Enthusiasm-Thank You Rick Beato, In hand, Flaws

It's good to be back writing! I have been away longer than I like. No real excuse....just life I suppose. Six years into this blog, finding ideas and ways to keep things fresh and interesting is always a challenge. What does not change is my love of listening to and playing music. And that's the basis for this journal...to write about classical music first and foremost, and then other thoughts and ideas. Heck, it's my blog...I can write about anything I want. But I have had a great week, full of new ideas that I am looking forward to incorporating into this format. Stay tuned!

This week, I "discovered" a person on YouTube named Rick Beato. Rick is an accomplished musician, producer, and teacher who makes videos about music on YouTube. He explores a wide range of musical topics such as "what makes this song great?" He is also a music theorist who breaks down the theory behind music in all genres. Anyway, what I admire about Rick is his enthusiasm. It is clear that he loves music...all kinds of music. 

Here is a video he made about virtuosos.

Here's a video he made about the greatest riff using only the white keys of a piano. Yep, it's Prokofiev.

And here Rick shares some of the albums that he loves and made a big impression on him. This is really where you can sense his enthusiasm and love for music and it made me so happy. 

Rick also has an Instagram page: @rickbeato1.

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Last week, my wife and I finished staining the shelves that have been housing much of my CD collection...yes I still have CDs, which is what I want to talk about next. Like most people, I have used iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music and YouTube over the years. I still do. But I love CDs and vinyl records the most. You actually own them...hold them...touch them. Streaming formats don't give me that. So I still buy CDs and records and I listen to them more than music streams. I was going though some old posts this week where I shared music via YouTube, just as I have here. It works great, until the person who posted the video takes it down...then it's gone.

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I shared awhile back that I have been playing the guitar quite a bit this year. I am not a trained guitar player...I am self taught, and I have some very clear limitations. But I am having a blast practicing and learning. I have developed enough courage to make videos of my playing and share them on Facebook and Instagram. I have learned a valuable lesson that has made this possible...to accept my imperfections. There pursuit of perfection will drive you crazy. There is no such thing. There will always be something you feel you can improve upon. At some point you just have to let it go. Cheryl confronts this same challenge when she is working on refinishing furniture. She chases perfection. So we had this discussion about embracing the flaws of your work. They can actually add to the beauty of it. In the example of a musical performance, I am not interested in hearing someone play every note perfectly. I am interested in someone going to the edge musically...taking chances...NOT playing it safe. If during the course of this effort a note is fluffed or an entrance is not as crisp as possible, so be it. These imperfections are part of the climb to the top of the mountain. A climber often slips or stumbles on the way to the summit. But the view erases those missteps. Once again, Rick Beato addresses this point very well in this video.

"It's the imperfections that make it great."

From the Archives, A Passionate Musician, and Purple Hearts

Kansas City, and the world for that matter, thanks to the internet, have a great new way to hear classical music. 91.9 Classical KC is playing classical music the old fashioned "terrestrial way" on the radio locally, as well as streaming to the heavens from their website:

https://www.kcur.org/classical-kc-homepage 

Currently, they have a mixture of local and national programming. The local program I want to bring to your attention is called From the Archives, hosted by my friend, Frank Byrne. Mr. Byrne was the Executive Director of the Kansas City Symphony for many years, and he is perhaps the only person I know who loves classical music as much as I do. For his new show, he programs a great mixture of music off the beaten path...not regularly heard in concert halls today, as well as concert favorites we all know and love. The emphasis will be on exceptional performances, so he chooses the most interesting interpretations/recordings of these works for us to hear. It is true, and fascinating, that you can put two conductors in front of the same orchestra, playing the same piece of music, and end up with two completely different listening experiences. Frank knows this and picks the most compelling and fresh recordings to share. I highly recommend that you tune in every Saturday at 11:00 AM and Sunday at 6:00 PM Central.

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I am blessed to be able to play music, and sharing this gift with other musicians is the best thing of all. I have been playing music at my church for ten years now, and I've had the privilege of sharing this experience with many fine singers and musicians. One who stands out is Rick Allen. Rick has a passion for the guitar...and music...that I admire greatly. Every note he plays is infused with his passion for music. We use in-ear monitors that allow each musician to listen to the other band members at any volume level that they want. I turn Rick up in my ears. Rick reminds me that what matters most is passion and commitment. And the JOY of music. Thank you for reminding me of this good friend.

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Today is August 6. 75 years ago today, everything changed in our world.....the first nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, another was dropped on Nagasaki. These are somber remembrances. I am not going to debate the morality of these events. But I am going to share this beautiful piece of music called Purple Heart Lane, by Stephen Harwood Jr. This is music from a series called Band of Brothers, a WWII miniseries produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. 

In 1945, the US was planning the invasion of the Japanese mainland. Our experiences at Iwo Jima and Okinawa produced casualty estimates as high as 1 million US forces and 10 million Japanese civilians. Before Truman made the decision to drop the A-bomb, the US military command ordered 500,000 Purple Heart medals. Japan surrendered on August 15, and we were spared the invasion. But the medals were manufactured, and every soldier who has been awarded a Purple Heart since 1945 has received one from this order. Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, Iraq. This medal honors those who have been wounded serving their country, but it is also a reminder that someone's son wasn't a casualty in 1945. Perspective is important. 

