promises - Naked Eyes

True - Spandau Ballet

Something About You - Level 42

Life in a Northern Town - The Dream Academy

No One is to Blame - Howard Jones

Take on Me - Aha

She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals

Jenny Jenny - Tommy Tu Tone

Holding Back the Years - Simply Red

Believe it or Not - John Scarbury

Lunatic Fringe - Red Rider

Broken Wings - Mister Mister

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I was standing in line at Einstein Brothers Bagels the other morning...it was a long line and I was pretty far back. While I waited, one person after another came in to pick up an order that had been submitted via an App or online ordering. There were only two people making the food, so we ALL ended up waiting. And there was an awkward dynamic now...those of us in line waiting to order versus those who had already ordered but whose food was not prepared. I don't think most restaurants have the manpower to master this approach to ordering. It really requires two separate crews. So I suggest that all stores and restaurants return to "just fucking go in the store and get it yourself" mode. Kuddos to Trader Joes who have never offered online shopping. 

Great Bruckner riff, no such thing as greatest, and are we roaring?

 

Anton Bruckner, one of my favorite composers, wrote his Symphony no 3 in 1873. He later revised it several times...the 1877 revision seems to be the one most often performed. I am hesitant to even use the word "often" because this symphony is rarely performed at all. I understand why his 4th, 7th, 8th, and 9th are the symphonies most often listened to and performed...they are generally considered his best. But I am coming around to the conclusion that the 3rd may be at that level as well. The four bars of music above are a musical statement that appear in the first minute of the first movement. I like to call these either "riffs" or "licks" which are rock terms, but describe the same thing. It has an odd "beat" or "feel" to it, at least to my ear. The long pause after the c-sharp followed by the quick sixteenth notes at the end make it feel decidedly "un-nineteenth century" to me. Here is a clip from Andris Nelson talking about the 3rd and the "mysticism" of Bruckner, which is also what I feel when I hear these very unique four bars which appear at the 1:15 mark of this video clip:

In 1891, Anton Bruckner was given an honorary degree from the University of Vienna. The Rector who presented the degree said, "At the point where Science must cease, where it's unbreachable bounds are set, there begins the realm of Art, able to express all that which remains hidden to Knowledge." I love this quote. Another interesting note about his 3rd Symphony...he dedicated it to his musical hero, Richard Wagner. As the story goes, he offered the dedication to Wagner during a gathering that involved a lot of beer drinking. Bruckner had submitted his second and third symphonies to Wagner and asked him pick which one he would like for the dedication. Wagner told him his choice during the party, but the next morning, Bruckner could not remember which one Wagner had picked so he had to follow-up with him and ask again....it was the third.

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I don't know why it is so important for people to make statements about who the "greatest" is, in any context. The other day, I saw a headline that proclaimed Jimi Hendrix was the "greatest" guitarist of all-time. Hendrix was an incredible musician and perfomer...no doubt. But as great as he may have been, was he better than Segovia? or Wes Montgomery? or Paganini? (yes, Paganini was a guitarist as well as a violinist.) No, of course not. Hendrix was great. Just leave it at that. 

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My oldest son Jack asked a great question. We were walking around the campus of the University of Wisconsin. Several of the buildings had been built in the 1920's. So we started talking about how the world has changed since that time.....what the students there in 1922 thought about the world and how they imagined the future would be. He also pointed out that those were the "roaring '20s". What did that mean exactly? But also, as we were having this conversation in the 2020's, are we roaring? Neither of us feel like our country is roaring at the moment.