America! America! God shed His grace on thee!

Image by Nikki from Pixabay

When the world shut down in 2020, I asked a friend of mine, Seiko Werts, to help me put together a virtual concert. I wanted to do something in the style of our Indie Musikhaus house concerts, where we provided music from a mix of genres that was connected by a meaningful theme. We filmed our parts separately in our homes and Seiko beautifully melded them together into one of my most favorite concerts.

As you celebrate this Independence Day, I hope you enjoy the music we prepared in honor of our country, the many people who call it home, and the God who allowed our forefathers to dream up the “American experiment” and establish such a wonderful place to live.

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Eric Whitacre is a beloved choral composer. I love what he does harmonically with his music, and up until now I have loved every piece of his that I have heard. Recently I have been sitting with his 12-movement work, The Sacred Veil, in a sub assignment for a local community choir.

I confess, I have trouble with the work. It starts with a couple’s meeting and falling in love, and then quickly dives into a cancer diagnosis. The bulk of the music tells the story of the family grappling with the progressive loss of their wife and mother who died at the age of 36 of ovarian cancer.

The poetry is exquisitely set. There is no question that Whitacre is a master at setting text. The music is lovely, beautiful, perfectly expressing the love of a man and a woman, of a woman for her children, of the tenderness in their relationships. It is also harsh, frantic, desperate, portraying the awful reality of facing a fatal diagnosis and losing a cherished loved one. The whole work is undergirded with sadness and awash with the shadow of death. 

I understand this is the reality that many cancer patients and their families must grapple with. I understand the gravity of their experience, the crippling fear at hearing a fatal diagnosis, the trauma and anger and despair that arise and threaten to take hold during this kind of trial. I don’t think any of that should be minimized or dismissed. But I question why it must be put into an artistic work that a director and group of singers must sit with for weeks on end. Why would you want others to taste any semblance of your trauma and grief? What is the point of taking an audience through this journey? Why would anyone who has faced similar circumstances want to relive their struggle?

As artists, we strive to communicate honestly and meaningfully with our audience. We want to share something with them that will touch them emotionally, offering a piece of us – something that we have learned or gained from the music itself or that it has allowed us to express from our own life experiences.

I think Whitacre wrote this work because he loved his friend, the poet who lost his wife. I think it was his way of saying, “I see you, I understand what you are going through/went through, and I love you.” It is deeply personal for both of them.

Maybe that is what solace we can offer friends when they go through desperately painful times – our presence, our trying to make sense of their struggle as they go through it, our love. How wonderful to have friendships like these – but in our darkest hours, when friends aren’t around, we need something more. 

In desperate, painful times, we need something beyond human connection; we need the divine. We need supernatural intervention, comfort, hope. We can’t find it in ourselves, in trying to be strong for others, in accepting the inevitability of death with no tomorrow. 

Music offers temporary solace, but even it is not enough to buoy us when we feel like we are drowning. That kind of strength and hope can only be found in Jesus, the very person of God who broke into our world in human form, who bore our sorrows and sat in our grief – the effects of our sinful rebellion against God – and took the wrath of God due us upon Himself as He died on the cross. Many musical works have been written about His tragic death. But the story doesn’t end there; He rose from the dead three days later, proving His victory over death once and for all, offering hope to all who look to Him and believe. We no longer have to sit in our grief, because it isn’t the end. For the believer in Jesus, death is freedom from the troubles of our world and the doorway into eternal life. His presence is the soul-sustaining strength that we need to bear our burdens in life.

I have much respect for Eric Whitacre’s beautiful artistry in composition, and I will rehearse this piece with choir and orchestra with all the attention and expression that I would give to any choral masterwork. But I wish he would have included the hope of the gospel – the life-giving message of freedom from the fear of death, and the unmatched love of our Heavenly Father shown in the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. 

I wonder if Whitacre knows that the Sacred Veil has been torn clear through, for on the day Jesus died on the cross the veil in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was split in two, signifying His ultimate defeat of death. I wonder if he knows there is a path to true life, a way for us to connect with God Himself in this life as well as in the life to come?

Maybe his next project could be a re-setting of the text of Brahms’ Requiem, which comes from the Lutheran Bible and offers incredible hope and peace, both now and for eternity.

To hear Eric Whitacre’s thoughts on The Sacred Veil as a whole, as well as what inspired each individual movement, take a look at his video clips here.

See the piece live and in person as Kirkland Choral Society teams up with Philharmonia Northwest to present it this May. Get your tickets here.

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One of the blessings (curses?) of being a musician is getting to hear music in your head all of the time. Usually, it is music from a recent rehearsal or practice session. My most recent ear-worm is a phrase from Felix Mendelssohn's choral setting of Psalm 42. The choir I currently play for, Bellevue Chamber Chorus, is singing the first movement (also entitled As pants the hart), accompanied by myself at the piano, in our upcoming concert of sacred music, so we have been studying the piece for several weeks now. 

Psalm 42 Wie der Hirsch schreit (As pants the hart) is a cantata for choir, soloists, and orchestra. Schumann commented that the work was the “highest point that he [Mendelssohn] reached as a composer for the church. Indeed the highest point recent church music has reached at all.” Mendelssohn himself described it as “my best sacred piece… the best thing I have composed in this manner”, a work “I hold in greater regard than most of my other compositions.” Indeed, it contains what I love most about Mendelssohn's music: beautiful elongated musical phrases that terrace one independent voice line on top of another until they all come together in chordal harmony at the end of the phrase. 

The entire text of the first movement is “As the deer pants for water, so my soul thirsts after Thee, oh God.” Each time Mendelssohn sets the words “nach frischem Wasser” (for fresh water), the melody rises, as if the deer is reaching up, or moving towards, the water. Similarly, when he sets the word “schreit” (literally “shouts” or “cries” or longs for, in the phrase “my soul thirsts/shouts after Thee”), he emphasizes it most often by leading the melody upwards. This happens only when my soul cries out, not when the deer cries out!  The deer pants for fresh water, but my soul cries, God, to Thee. Of course, the word order is different in German, but you get the idea. 

That Mendelssohn would so deliberately paint the text in this way indicates his deep understanding of the text and the way music can work in tandem with words to communicate an idea in a richer way. His artistry enhances the original poetry and affords the singer, and the listener, opportunity for reflection as he has each voice part repeat snippets of phrases over and over until they come together in full chorus. If only modern worship songwriters would take this to heart! 

Listen for yourself to a recording of this wonderful piece:

Then, mark your calendar for a chance to hear it live and in person! Bellevue Chamber Chorus will perform it on May 17 and 18, and you can buy tickets and find online streaming information here.

Incidentally, the first movement is also a great exercise in open score reading. You can find a free copy of it here.

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Last week I put on a concert for the seniors’ group at my church. I called it “Joy Comes in the Morning.” I put together some of my favorite pieces by Bach, Liszt, and Margaret Bonds, along with a selection of hymn arrangements to show how music expresses the human experiences of joy, sorrow, and worship. The program began and ended with Bach. I’m happy to share with you some of the pieces I played at the concert.

Bach's is some of the most difficult music to play in the piano repertoire, both technically and expressively. He was a master artist, producing over 1,000 compositions during his lifetime. He was also a church musician, writing cantatas for the choir to sing each week, training up the boys’ choir, and serving as organist.

Franz Liszt also wrote some incredibly challenging music; however, for this concert I chose some of his Consolations, which are among his easier works. From pianist and composer Margaret Bonds, I played "Troubled Water" from her Spiritual Suite.

The hymns provided the text for meditation. 

"The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul." - J.S. Bach

I deliberately chose a mix of old and new music, classical and sacred* to show a continuum in time. If you are a Christian, you know that our faith has roots in the Jewish fathers – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but that it also appears in the lives of so many others in history. Johann Sebastian Bach is included in this line of believers. His creativity, work ethic, and excellence in all that he did, should inspire us today to dedicated and deep work, and his devotion to God should give us pause as we also strive to do everything to the glory of God.

I don’t know if Franz Liszt was a believer, but I do know that after being a showman celebrity at the piano, he withdrew in the latter part of his life and became quite meditative, composing pieces such as his Consolations. My thought here is that as we are comforted in our trials, God brings us to a point of submission to His authority and His will…and it is there that we find peace, which causes us to worship Him as He intended from the beginning. 