Changes and Echoes

I've recently reconnected with several old friends from my childhood days in Austin, Texas. We get together via Zoom or Facebook every week now. This technology is truly amazing and it has allowed us to share our lives as if we were still kids in 1976. I bring this up because I am very touched by the relationship my friend Yoichi has with his 88-year-old father. I remember those two having a very contentious relationship...just as many kids do with their parents. Yoichi was born in Tokyo, but moved to the United States as a young child. He and his Dad did not see eye-to-eye on many things and I think his father did not approve of the "Western" attitudes and views that Yoichi had taken to. This was Austin in the 1970's....a pretty liberal town in a very wide-open decade. It pained me to see the two of them fight and argue. It was a clash of generations. But fast forward 40-plus years, and the two of them have a very loving relationship. Gone is the strife. What a joy to see how they have found each other. Time has done what it does...it wears you down, just as water wears down the rock. I saw the same thing happen with my father. He was not the same person towards the end of his life as he had been as a young father. He mellowed. He opened up. I hope I am on that path too with my family and friends.

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I've written about Pink Floyd in this blog before, so you probably remember that they are one of my favorite bands. In 1971, they released the album Meddle which has a track on it called Echoes. Here is the live version from a performance at the ruins of Pompeii. If you like the key of D minor punctuated with a Hammond organ, and an overdriven Fender Start....you will love this.

Vulnerable, Dead legs, Bach on Bass

The other day, I went out in the back yard to water the garden. I stepped down the stairs from the deck to the yard and I almost stepped on two baby doves. They were huddled together and did not make any effort to move out of my way. I stood there looking at them. Still no attempt to flee or fly away. Finally, after several minutes, they tried to fly away...only making it a few feet. Clearly they were still learning. So here I was, towering over them...and I was overcome with emotion. These little living creatures were completely at my mercy. They were completely vulnerable...and they were absolutely beautiful. I wondered how that must feel...to be so fragile and helpless. But I do know. And so do you. We all do. The COVID-19 virus, like every other virus in the natural world, should remind us that even though we put men on the moon, have iPhones, antibiotics, etc....we are still vulnerable. That will never change. In his book The Greater Journey, David McCullough recalls the cholera pandemic in Paris in 1831. Over 700 of the first 1000 cases died. Imagine how helpless people must have felt. No one knew what caused it, or how it was spread. And there was no cure. And unlike COVID, there was no such thing as "asymptomatic cholera." When you got it, you got it. And you probably died from it. I don't think we should be shocked when a pandemic arrives and takes lives. It is sad, and frightening. But not shocking. I read an old newspaper article recently from 1897 that reported on a family who lost 5 of 6 children to measles. Imagine having to bury 5 children. Thankfully, we now have vaccines for many of the diseases that used to kill people in great numbers. And we have antibiotics that prevent infections that used to kill great numbers. BUT, we are still vulnerable. It is the way of the natural world. So live each day as if it could be your last. Squeeze every bit of joy and love that you can out of every moment you are given. I didn't harm those defenseless doves. Pandemics are not so benevolent.

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As I continue to learn how to play the guitar, I recognized a parallel between practicing an instrument and running. In long distance running, you have to put in the miles. Every day, you have to get out there and do it. Some days it feels good. Other days, your legs feel like a bricks. But overall you get stronger and your fitness increases. The bad days are still productive. Same with music. I have been practicing alternate picking. Some days, I am dialed in and see great progress. But the next day, it is a shit show. My fingers have no clue what to do. I feel defeated. But the NEXT day, I can do more than I could two days ago. Even the seemingly unproductive practices pay dividends. I'm having fun even when I suck. I'm getting better even when I suck.

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Black Lives Matter. Xavier Foley expresses this in his playing. A black man playing music written by a white man. And I, a white man, am spellbound by Mr. Foley's musicianship. He wrestles this huge piece of wood with strings and delivers a beautiful performance of Bach. I pray someday we don't see color. Music transcends. This performance is proof that .

Still learning

I remember when I was a kid, practicing my violin was not always something I wanted to do. I wish I knew then what I know now. When you are young, you want instant results, not small improvement over a long period of time. I was impatient and restless. Now, at age 55, I see things much differently. I recognize and appreciate the beauty of practice. I am not in a hurry anymore. I love slowing difficult passages down to a crawl to look inside them...to figure them out.Taking my time feels good. And it still works.
I have experienced this new appreciation most recently while practicing the guitar. I play the guitar, yes, but I have not had any formal training and am completely self-taught. I don't consider myself a guitarist at all, but I enjoy it immensely. I borrowed an electric guitar from my friend Ben the other day and set about trying to learn some riffs that I admired, but I knew were out my reach. I embraced the idea of playing them slowly, over and over. Little by little I gained confidence and started to master these riffs. I learned to play them well enough to record and share with my Facebook friends. This tried and true regiment really works...even for me in my middle years. Take my time. Enjoy the work. Trust the process. I didn't see that as a kid. I practiced my violin. I got pretty good. I still play. It is a joy...a gift. And I am better now than ever. Wow.

