Cellist by Joseph R. DeCamp (American, 1858-1923)
On my music stand:
Bach Suite II in D Minor
Prelude
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Minuet I
Minuet II
Gigue
The Cellist by French photographer Robert Doisneau (1912-1944)
The Seattle Symphony has a new 23 year old principal cellist, a rock star on the cello, if you will. He practices yoga and has a blog!
Bach takes you to a very quiet place within yourself, to the inner core, a place where you are calm and at peace.~Yo-Yo Ma
How I relish a quiet afternoon and the chance to dig into some solo Bach. As my children grow older, it becomes easier to steal away to practice. A certain 18 year old son, who plays the bass guitar in a most beautiful and mellow fashion, just called from work to arrange a date for tonight. He is teaching me how to improvise. Aren't double entendres grand? Call yo mama!
12 comments:
As much as I love Bach, give me a slow Irish Air any day. It washes over you and if you are not careful you'll find yourself swaying around the room. A favorite is Crested Hens performed by Innisheer.
Are you two starting a Jazz duet?
I prefer Chopin and Rachmaninoff, but he is very good!
I love the cello, and love unexpected dates with family members. Improvising is great fun indeed!
Oooh, cool and hip young new cellist!
Did you read about the time Yo Yo Ma left his cello in the back of a NYC taxicab? He got it back, too.
Ahh, music provides a wonderful opportunity for families to spend time together.
It wasn't Bach, but I relaxed in the new spa tub to the sounds of opera welling up in the dark and otherwise silent room.... also discovered that the #2 slot is the intercom/radio for the master bath. What a treat for tired muscles and overwhelmed mind! Now, play the cello and send it over the airwaves to Virginia, please.
Bach was my hero, even if I couldn't master his compositions during my years of piano. Alas, I have the gift of listening, but not the gift of playing.
Thank you for such a beautiful post and pictures, and for reminding me to take time to wash the grime of the world off by taking a moment to listen to beauty. I needed that.
How I would love to see you on your cello and your son on his bass guitar. Does everyone in your family play an instrument?
My nephew has an audition coming up for a chance to become a student at the Berklee School of Music in Boston (he plays percussion). I believe improvisation is something he needs to be able to do for the judges. Keep your fingers crossed for him. Hea, he even went to East Lansing once to hear the Spartan marching band. THAT'S dedication.
Hmmmm....a 23 year old brilliant cellist.
Reminds me of someone. Would that be a young Bonnie, Bernadette, or Babette? I can't decide.
Rachel would love to improvise on the violin. I, on the other hand....am scared and thrilled by the thought of it. I think I'd need a beer to be any good at it.
Down a beer for me and get all groovy.
-Raehan
I longed to play the cello, but once I got started on the violin, my orchestra teacher wouldn't let me. Boo-hoo! I did play it whenever I could get my hands on one though.
I'd love to be able to listen in on your playing!
Thank you for your comments. They made me smile. I always told myself that I would pick up the cello when I get enough money, seeing as how I can already play the viola. My orchestra teacher only listed off two options when we picked our instruments. Cello or violin. I took the one she forgot to list. The viola. It's my soul. I named her Franchesca.
I am always playing around on my viola. I played Prelude by Bach in seventh grade-to tempo, and brilliantly. I believe I got a Division I rating, and could have gone to state. There's something about Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart that brings tears to my eyes.
Could be that I gave my son the middle name Amadeus. And the next son I have, his middle name I hope to be Sebastian.
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