Once again, we return to Bach. This last piece is a bit of a marathon. It begins with an exposition of a theme, a dramatic introduction with repeating motives and fast running notes, then it steps back for a page into a meditative Adagio, stretching out long melodic lines that build and release. Finally, we come to the multi-page fugue in which the fugue subject appears 17 times! I have been thinking lately, as I practice the fugue, that it is like the sky that is new every morning – the clouds continually take a different shape; the sunrise appears in widely varying colors. Bach uses the same subject over and over, but in fascinatingly different ways, and as the piece goes on it becomes more complex and riskier and terribly exciting to play!

The way of an artist is mysterious and compelling; it draws us into another realm, causing us to stop and think, to meditate on beauty and soak in it. It can also induce in us an attitude or posture of worship. I think this is intentional. The God who created the world and made the breathtakingly beautiful sunrises is the same God who created Bach and gave him the inspiration for his wonderfully full and complex musical output, and He is the same God who made us to play and sing and create as He so wonderfully does over and over every morning.

The creation and the re-creation is an act of worship.

*Unfortunately, the hymn arrangements are still under copyright, and as such I am not able to share them here.

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Even though my oldest daughter is old enough to drive, I still drive my girls to school every day. We live in a typical suburban neighborhood with increasing density issues, traffic lights, and impatient drivers. But every morning we look up and are drawn to the ever-changing beauty of the sky. Funny I should say that, as we live in Seattle, an area famous for its blankets of clouds and monotonous gray skies. This year, though, seems less gray than normal, and the skies are full of change: soft pastel pinks give way to bright blue skies, billowing brilliant white clouds are accompanied by dazzling sunny skies. My girls and I are continually struck by the variety of skies we see. No two are ever the same.

I have been re-learning the Bach Toccata in C minor lately. It begins with an exposition of a theme, a dramatic introduction with repeating motives and fast running notes, then it steps back for a page into a meditative Adagio, stretching out long melodic lines that build and release. Finally, we are brought to the multi-page fugue in which the fugue subject appears 17 times! Bach’s sky painting. 

That is all I have been thinking of lately, as I practice the fugue: it is like the sky. Bach is using the same subject over and over, but in fascinatingly different ways, and as the piece goes on it becomes more complex and riskier and terribly exciting to play! Of course, this is not the only piece in which Bach develops a theme a million different ways, passing it between voices and weaving it in and out in various ways, even contorting it so that sometimes it ends differently or changes tonality or even shows up in a backwards form. But because I am studying this piece currently, I see the resemblance to the morning skies in every new iteration of the subject. 

The way of an artist is mysterious and compelling; it draws us into another realm, causing us to stop and think, to meditate on beauty and soak in it. It can also induce in us an attitude or posture of worship. I think this is intentional. The God who created the world and made the breathtakingly beautiful sunrises is the same God who created Bach and gave him the inspiration for his wonderfully full and complex musical output, and He is the same God who made us to play and sing and create as He so wonderfully does over and over every morning.

Artistry matters because our creator God is artistic and has made us to reflect His artistry in what we do at our instrument. If we produce shoddy work, it is a poor representation of Him and a weak stewardship of the gifts He has given us to create. If we produce excellent work (I’m not saying perfection is required here), we reflect His excellence; if we produce glorious work, as Bach has done, we reflect His glory. The creation and the re-creation is an act of worship.

More of my thoughts on practicing this Toccata. Come hear it LIVE at my April 3rd concert!

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This is the fourth in a series of posts about the 2024 Adult Piano Retreat at Icicle Creek Music Center in Leavenworth, Washington. 

At this year's Adult Piano Retreat, I gave an optional talk concerning Music as Healing, Worship, and Celebration in the Bible. We are so blessed, as musicians, to have been given the gift of music. Not everyone is fortunate to have spent any number of years in private music lessons, learning the language of music and discovering the riches therein. For those of us who have had that privilege, I believe it to be a gift given by the Creator of music itself, not only for our personal enjoyment, but also for the benefit of others, providing a way of healing, worship, and of celebration.

You may be familiar with King David, one of Israel’s most famous kings, who wrote a majority of the psalms in the Bible. He was one of several sons of a man named Jesse – not the firstborn or the tallest or strongest, but the youngest, whose days were spent tending sheep. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be king in the place of King Saul. The Bible says that David was God’s choice for a king, and not because of his outward appearance, but because of what was in his heart. 

David went from being a shepherd boy to being a king, all the while being a musician and using music to express his joy, sorrow, and worship of God. 

We pick up the story in I Samuel 16:

¹⁴ Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.

¹⁵ Saul’s attendants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. ¹⁶ Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.”

¹⁷ So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.”

¹⁸ One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.”

¹⁹ Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” ²⁰ So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.

²¹ David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. ²² Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.”

²³ Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

At this time, Saul did not know that David was to be his successor; in fact, over the next few years, David would kill the giant Goliath, befriend Saul’s son Jonathan, and go out on military missions for Saul – killing a great number of enemies. Saul became increasingly jealous of David’s conquests and fame, and David continued playing his lyre in attempts to calm his spirit. (I Samuel 18:10; 19:9)

Maybe you have experienced the healing nature of music, too. I have a friend who plays cello both for “entertainment” and as therapeutic healing; she plays for hospice, too. And I remember a time awhile back when an old family friend emailed me and remarked on listening to a recording of my music when her father was dying, and being comforted by it.

Music is this remarkable gift that we have been given – to educate, inspire, and entertain, but also to express those deep emotions that cannot quite be expressed in words. 

This same David, after he became king, danced wildly in the streets after the ark of the covenant returned to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:14-15):

¹⁴ And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. ¹⁵ So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.

His wife, Michal, was deeply embarrassed, and told him so. His response:

²¹ David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord.”

Music can express our exuberant joy and our devoted worship. 

J.S. Bach made notes in his Bible about the spiritual nature of worship. At the conclusion of I Chronicles, he noted, “Splendid proof that…music was instituted by the Spirit of God through David.” And then in response to this passage in 2 Chronicles 5:13 – 

“The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord…Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service…for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God,”

 – he wrote “Where there is devotional music, God is always at hand with His gracious presence.”

Like David, Bach could not help but worship God with his music. Not only did the routinely inscribe his manuscripts with the letters “S.D.G.” (Soli Deo Gloria – “To God alone, the glory”), he would frequently initial his blank manuscript pages with the marking, “J.J.” (Jesu Juva – “Help me, Jesus”), or “I.N.J.” (In Nomine Jesu – “In the name of Jesus”). 

Music as healing, as celebration, as worship…

I find that I am most at ease as a performer when I am conscious of being in the service of music – that my job is to minister to my listeners the beauty and goodness inherent in the music I’m playing. When I instead turn inward, and let my mind drift to questions about what the audience might think about me rather than the music, I quickly spiral down the path of self-consciousness and self-doubt. It is only when I am a conduit, or a servant, of the music itself, aiming to give to my listeners, that I am most at peace.

What about you? How have you experienced music to be healing, or celebratory, or worshipful in your life?

Read more about this week of Piano Camp in Leavenworth here:

What was it like?

Let's Talk About the Music!
Social hour: Keys to a solid performance

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This is the second in a series of posts about the 2024 Adult Piano Retreat at Icicle Creek Music Center in Leavenworth, Washington. 

The students at this year’s Adult Piano Retreat were asked to bring at least three pieces: one piece of music to share with others, one “work in progress,” and one piece in need of additional attention or a new viewpoint. Participants came with a wide variety of works including Chopin waltzes, Brahms Intermezzi, a little Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Bach, some ragtime, and modern pieces by Hania Rani and Nils Frahm. It was a privilege to sit with each student in private lessons and in group masterclasses, sharing their love for music and guiding them to consider how to draw out the composer’s intentions more fully and with greater ease of execution. 

Many of those who came were piano students as children and returned after completing successful careers in other fields. We had several former lawyers and a judge, as well as a retired geophysicist. Quite a few are currently involved in the arts: volunteering at an art museum, serving on the board of a chamber music organization, teaching piano lessons, and playing the piano for cancer patients. What a treat it was to engage with such highly intelligent lovers of music! 

