I just got a call from the dance department that they do not need me this morning for class. This is a reprieve for sure. Yay! I was just skipping blogging and forcing myself to have something to eat to fortify me for the walk in the cold.
On Wednesday I decided to learn two pieces from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book to play a week from Sunday.
I have owned this two volume Dover collection since the late sixties. I purchased it when I was building my goofy Zuckerman harpsichord (which is now NOT in working condition as it lays around in parts in my dining room awaiting installation of new jacks…. ay yi yi. I miss it.)
We are singing a little Tallis anthem that Sunday. There are actually pieces by him in this collection. But they are long and maybe not as interesting as the two I landed on.
I love William Byrd’s music and his keyboard stuff is no exception. This is a charming little Fantasia which will make a nice prelude.
And then I thought the title of this one was funny so I’m scheduling it as the postlude. The composer is probably Father Tregian who was thought to have a hand in assembling the collection itself.
The Byrd sounds very cool on piano. I’m able to bring out certain voices. But at this point I’m still thinking I will perform it on organ.
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Thai Court Gives 10-Year Sentence for Insult to King – NYTimes.com
Cultural bias notwithstanding I think that getting prison for insulting someone is crazy.
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Former Chinese Leader Steps Back, Fueling Speculation – NYTimes.com
I checked out Mao: A Life by Philip Short from the library yesterday.
It’s a daunting tome but I’m curious about the history of the Communist party in China. I have already read over three hundred pages in Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday.
My son-in-law and daughter Elizabeth (who are living in China right now) both said that the latter is suspect for some reason. It is highly footnoted but I have found that it’s reputation is that it’s strongly biased. So I checked out the one by Short. I think it would be a good candidate to read on the Kindle if it weren’t for the awkwardness of the footnote procedure which goes by page and not footnote. Kindle’s can do pretty good with a numbered footnote, linking the reader back and forth. But so far I haven’t figured out to how to use footnotes that are at the back of the book by page. I guess I could bookmark it and go back and forth that way, but I don’t always consult footnotes in books not about music or liturgy. Anyway I’m trying to pay more attention to the leadership questions in China.
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Gao Zhisheng, Chinese Dissident, Seen by Family – NYTimes.com
I’m also interested in political repression in China. My daughter Elizabeth just got a job with Greenpeace China. She is excited.
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How to Get High-Speed Internet to All Americans – NYTimes.com
When I read how expensive and bad our internet is in the USA it makes me crazy.