The Original One Hit Wonder

So posting youtube videos on the blog seems popular, so I thought I better try it. Heres my favorite.

Music Quote of the Every Few Days

"My whole trick is to keep the tune well out in front. If I play Tchaikovsky, I play his melodies and skip his spiritual struggle." - Liberace

I don't know how I feel about this. Though it may be necessary to play pieces "out in front" if its not your favorite music, it sounds like he plays without caring for the music. Liberace was fairly crazy.. but it really sounds like he played for money and not for music. Or maybe the struggle is not meant to be the players problem, but the composer.

The Rest is Noise

Alex Ross's first book The Rest is Noise seems like it'll be a really great book. I've read the first two chapters now, and the book meshes history and music perfectly. He doesn't just give you the life of Strauss and in what year he wrote Salome, he discusses his relationship with Mahler and the opposing style and popularity of Bizet operas at the time. A knowledge of music history is not essential, but is helpful. He is also able to describe difficult and confusing music like Salome, with all its incest and necrophilia, while getting overall idea across. This could basically supplement a 20th century music history text, although there is no music notation.

Music Quote of the Every Few Days

"The pause is as important as the note." - Truman Fisher

Don't actually know who this is, and couldn't figure it out, but this is an important lesson to learn. Personally, I still haven't mastered this though. I use continuous notes while writing both my invention and my fugue for counterpoint. I wanted some rests, but they are extremely difficult to place. Anyway.. that is really enough about counterpoint.