There were two of us teaching lessons and masterclasses, and in my interactions with students, I often found myself focusing on musicality and interpretation. In no particular order, here are a few things we addressed:

• Each time the subject returns, do something different! Does it need more intensity? Less? Different voicing? Slower/faster tempo? More/less rubato? Why is the composer saying the same thing twice, three times? 
• Don’t pounce on the end of phrases – set them down gently. Think of the ebb and flow of language (our voice goes down at the end of the sentence; as we get excited, our tempo and dynamic increase!). 
• When you take time away from a phrase (ritard), give it back in the next (a tempo). 
• If a phrase is indicated by a phrase marking and only lasts a measure or two, it is probably part of a larger idea. This can happen in Brahms and Rachmaninoff. 
• Dynamics indicate the range of volume within a piece. A “pp” in a piece that only ever reaches “mp” is much different than a “pp” in a piece that goes to “ff.”
• In later Romantic works, take advantage of the full dynamic range of the instrument 

We also focused on technical challenges to make the execution of a piece easier:

• When things start to fall apart, isolate your hands and re-teach yourself the fingering and shape of the phrase. AFTER you do this, put your hands together SLOWLY before you try it at tempo again.
• Write in fingering for runs and know exactly where your thumb crosses and hand shifts are.
• Glissandos don’t have to be played with the back of your hand. Try fingers 2 and 3 together “petting” the keys. Stay on top of the keys as much as you can, without “pressing” all the way down.
• Sometimes the repetition of a cluster of notes is too finger-y and you need wrist rotation to help you execute.
• Let trills propel you into the rest of the phrase. They are usually not the destination, so don’t let yourself get “stuck” there! The melodic line should carry through, regardless of the flourishes.

Lastly, we talked about analyzing the music so that we know not only what is happening physically in the piece, but also what is happening at an intellectual level. Our brains tell our bodies what to do at the piano, and the clearer we are in our thinking, the better our hands can execute the appropriate musical task. Accuracy comes from knowing exactly where our fingers need to go. Similarly, musicality happens when we have a clear view of the form of a piece and where it naturally ebbs and flows. We discussed how to identify sections to practice and memorize the music:

• Does the composer change key/tonality (indicated usually by a number of accidentals)?
• Where are the repeats? Those are natural sections.
• Where are the cadences? Where do the phrases end on the “home” chord, or tonic, or first note of the scale? This can be a clue that a section is ending.

Of course, this is merely a brief overview of the many discussions we had about bringing music to life at the piano. It was an immense act of courage for these participants to come and be vulnerable in lessons and on stage, and to offer themselves at the piano for our critique. 

The Adult Piano Retreat was a special moment in time – an approximation of the musical immersion one enjoys as a piano major at a university or conservatory. Specially designed for adults, it is a treat for those who never studied at the collegiate level. I hope all who came were encouraged and emboldened to dive deeper into the music than ever before!

I write regularly about these topics, and more, in my newsletter, At Home with Classical Piano. Subscribe here so you don't miss a thing!

If you are an adult returning to the piano after a pause, or you simply need another “ear” to listen to what you are doing at the piano, I would be happy to give you lessons or coaching. I offer daytime hours, and we can schedule lessons when it is convenient for you. Contact me here and we'll discuss making music together!

Read more about this week of Piano Camp in Leavenworth here:

What was it like?

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

How would you like to go to Piano Camp? What’s that, you ask? I found out for the first time this October, when I drove through the glorious fall-colored mountains of the Cascades to spend a week with two other teachers and twelve adult amateur pianists at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts. 

The week started out with introductions and a time of “sharing” (a.k.a. a private concert) by the teaching faculty – myself, teacher and composer Rachel Matthews, retreat director Lisa Bergman, and guest artist William Chapman Nyaho. This particular concert was dedicated to the memory of a former Piano Retreat student who had recently passed away, and students were given time to reminisce and share memories of her as well as honor her love of music with their own musical sharing at the piano. Afterwards, we enjoyed the first of many delicious catered dinners together, and then had the option of playing duets with a new friend or retiring to our rooms for the night.

Each participant was treated to a private piano lesson each day, daily group masterclasses, faculty-directed social hours (in which we explored topics such as Practicing, Performing, and Movement), access to multiple pianos for practicing, and optional meditation and movement classes. I also offered a talk on music in the Bible used for healing, worship, and celebration, and participants were given the opportunity to “Stump the Chump” as they peppered Rachel and me with all sorts of questions concerning practice and repertoire. There was a showing of a movie about a piano prodigy, and time available for playing duets, hiking, and visiting the organic garden and sculptures at the neighboring Sleeping Lady Resort. We enjoyed many meals together, which were another opportunity to learn about each other’s musical background, life experiences, and challenges at the piano. We shared ideas for repertoire, discussed the various musical groups we are a part of “back home,” and marveled at the natural beauty of our surroundings. 

It was truly a unique experience, a “treat” for all of us to enjoy a week away from the busy-ness and distractions of daily life, and a time to take a deep dive into the many wonderful works written for piano. 

Note: A wonderful resource for practicing can be found on Nyaho’s website under “Resources.” Check out his “Efficient Piano Practice” document. 

Read more about this week of Piano Camp in Leavenworth here:

Let's talk about the music!
Social hour: Keys to a solid performance
Special topic: Music as healing, worship, and celebration in the Bible

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Christmas is coming! With Thanksgiving being early this year, it seems as if we have been in a long season of anticipation, and with it came the annual assault on Christmas. I am not talking about attempts to "cancel Christmas"; instead, I have been chased by the relentless noise of commercialism in the media. It started with our annual tradition of watching Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, which seemed like more of a long commercial break than a showcase of artistic floats and musicians. Then, our family attended "Snowflake Lane," a derivative of NYC's Macy's Parade, with too many fluffy songs about Christmas magic and too few meaningful carols or symbols of the holy-day. We listened to Christmas music curated by Alexa and Spotify, only to hear Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" on repeat, and relentless upbeat, jingle bell-y advertisements for cell phones and music subscriptions for purchase "with no ads." It was enough to turn anyone into a bit of a Scrooge!

And yet, in the midst of the noise, we made time to be culture-shapers in our own home, car, school, and church. We found our much-loved Christmas CDs and channels by artists who have musical integrity and wonderful creativity in bringing the Christmas story to life again. I had the privilege of putting together a condensed version of Bach's Christmas Oratorio (originally six hours long!) for our school's concert, and our girls sang selections from both the Oratorio and Handel's Messiah while images of the nativity painted by Da Vinci, Caravaggio, and Botticelli played in the background. I played a selection of classically arranged Christmas carols in the lobby at our church between services, as well as providing music for the senior citizens' Christmas luncheon. My husband and I chaperoned a school event of 9th and 10th graders, dressed in modest semi-formal attire, to a fancy dinner and a Victorian-era play inspired by Jane Austen. In our own little way, we curated our own Christmas "playlist." I hope that we also spread not only "Christmas cheer," but the beauty and reverence due our Lord Jesus, whom we celebrate at this time of year. 

Christmas Gifts

It may be too late to run out for any last Christmas gifts, but I have been enjoying a daily advent reader this December that provides some meditations on Handel's Messiah (along with an enclosed CD!). The book provides some wonderful insights into the text, as well as beautiful artwork and selections of the score. I highly recommend it: The Handel's Messiah Family Advent Reader.

Another interesting read is The Man Who Invented Christmas, a biography of Charles Dickens. The author makes a case for Dickens being responsible for popularizing some of our well-loved Christmas traditions: decorating the tree, feasting with family and friends, giving generously. Of course there is discussion of how A Christmas Carol came to be, but did you know that for several years Dickens produced Christmas-themed stories in periodicals? One of my girls is reading Great Expectations this year, after having read A Tale of Two Cities last year and A Christmas Carol the year before. Although hers is required reading for school, I have enjoyed revisiting these books and becoming reacquainted with the social commentary Dickens provided through his novels. 

This is My Story. This is My Song.