https://www.facebook.com/tim.hazlett.9/videos/10222400968155481/

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The COVID-19 Pandemic continues. Life has changed. The world has changed. But it is not the first time in history that a pandemic has changed the course of history. Here is an excellent article about how an epidemic of Yellow Fever led to the United States's acquisition of the Louisiana Territory.

https://helenair.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/yellow-fever-and-the-louisiana-purchase/article_eda1c5b3-f498-5517-a72c-0194957494e4.html

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The Heritage Philharmonic was scheduled to play our Spring Concert on March 15 at Helzberg Hall here in Kansas City. This was cancelled due to the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. We had hoped to reschedule the concert for October, but that remains to be seen. In the meantime, we had to turn our music in last week because much of it is rented and needed to be returned. I was very sad making the drive to return it to our music librarian. So much practice and rehearsal...and no chance to play it in a performance.

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I have given up watching TV news, and I don't read much news anymore either. I listen to music...more than ever. My latest listening project has been listening to the First or Only Symphony of composers:

Philip Glass Symphony no 1
Edward Elgar Symphony no 1
Joachim Raff Symphony no 1
Howard Hanson Symphony no 1
Igor Stravinsky Symphony no 1
Charles Gounod Symphony no 1
Sergei Rachmaninoff Symphony no 1
Peter Tchaikovsky Symphony no 1
Gustav Mahler Symphony no 1
Johannes Brahms Symphony no 1
Franz Liszt Faust Symphony
Samuel Barber Symphony no 1
Georges Bizet Symphony in C major
Felix Mendelssohn Symphony no
Anton Bruckner Symphony no 1
Charles Ives Symphony no 1
Leonard Bernstein Symphony no 1
Edvard Grieg Symphony in C minor
William Walton Symphony no 1
Carl Nielsen Symphony no 1
Franz Schubert Symphony no 1
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony no 1
Robert Schumann Symphony no 1
Camille Saint-Saens Symphony no 1
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Symphony no 1
Jean Sibelius Symphony no 1
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony no 1

I am still immersed in no 1's....I will update later. But there is something wonderful about a First.

Happy Birthday Mom!

May 2, 1940. The miracle of childbirth. A baby girl is born to Leslie and Eileen Welker in Lamar, MO. Her name is Judith Elnora Welker, and she grew up to be my mom, my friend and my inspiration. I call this Blog "Classical Connections" because I love classical music. My dad was certainly a prime influence on me with respect to music, as I said in the very first post in 2014. But I have to give equal credit to my mom, for she too nurtured and shaped my musical journey and without her, music would not mean nearly as much to me as it does.
This little girl from Lamar grew up to be an extraordinary woman. She got married, worked to support my dad as he completed his academic studies, raised two children, made friends everywhere we lived...most of whom she still stays in touch with...became a great tennis player, runner, journalist, advertising executive, artist and musician....and I know I am leaving many other accomplishments out. This remarkable woman is turning 80 years old, and I know it blows her mind as much as mine, and everyone who knows her. She still walks, runs, rides her bike, works in the yard, delivers Meals on Wheels, and serves at Church, She still has a passion for learning new things, and helping others.
She is also a cancer survivor, a person of deep faith, a person who serves God, and worries more about others than herself. And she is a grandmother who has more love to give her family than the visible light of the Universe. Yes, she is that special, and I love her more than words can express. So to you mom, I say "Cheers", just as we say when we take our selfies at the Kansas City Symphony concerts we love to attend together. I look forward to the next decade and beyond of Friday morning coffee, symphony concerts, fun times with family and most of all, your boundless love, joy, and positive spirit. I love you.

The Civil War and Mozart, Perhaps on the Same Day

It may come as a surprise for many people that one of the most notable Civil War naval battles took place in France...or just off the coast of France...on June 19, 1864. The CSS Alabama had been wreaking havoc on Union shipping for years, until mid-June 1864 when it entered the harbor at Cherbourg for repairs. Word of her arrival reached US forces and the USS Kearsarge set off for Cherbourg to destroy her. The story is a great one, and it is told well in this article:

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/wars-and-events/the-american-civil-war--1861-1865/the-battle-of-cherbourg.html

I will let you read the details for yourself, but as it relates to classical music, I couldn't help but wonder if any of the thousands of people who watched the battle from the shore would perhaps go to a concert later that same day. Paris is about 300 km from Cherbourg, a pretty easy train trip even in 1864. Assuming the battle took place in the morning...I am not sure what time it did happen...any one of the spectators could have made it back to Paris for a concert. So I looked at the June 19, 1864 edition of Le Petit, a daily newspaper in Paris. Top of the list was a 7:15 pm performance of the Marriage of Figaro by Mozart.

What a day that could have been...to witness an historic Civil War naval battle, then be back in Paris for a production of Mozart's most well loved opera.

On another artistic note, the famous French painter, Edouard Manet, painted the battle. He was not witness to it, but he used descriptions from those who did witness it to paint this that same year. The picture now resides at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.