I'm presenting a new concert in January at my church, this time for the seniors' group (but you are all welcome!). On Thursday, January 11th, from 10:00-11:30am, I will be presenting "This is My Story. This is My Song" at Canyon Hills Community Church in Bothell. This is a program of hymns and classical music by composers such as Mendelssohn, Chopin, and Liszt, accompanied by my personal testimony of God's faithfulness as a Master Gardener who began a good work in me, called on me to "plant" and "water" His gifts well, and continues to grow me up in Him. More than a performance, this is a call to worship the Giver of all good gifts and give glory to the One who is writing your story. If you are free, please come! No tickets or admission are required.

Around the Web

Another gem from pianist-writer Susan Tomes, as she muses on the view from a window. 

A pianist gives perspective on classical music in Kenya.

This content is from Cori's November-December 2023 Newsletter. If you would like to receive her newsletters in your inbox, click to subscribe here.

Happy Fall Y'all!

My October is packed with volleyball games, fall school events, and music! I am enjoying my new piano students, and am looking forward to performing at a private house concert tomorrow and a Hispanic Heritage Concert a week from Saturday. I am sure you are also finding it hard to find much "down time" but I hope you will squeeze some time in to enjoy music, either in person at a concert, or listening on a commute or lunch break. There are several worthwhile links at the bottom of this newsletter that I hope will inspire you in your own creative pursuits!

Hispanic Heritage Concert 10/14

This is music that could only have been written by a "man of Latin America," as he liked to call himself. He does more than utilize folk-melodies; he creates his own brand of "imaginary folklore," definitely influenced by what Kodály and Bartok achieved with their use of Hungarian folk-material. The sounds of the South American plains are part of his color world: the "night" sounds, the Latin dance rhythms--all contribute to Ginastera's personal musical language. The gaucho (the Argentine cowboy) becomes the mythical hero, and we can see and hear him dancing the malambo--a virile dance where one gaucho tries to outdo the other by showing off his difficult dance steps. 

- Barbara Nissman, https://www.barbaranissman.com/remembering-ginastera

Alberto Ginastera is just one of several featured composers in this October's Hispanic Heritage Concert, part of the newly formed Snohomish Concert Series. On October 14th, soprano Elizabeth Galafa Ylaya and classical guitarist Eli Schille-Hudson will join me in presenting the wonderful music of Latin America. Tickets are available now!

How a Piano is Made

I am a sucker for videos that show how a piano is made, and the following tells the story of the Mason & Hamlin pianos. We had one such piano in the practice rooms when I was in college, and it was a wonderful instrument. The craftsmanship that goes into each individual piano is inspiring.

Around the Web

This fascinating hour-long interview discusses the evolution of the piano concerto and highlights a cool new piano concerto by Teddy Abrams.

Check out this list of 50 of the greatest classical pianists on record, complete with listening examples.

The BBC looks into the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's study exploring the desire of audiences to "modernize" classical concerts. Good idea or terrible idea?

A brief look at the world through the eyes of a child...or of any creative artist?!

This content is from Cori's Fall 2023 Newsletter. If you would like to receive her newsletters in your inbox, click to subscribe here.

Happy “New” Year!

As summer draws to a close, those of us with school-age children gear up for a new year. Stores have been anticipating this for the last two months, displaying school supplies just a week or two after school got out for the summer! We, however, didn't "bite" at the first sales, but just now are getting around to preparing for the return to school with its requisite new shoes, new notebooks, and new lunchboxes.

I love fall in the Pacific Northwest, when the morning air begins to have a hint of crispness, the leaves begin to change, and the Starbucks menu showcases autumnal flavors: cinnamon, pumpkin spice!

Although we are not quite there yet (the sky is smoky from neighboring forest fires, the weather is quite warm, and gardens are still producing their summer crops), I am looking forward to the return of school routines, fall sports, and new projects! Below you'll find two of them: a return to piano teaching, and a new concert series. 

This fall, I am offering piano lessons to homeschoolers during the school day!

From September to May, lessons will take place in my home and will consist of both private and group lessons. Private lessons are what you normally think of when you think of piano lessons: one-on-one time with a teacher, working at your own pace, with teaching tailored to your unique needs. Group lessons will occur every five weeks and will provide a small community of piano students who come together to play for each other in a welcoming environment, play music theory games, and study music history with its notable composers in more depth.

For more information, check out the link here.

Save the Date!

This is music that could only have been written by a "man of Latin America," as he liked to call himself. He does more than utilize folk-melodies; he creates his own brand of "imaginary folklore," definitely influenced by what Kodály and Bartok achieved with their use of Hungarian folk-material. The sounds of the South American plains are part of his color world: the "night" sounds, the Latin dance rhythms--all contribute to Ginastera's personal musical language. The gaucho (the Argentine cowboy) becomes the mythical hero, and we can see and hear him dancing the malambo--a virile dance where one gaucho tries to outdo the other by showing off his difficult dance steps. 

- Barbara Nissman, https://www.barbaranissman.com/remembering-ginastera

Alberto Ginastera is just one of several featured composers in this October's Hispanic Heritage Concert, part of the newly formed Snohomish Concert Series. On October 14th, soprano Elizabeth Galafa Ylaya and classical guitarist Eli Schille-Hudson will join me in presenting the wonderful music of Latin America. Tickets are available now!

Around the Web

Free scores of technical exercises for advanced pianists are available on IMSLP, as well as many other classical pieces in the public domain. Find a brief list of these here, including some by Hanon and Czerny.

Another wonderful library can be found on YouTube: check out some practice clinic videos covering a variety of standard teaching repertoire at all levels.

Musings on memorization

Jarrod Richey makes the case for bringing musical literacy back into the church.

This content is from Cori's August 2023 Newsletter. If you would like to receive her newsletters in your inbox, click to subscribe here.

Happy 4th of July!

As we celebrate the birth of our country, it is a great time to reflect on the many freedoms we enjoy because of the sacrifices of so many men and women who came before us. 

During the "pause" of 2020, my friend Seiko Werts helped me to put together a patriotic program for a virtual house concert. Even though we worked in isolation, this remains one of my favorite musical projects because of the wonderful music we got to perform. The whole recital is below, with songs by Copland, Beethoven, Gershwin, and several beloved spirituals. Enjoy!

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
By Katharine Lee Bates (1893)

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thorough fare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.

America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.

O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life.

America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea. 

A Gathering of Friends

We had a wonderful house concert last month - our first since 2019! Soprano Stacey Mastrian and I enjoyed presenting a program of classical and musical theater pieces to an enthusiastic audience. You can hear some of what we did here.

Around the Web

Piano makers are experimenting with a new design for pianos. What do you think?

Some beautiful performances by pianist Valentina Lisitsa: Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 23 Op. 57 in F minor "Appassionata" and Chopin Fantasie Impromptu Op. 66

An engaging interview between conductor Gustavo Dudamel and pianist Yuja Wang about their recent performance of all the Rachmaninoff concertos

Navajo Vocable for Piano No. 9 by Connor Chee, from an album of piano pieces inspired by traditional Navajo music

This content is from Cori's July 2023 Newsletter. If you would like to receive her newsletters in your inbox, click to subscribe here.

Happy May!

April showers bring...May flowers! We are experiencing glorious sunshine and blooming flowers in this beautiful Pacific Northwest spring...and what better way to complement the beauty of God's creation than an offering of music?

My May is full of music! I recently played for one of my daughters at the local Solo and Ensemble festival. It was her first time performing for an adjudicator, and she earned high praise for her performance on trumpet! She will also be performing in front of peers at school this month, and I will accompany her as well as the choirs at their Scottish Highlander-themed arts and music festival. 

This weekend I will dive into Dvorak's Piano Quintet Op. 81 (Enjoy this music via the video below!) as I take part in the Associated Chamber Music Players "Worldwide Play-In" event. ACMP is an international network of amateur chamber music players. It is free for any musician to join, and they host various workshops and "play-ins." A play-in is just like it sounds: a bunch of musicians get together to play music. There is no stage, no audience, no performance pressure - just music and musicians and an opportunity to play! This month's Seattle play-in is full at this time, but if you are interested in playing in a future play-in, or in learning more about what ACMP offers, check out their website! 

Finally, I have some gorgeous music to share with you at our next Indie Musikhaus! Read on for more details on our upcoming concert!

Dvorak's Piano Quintet in A major

Indie Musikhaus Returns: A Gathering of Friends

Let's get together - ya, ya, ya! I am excited to bring back Indie Musikhaus after a three-year break! Soprano Stacey Mastrian and I have put together a program of some of the most beautiful music: Liszt, Puccini, Rachmaninoff, and some lighter selections from musical theater and folk music. You can view the whole program here.

The program draws its theme from the song "Over the Rainbow," from The Wizard of Oz. It is the idea of reflecting on days past (Troubled Water, Shenandoah) and looking ahead to brighter days to come (Come to My Garden, My Favorite Things). Longing and gratitude come together, bound by hope and love. 

Join us for "A Gathering of Friends" as we reflect on where we've been and look forward to what is ahead! The concert will be Saturday, June 17th, at 2pm.  Please RSVP with your name and how many people will be attending so we can save a place for you!

As always, we will send you directions upon receipt of your RSVP. We will take a suggested cash donation of $10-15 at the concert. If you would prefer to Venmo, you may do so ahead of time to Cori-Belle (image is piano keys). We can't wait to see you!

Artist Spotlight: Stacey Mastrian

Dr. Stacey Mastrian, soprano, will be joining me in next month's Indie Musikhaus. She is a delightful person and a wonderfully talented musician. You will love hearing her! In fact, click here to listen to a sample of her work. You may also view her bio and hear more of her music on her website.

Around the Web

The Seattle Chamber Music Society is offering over 30 free concerts this summer! Check out their Concert Truck schedule and their Music in the Parks schedule.

PNW composer Morten Lauridsen is selling some original manuscripts of his compositions here.

The Cross-Eyed pianist and blogger, Frances Wilson, suggests a new term for practicing in short bits: practice snacking.

Thoughts on sightreading at the piano and tips on improving in this area!
 

Trill technique!

Upcoming Events

Saturday, June 17th @ 2pm - "A Gathering of Friends" Indie Musikhaus house concert with soprano Stacey Mastrian and pianist Cori Belle 

This content is from Cori's May 2023 Newsletter. If you would like to receive her newsletters in your inbox, click to subscribe here.

Culture Shapers

Happy Summer! I have been thinking of the many conversations going on these days about identity, history, truth, and morality. There is so much ugliness and division happening in and amongst it all. It has made me think about the role musicians and mothers have as Culture Shapers in little and big ways. 

Mothers have a unique opportunity to shape the home environment so the people around them can flourish. In our home, we aim to glorify God in everything that we do. This is the foundation for our values of faith, family, excellence, truth, discipline, order, and beauty. (I am sure there are others, but these are the ones I can think of right now!) As a mother, I try to instill these values in my children by immersing them in an environment conducive to such things: an orderly home, family dinners, cultivating an appreciation for art and beauty, modeling a walk with God, emphasizing a good work ethic and academic excellence, serving regularly at church, etc. We stock our home with great books, host concerts of great music in our living room, and try to choose quality television and movie entertainment to enjoy. We create a family culture of truth, beauty, and excellence that we enjoy together and share with others. 

Musicians also have the opportunity to shape culture. We can reflect the nastiness of the social order in our art, or we can seek to create things that are beautiful and stretch the imagination toward a higher ideal. Our art is conducive to collaboration and is a wonderful way for us to gather with people who are different from us and create something harmonious and beautiful.

Seeking Truth and Beauty 

I love reading and making lists. Here is a list of some favorite books that explore truth and beauty. 

Piano-Centric 
Beyond the Notes by Susan Tomes 
Speaking the Piano by Susan Tomes 
Piano Notes: The World of the Pianist by Charles Rosen 
The Instrument, the Music, the Musicians - from Mozart to Modern Jazz and Everything in Between by Stuart Isacoff 

Nature 
Mozart's Starling by Lynda Lynn Haupt 
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard 
All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriott 
The Wild Trees by Richard Preston 
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren 

Historical Fiction 
Island of the World by Michael D. O'Brien 

Science Fiction 
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 

Social Issues 
Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher 
Surviving Religion 101 by Michael Kruger 
Why Social Justice is not Biblical Justice by Scott David Allen 
Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier 
What's Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton 
You Who by Rachel Jankovic 
Eve in Exile by Rebekah Merkle

Once the World Was Perfect 

BY JOY HARJO 

Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world. 
Then we took it for granted. 
Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind. 
Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head. 
And once Doubt ruptured the web, 
All manner of demon thoughts 
Jumped through— 
We destroyed the world we had been given 
For inspiration, for life— 
Each stone of jealousy, each stone 
Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light. 
No one was without a stone in his or her hand. 
There we were, 
Right back where we had started. 
We were bumping into each other 
In the dark. 
And now we had no place to live, since we didn't know 
How to live with each other. 
Then one of the stumbling ones took pity on another 
And shared a blanket. 
A spark of kindness made a light. 
The light made an opening in the darkness. 
Everyone worked together to make a ladder. 
A Wind Clan person climbed out first into the next world, 
And then the other clans, the children of those clans, their children, 
And their children, all the way through time— 
To now, into this morning light to you.

Open Rehearsals with SCMS 

Years ago, when I started having babies, the Seattle Chamber Music Society would hold open rehearsals at a school in the north end, relatively close to where I live. Whenever I could, I would sneak out with a [hopefully] sleeping babe or a toddler + mounds of quiet snacks to munch on, and sit in on one. How fun it was to see four or five chamber musicians working through their music in preparation for a concert (they were always incredibly well-prepared) and hear them discuss what they felt needed changing or banter back and forth! 

Thanks to technology, that same "backstage peek" is available online for the next two Mondays, August 2nd and August 9th. Tune in at noon to sit in on one or both of these open rehearsals via this link. The program details are below. 

Monday, August 2 – Noon (PT) 

Robert Schumann 
Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano in G minor, Op. 110 
James Ehnes, violin / Mark Kosower, cello / Orion Weiss, piano 

Monday, August 9 – Noon (PT) 

Florence Price 
String Quartet in G Major 
James Ehnes, violin / Stephen Rose, violin / Beth Guterman Chu, viola / Ronald Thomas, cello

Around the Web 

The Cross-Eyed Pianist suggests six books to own and love. 

A compilation of favorite recordings from the last 10 years of the Carnegie Hall Live At the Keyboard series, including Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Martha Argerich and the introspective Seven Fantasies by Brahms played by Sir Andras Schiff. 

Some tips on how to get past that resistance you inevitably face when you are trying to make headway on a creative project. 

Upcoming Concerts 

Fall 2021   TBA! Stay tuned!

This content is from Cori's Summer 2021 Newsletter. If you would like to receive her newsletters in your inbox, click to subscribe here.

Performing In-Person Again 

Baby steps! I will be performing in-person this month at my kids' school arts' festival! It will be an outdoor setup with various stages and brief "acts," but it's a start! It seems appropriate to contribute to the theme of "hymns" as we give thanks to God for His provision and protection over the last year. I will be playing a few jazz arrangements of hymns, one of which is "A Mighty Fortress is Our God."

Spring Concert: Love and Light

Have you ever attended a concert that was so good that afterwards you thought, "I wish so-and-so could have come with me to hear this"? This is one of those times! 

Our second virtual choral concert was a success! The premiere went "live" recently and I was so proud of my Kirkland Choral Society singers! Such a variety of songs - from acapella to handbell accompaniment to piano duet to...well, you'll just have to view it yourself to enjoy it all! There are some gems in here, including a quartet singing "A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square," an exciting arrangement of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," and a couple of Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes. 

The concert is about 45 minutes long, and before you think, "I don't want to sit in front of a screen watching a stage for that long," let me assure you that you won't be bored! Our interim artistic director, Seiko Werts, did a fantastic job incorporating nature shots and varying the composition of our virtual "stages." I think you are in for a treat! 

You can watch the concert any time from now through the end of May. Purchase your ticket here.

Around the Web 

"Stay in shape! Sometimes a musician waits for a gig & when it comes he's out of shape and can't make it." This, and more advice from legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. 

Watch a piano trio play some fun Variations by Nikolai  (see below)

Upcoming Concerts 

Spring 2021    KCS virtual choir concert. Available now through the end of May.

This content is from Cori's May 2021 Newsletter. If you would like to receive her newsletters in your inbox, click to subscribe here.

Solitary Reflections

The choir that I am a part of is working on another virtual concert project for spring. This involves a great deal of solitary work: practicing, viewing rehearsal videos, and recording oneself singing or playing alone. It is a tremendous task that requires courage, stamina, and dedication. It is not unlike the rest of our mid-COVID lives. We are more isolated than usual, and the mental load of doing things differently over a long period of time is draining. I am proud that so many of our choir members have taken on the challenge in this unusual season. 

Both the process and the product of our art during this time reflect our current lives. Though our finished project will be a concert of us singing "together," we are in actuality not together at all, but only meeting virtually over zoom and recording alone. Our art is an imitation of what we would prefer to be doing: singing together, in the same room, breathing as one. 

It's just not the same! As a collaborative pianist, the bulk of my music-making has been in the company of others. Even my solitary practice of solo works has this end in mind: sharing the music with others. Life is not meant to be lived alone. We are created to live in community with others, and when we are isolated, it is like there is a piece (or five!) of the jigsaw puzzle missing. 

I hope that you are finding ways to connect with others in person. As the sun starts to show its face again in the Northwest, we naturally find our way out of our homes. Restaurants are open again, and we have the opportunity to meet others for walks, coffees, and lunch dates. I hope that soon we will also be making music together! I am working toward that end, getting back in earnest to the piano to prepare music to share with you.  

Artist Spotlight: Angela Hewitt 

Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt is well known for her Bach interpretations. I also learned recently that she has made her own arrangements of some of Bach's works! If you are on Facebook, she is good about communicating what she is working on, often with videos of her playing in her London apartment. You might want to check out her page.  

Our local Meany Center for the Performing Arts has been streaming free performances of many fabulous artists this season. Angela Hewitt will grace their online stage in March, and it would be well worth your time to listen in! The free concert can be viewed March 5th through March 12th and no registration is required. Just click on and save this link!

Around the Web 

Pianist and writer Susan Tomes considers how musicians might navigate post-COVID performances. 

Are our digital interactions remaking us? This provocative article comes from Foley Music and Arts. 

Flashback to two years ago: Kirkland Choral Society, Lake Washington High School Choir, and I perform Eric Whitacre's lovely winter song, "Glow."  

Upcoming Concerts 

Spring 2021    KCS virtual choir concert. Date TBA.

This content is from Cori's February 2021 Newsletter. If you would like to receive her newsletters in your inbox, click to subscribe here.

A Moment in Time

What strange times we are living in! This “pause” has been, for some, a time for reflection and new projects. For me, it has been more of a shift in how I spend my time. Music has taken a backseat to the more pressing duties of motherhood, which for the past two months have included homeschooling, counseling and entertaining children, and general upkeep of home and family. We’ve acquired a basketball hoop, a drone, and a new bike! We’ve resurrected two old laptops for online schooling. We’ve planted a garden, ripped up our soggy lawn, completed two 1,000-piece-puzzles, and cleaned out all the closets. My girls sleep in newly rearranged rooms. Family bike rides are a new “thing” and our baking adventures have taken us into new territory: pretzel bites, Dole Whip, churros, and faux Dippin’ Dots. But I miss music! 

I read an article this morning that explained this weird time for musicians better than any I have seen up to now. It explained the need of professional musicians for an audience. The muse, the motivation to practice and refine, the creative energy...all these things require an audience, or at least the anticipation of a future audience, to gain momentum. This is true for me at least. In the absence of regular meetings with musician friends to rehearse or talk music, and without a calendar with upcoming performance dates, my music has slipped aside. 

I can hear you already - Cori! We want to hear you play! Yes, and I will... It will come back. Live music-making will come back, because there is that impulse in us that must make music for others. But right now it all feels a little strange. Like zoom fatigue. Have you been there? That feeling that meeting virtually is just not enough. Perhaps it is better than nothing, but really it is not a good substitute for the very real social nature of humans. We need to physically be with each other, sharing the same breathing room, giving and receiving that unseen creative energy. We are not virtual beings; we are made of both body and spirit, and the expression of our creativity is both material and spiritual. This is how it is, how our Creator God made us, and I have hope that since He made us that way, He will restore that very physical expression of music in person again. Until then, I may remain partially silent, but the music will come! 

Bothell meets Hiroshima 

I am so proud of my friend, Seiko Werts, who created this wonderful video compilation with her husband, Doug, and her friend Shoko Nagai along with her husband. I hope you are inspired by their beautiful music and photography!

If Ye Love Me 

If you are keeping track, you know that I haven't written a newsletter since February, at which time I was promoting Kirkland Choral Society's "Love" concerts. Here is a piece I learned first at KCS, which was recently recorded by a friend who works as musical director at Seattle's First Church. Some members from KCS joined choir members from First Church to make up this virtual choir!

Around the Web 

Here is the article that gave me pause: Finding Inspiration in Isolation. Art needs an audience. 

One of my favorite pianists, Lara Downes, reflects on these strange times and considers the "why" behind her music-making. 

Musicians from Seattle's annual Chamber Music Festival perform Dvorak's Gavotte for Three Violins. 

Upcoming Concerts 

TBA!

This content is from Cori's May 2020 Newsletter. If you would like to receive Cori's monthly newsletters in your inbox, please subscribe here.

O Love 

On the heels of Valentine's Day, I am preparing for a set of two "love" concerts with Kirkland Choral Society. On Saturday and Sunday, February 22-23, we will give performances of songs celebrating love and community (accompanied by wine and chocolate at each intermission!). Although the main spirit of the program is love for our fellow man, the song that touches me the most gives witness to the deep, abiding love offered us by God through Jesus: "O Love." 

The text of "O Love" was written by Scottish preacher George Matheson (1842-1906) on the evening of his sister's wedding. It is believed that he wrote it in response to his sorrow at being rejected by the woman he had planned to marry. He took solace in the love found in His Savior, that love that "wilt not let me go." He had this to say about the poem: 

The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the impression of having it dictated to me by some inward voice rather than of working it out myself. I am quite sure that the whole work was completed in five minutes, and equally sure that it never received at my hands any retouching or correction. 

I have no natural gift of rhythm. All the other verses I have ever written are manufactured articles; this came like a dayspring from on high.” 

More on Matheson can be found here. There have been several settings of his hymn and we will present a most beautiful one written by Elaine Hagenberg. View it below, and then come hear it live at Bastyr this weekend!

O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be. 

O Light that follow'st all my way, I yield my flick'ring torch to thee; my heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine's blaze its day may brighter, fairer be. 

O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee; I trace the rainbow thro' the rain, and feel the promise is not vain that morn shall tearless be. 

O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee; I lay in dust life's glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms red, life that shall endless be. 

How Lovely 

At the risk of too much sentimentality, here is one of my all-time favorite pieces, "How Lovely are Thy Dwellings" from Johannes Brahms' Requiem. It seems a fitting companion to "O Love," as it was also written at the time of sorrow, and yet is filled with hope: 

How lovely are thy dwelling places, O Lord of Hosts! 
My soul requires and yearns for 
the courts of the Lord; 
My body and soul rejoice 
in the living God. 

How lovely are thy dwelling places, O Lord of Hosts! 
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house; 
they praise you forever. 
How lovely are thy dwelling places!

Around the Web 

Looking for The One: tips for buying a grand piano by Frances Wilson 

More music to make you swoon: Rachmaninov's Prelude in B-Minor, Op.32 No.10 performed by pianist Yuja Wang 

Why Musicians Should Embrace Their Vulnerability 

Upcoming Concerts 

February 22-23 - Kirkland Choral Society "True Colors" concerts, Bastyr U 
April 2 - LMC Public Concert Series, Seattle Art Museum 12pm 
April 18 - Kirkland Choral Society "Beethoven's 50th," Benaroya Hall 
May 13 - LMC Public Concert Series, Seattle Public Library, 12pm

This content is from Cori's February 2020 Newsletter. If you would like to receive Cori's monthly newsletters in your inbox, please subscribe here.

I am reworking a Bach Toccata I learned a few years back in preparation for my concert with Molly Tomlinson for the October 11th Ladies Musical Club concert. "Toccata" literally means "touched" and refers to the virtuosic nature of the music's fingerwork. Originally conceived for early keyboard instruments such as clavichord, harpsichord, and organ, the toccata is not necessarily a "piano" piece. However, I believe that if Bach were to live in our time, he would use the piano to its fullest extent, most certainly employing it in the performance of his toccatas.  

This particular toccata in C minor (BWV 911) carries the potential of all sorts of tone colors using the piano. Parts of it remind me of a harpsichord, while other parts seem distinctly written for organ as Bach layers sound upon sound on top of a pedal tone. I love the contrasts of fast fingerwork and rich chordal harmonies. Because Bach did so much writing for the church service, I wonder whether this particular work was used during the liturgy. In fact, toccatas that predated Bach were used during the Roman Catholic liturgy as a way to set the pitch for the choir! In the 16th-18th centuries the toccata was also often mentioned as "a piece that test[ed] the tuning, touch, and expressive possibilities of the instrument while the performer [warmed up] his fingers" (from Abigail Mace's dissertation, noted below) - I love this! So often as a pianist, I come to a new instrument on stage and have to familiarize myself with it quickly, sometimes without having rehearsed on it at all before the performance. What a great idea to have a "warm-up" piece to get used to the piano as the audience listens in!  

Of course, Bach's toccatas may not have served either of these functions. They came later on - really, his compositions were the "peak" of the form - and because of their extended length and the use of a wide variety of material, were probably meant primarily to be used as teaching pieces. 

In any case, having this knowledge of the toccata form that predated Bach's works feeds my imagination and I happily go back to the keyboard ready to imitate the harpsichord and organ sounds in my head even more fully, and to expand on the showmanship of the technical feats embedded in the work. I hope you will come listen to my interpretation at the LMC concert in October! In the meantime, here is a wonderful take on it by Martha Argerich.

*Here is the link to the wonderful dissertation by Abigail Mace on "Style and Interpretation in the Seven Keyboard Toccatas of J.S. Bach" (click on the .pdf file listed in the left column after you reach the site).

Note: This post first appeared in "September News from Cori Belle," a monthly newsletter that goes out to all my subscribers filled with upcoming events, piano news, and links to great articles about all things piano! If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, please go to my Contact page and sign up!

Recently I attended a wonderful masterclass at the University of Washington given by British pianist Imogen Cooper. Two graduate students played Beethoven sonatas on a Steinway concert grand in a nice performance hall. I took notes as Ms. Cooper spoke with the musicians afterwards: 

She started out by asking what other Beethoven sonatas the pianists had studied and then, “Have you taken [this sonata] up and dropped it?” Meaning, after you first learned the piece, did you walk away for a period of time before revisiting it? She commented that this is the best way to learn a piece. 

Treat soft sections like a whisper. No “soft” hands! When you whisper, you are very articulate and strive to be clear in your articulation. At the piano, when you play softly, you must still play “to the bottom of the key.” 

Notes on Beethoven Sonata Op. 101 (first movement) 

Start playing as if the piece had already been going on when you walked in the room. Melt into the first phrase. Think long bow strings. Keep the tension, draw us along with you. (Interestingly, this helped the pianist bring out the melody.) 

The subito pianos should be obvious. 

Be careful not to do a ritard where Beethoven didn’t write one. You can indicate a transition through color rather than tempo. When Beethoven writes ritard, he means “right now!” However, a ritard over five measures must be paced – don’t lose momentum. 

Show syncopation (hemiolas) with your body. Push into the tie. 

Coming out of a crescendo, decay at a similar rate. Compensate for the reverberation in the room. When there is a diminuendo marked, don’t decay too quickly. 

Notes on Beethoven Sonata Op. 110 

Arioso: Strive for a balance of sound 

The left hand establishes the harmony; it has to be less on a big Steinway in a large hall so it doesn’t overwhelm the top. It is there to provide a harmonic foundation. 

Left hand chords: always be aware of the leading voice. The left hand is never loud – just pick out the necessary voice. 

The fugue comes out of the preceding notes – it is not a new start. 

Focus your sound to the end of the hall. Not loud, but resonant. 

I found it fascinating to watch such a professional pianist, who is also a good communicator and teacher, work with students. Ms. Cooper spoke often of the “balance of sound,” referring not only to the balance between hands, but the balance of voices within a chord. Something in me clicked when she spoke about this. Over the past year I have asked myself often what it is that distinguishes a true artist, a professional pianist, from an amateur. When Ms. Cooper spoke about “balance of sound,” I began to think that perhaps this is a major factor. She sat down to demonstrate a passage following one of the students’ playing, and it was like magic when she touched the keys. The color of the sound was completely different from that of the students: tender, confident, full of musical integrity. This is not to say that the students were lacking in these qualities – they were well-prepared, poised, and played expressively. But there was something about Ms. Cooper’s playing that set her apart – something I want to explore in my own playing, this idea of balancing the voices, which includes an attentive, critical ear and the willingness to take the time to practice slowly and intentionally.

My debut classical CD, Commonplace Beauty, is now available for purchase through my website! It has been a work of love for the better part of this year, and I want to give you a glimpse of the thinking behind the album. 

FEELS LIKE COMING HOME 

In many ways this album is about coming home. I chose the name, Commonplace Beauty, from something that Charles Ives, an American composer, wrote about his Concord Sonata, and the Alcotts movement in particular. The sonata is a four-movement piece, where each movement highlights a different philosopher from the 19th century transcendental movement in America: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Bronson Alcott, and Henry David Thoreau. “The Alcotts” refers to Bronson Alcott and his daughter Louisa May, the writer, and the family they formed together with Bronson’s wife and his other three daughters who lived in the Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts. 

Ives talks about the “commonplace beauty” that was Alcott’s home and life, which was intertwined with a strong faith, an appreciation for art and beauty and eloquence of speech, as well as beauty found in nature. All of these things combined to make “home” for his family. I’ve always been drawn to that, particularly as I grew up reading Louisa May Alcott’s novels, starting with Little Women. When the movie came out in 1994, the Orchard House was exactly as I’d pictured: that sense of belonging, creativity and laughter, tears and an undergirding faith in God through it all. It embodied what I felt was the spirit of Louisa May Alcott’s writing. Charles Ives wrote this music celebrating this family and their life together. It resonates with me, as I also come from a family that is undergirded with a strong faith in God and of course, as a pianist, having an appreciation for art, music, and writing. In a way, playing this piece is like showing you what home feels like for me. 

CHOOSING THE PIECES ON THE ALBUM 

In thinking about the other pieces in this album, I chose pieces that I performed at different stages in my life that have special meaning to me, all driving “home” that idea of home! I grew up listening to my dad play Chopin and Rachmaninoff as I was going to sleep at night so there is a strong sense of nostalgia whenever I hear pieces written by those composers. I also play some Bernstein and Ives which may seem a little out of place among these other romantic composers, but who feel very at home to me. They are Americans; I am an American. That sense of nostalgia and the tradition of folk music, although not as common as it once was, is still part of our nation’s history and I feel like there’s a very distinct American sound brought to the forefront by Aaron Copland whose echo I hear in these pieces. These Bernstein, Ives and Ginastera pieces were all performed in my home at different house concerts over the last five years. It’s another part of home. 

When we started having kids, I quit my job as a teacher so I could stay home with them. I’m very fortunate to have a husband who is able to provide for us and who encourages me in my music. At the time I had my first child, the choir that I had been a part of for a considerable amount of time was disintegrating under a series of changes in leadership. We had been a 100-voice choir singing all kinds of repertoire touring the US and performing in different concert halls. The choir dwindled to a handful of people and kind of died, leaving a big musical void in my life. Of course, the choice to stay home, if you’ve had that same experience – you go from working full time and having a great community of colleagues – also leaves a bit of a hole in your social life. I was looking for an outlet musically and socially so I started playing with the idea of actually hosting these house concerts that I had been dreaming of. Our first one was about 5-6 years ago and we’ve been doing them about once a quarter since then. We have had all kinds of people in our home, and it’s been a wonderful opportunity for me to perform again and to be with my musician friends, as well as an excuse to bring in new musical friends and introduce our children to great music. 

MIXING GENRES 

One of the things I like to do in house concerts is to mix genres. I really like the juxtaposition of classical music with jazz, seeing how composers treat the same thematic material in different ways. I love to bring in different musicians and see how much we can learn from each other. That is part of the spirit of this album, bringing together seemingly disparate composers and trying to show musically how they can all fit together. 

The album opens with a Rachmaninoff Prelude and the Chopin Fantaisie-Impromptu, both of which are virtuosic and show off a fast finger technique, complimenting each other well. The B-flat Minor Nocturne follows the Fantaisie, being by the same composer, and having a similar spirit. But what do they have to do with some of these other pieces? Rachmaninoff and Chopin were contemporaries of Schumann. But why put them all on the same record as Ginastera, Ives, and Bernstein? I think the connecting thread for me is not only the personal one, having performed these pieces in and out of my home, but also that these composers had a strong sense of their own country and home. Maybe you can hear some of that in their work. In Ginastera’s dances, listen for some of the melodies and rhythms of his homeland. Chopin was known for his nationalistic way of composing. They all had a strong sense of identity with their country, so I think in that way they fit. 

There are a lot of short pieces on this album: the Schumann and Ginastera dances, the Bernstein Anniversaries… The Rachmaninoff is also a set of short “pieces” – musical ideas that are strung together to make a beautiful cohesive work. That is another common thread – these pieces of ideas and melodies that when put together make a beautiful whole. I think about that, even with the Fantaisie-Impromptu that has two very distinct ideas (fast furious fingerwork at the beginning and end, bookending a beautiful soaring melody). Chopin intentionally put these two parts together and they fit. All these things come together under the umbrella of Commonplace Beauty 

COMMONPLACE BEAUTY 

Sometimes we think of beauty as something elusive, something we admire and are striving for but can’t completely attain. I like the idea of this word “commonplace.” Beauty may seem high reaching, and yet we can find beauty anywhere. It’s a little bit magical that at the time I began recording this album it was fall. In the Pacific Northwest, this is the most gorgeous time of the year, with the red, orange, and yellow leaves exploding in color against the dark gray skies. It is something that happens every fall for about a month or two, and although we know it is coming, it somehow surprises and delights us each time it arrives. I think this is the idea behind a “commonplace beauty”: finding beauty in the everyday things. Music for me is a daily thing, but I don’t want the daily-ness of the practice to subtract from the beauty that is in it. Living together daily as a family, in a home, comes with a lot of “daily-ness” and even drudgery at times, but when undergirded with a spiritual foundation of faith in God, and a commitment to love, it can bring something beautiful to life. 

That is my hope with this album - that I am able to impart some of this beauty to you and your home, and that it will touch you in some way and leave you feeling as if you have encountered something beautiful. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it!

Have you ever wondered what goes on inside the mind of a performer during a concert? When I am in the audience, I am usually so engrossed in the music that I don't think about that until afterward. However, when I am the one performing, it is hard to shut out the self-conscious voice and concentrate solely on the music!

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to play the first movement of Bach's Italian Concerto as part of Master Chorus Eastside's Masterworks concert. The conductor, Dr. Linda Gingrich, had approached me about a month before and asked me to consider this piece, and as I had performed it in college, I eagerly agreed.

I hadn't touched the piece in years, but was pleasantly surprised by how quickly it came back into my fingers. In some ways it "fit" better than when I was in college. I think this is because of my recent study of Bach's Toccata in C minor and the Bach-Busoni Chaconne. Not only did it feel better in my hands, but my understanding of, and appreciation for, Bach's lyricism and wit has been growing as I have worked on these pieces, contributing to my interpretation of the concerto movement. What fun it was to approach cadences with an attitude of, "Hear that? Guess what technical wizardry comes next?!" I like to imagine Bach as a bit of an improvisatory show-off, playing the concerto in a friend's living room during a party with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Just listen to the long right-hand trills in the second half of the piece - don't they sound like a long-winded soprano?

As I practiced the concerto movement in preparation for the concert, I tried to figure out what I wanted to "say" with it. Bach has never been my first choice of repertoire, as I much prefer the romanticism of Chopin and Rachmaninoff, but he's been growing on me. I came up with bits of dialogue throughout - like the bit about the long-winded soprano. As well, I began to wonder if I could really play it from memory again. I have always hated memorizing my pieces. Being a great sightreader has its advantages, but not when it comes to the laborious task of memorizing. But, as it remains the norm on the concert stage to play pieces from memory, I decided to take on the challenge. The dialogue bits I had come up with helped a little, but I also made sure I had harmonic "hooks" so that at cadences I knew what key I was in. I also did quite a bit of thinking the piece away from the piano. This was a tremendous help, something I had learned from my professor in college. When at the piano I tried "ghosting" where I would play the right hand and think the left hand part, and vice versa. With all these strategies, I got to the place where I felt my memorization was secure. The missing link was what would happen to it when performance nerves took over?

I'll skip to the punch line - the performance went well with nary a memory slip. But what was I thinking as I played? In the past, I might have said I heard the audience rustling their programs, or the coughs of the people in the next row, or I might have been thinking about the food I would eat after the concert. (In fact, I think the promise of leftover birthday cake in the fridge was a fleeting thought!) But this time I really did try to concentrate on communicating what was in the music. I still had the "Will I get through this without a memory slip?" thought and the "Oh no, My dad is in the audience - what will he think of this?" thought, but mostly I thought about Bach's inscription on many of his works: (translated) "For the glory of God." That is the purpose for which he wrote his music, and as a Christian and a musician I wanted to communicate that as I played. So to the best of my ability, I played "to the glory of God" with all the humor and wit I could summon from what I imagine might have been going through the mind of Bach as he played it for the very first time.

Click here to listen to the Bach!
 

It's been awhile since I have posted anything to this blog.  My apologies!  The last year has been incredibly busy with a move to a new house and the addition of our third child.  We are finally settling in to life as a family of five, and even get to sleep through the night sometimes!  In the midst of all the life changes, I found a little time to practice and dream, and Indie Musikhaus was born.

As it stands today, Indie Musikhaus is a series of once-a-quarter private concerts held in my living room.  The first was held a couple of weeks ago.  My dad and I played classical piano and fourteen of my friends graciously gathered to listen to us play.  We had a blast!  The programme was made up of "my" Bach Toccata in C minor, Liszt's Liebestraum No. 3, Anton Dvorak's Slavic Dances Nos. 4 and 2 for four hands, and "The Alcotts" from Charles Ives' Concord Sonata.  We had munchies before, during, and after; great conversation; and a fun time enjoying music! 

My hope is for Indie Musikhaus to become a network of house concerts for musicians in the greater Seattle area with opportunities not only to perform, but also to network with other musicians and patrons, to create new music, and to encourage each other in our art.  You are welcome to read a little more about it here!

Below, feel free to click on the link to download the .mp3 of me playing Liszt's Liebestraum Notturno No. 3 at the last house concert.  Be forewarned - this is raw, unedited material, played on what my mom calls my "honky tonk" piano! 

Until next time...

I just booked two tickets to see Murray Perahia at the University of Washington's Meany Hall in October!  I am so excited to see this piano "great" after having listened to his recordings for many years.  My dad, fellow pianist and classical music enthusiast, will be joining me.  Unfortunately for us, we will be sitting near the back; however, the recital hall has an intimate feel and will be featuring a close-up look at all the pianists in the series via a screen mounted above the stage!  A couple other pianists I hope to see this year:

Simone Dinnerstein, busy wife and mom who also manages an active performing career!  In addition to recording with Sony and touring, she has launched a concert series at her son's school that features classical musicians and raises funds for the PTA.  But I digress.  According to her website, "The New York-based pianist gained an international following because of the remarkable success of her recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, which she raised the funds to record. Released in 2007 on Telarc, it ranked No. 1 on the US Billboard Classical Chart in its first week of sales and was named to many "Best of 2007" lists including those of The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The New Yorker."  She will be performing at the UW in January.  (Don't miss her website, which highlights her many accomplishments and offers free downloads of some of her music!)

Lara Downes is another woman I would like to see this fall.  She performs a lot of American music and comes up with really innovative programs.  I love her "think out of the classical music box" mentality and the vibrance she is bringing to the classical music world.  She will be performing at the UW in December.  Her website also offers free downloads of her music!