Just Listening...

October 21, 2006 at 3:15 AM

I'm having an absolutely delightful evening of music. I decided that more than anything else tonight, it would be beneficial to listen to ALL the music that I have to play this month in orchestra. It takes so much concentration and focus to listen through a whole Mahler symphony, even if it is my favourite...with my part and the orchestral score. I even studied this one hardcore for a graduate class....

And my husband is really into Mozart right now, so he is cateloguing all his mozart recordings and I'm listening to some of that with him...incedentally, Mozart and Mahler is the big concert. And then the one that is this weekend, which is a splash of this and that and Wagner.

Mahler made my mouth positively water. I find myself dubious...how did we ever play that a few years ago! How???!!! How is it going to go this time?? Looking at the score puts a very complex spin on everything I think about following. Genius.

And then Mozart. His divertimenti are superb. I then start to drift to thoughts of composition.

I raelly would like to take private composition lessons from Dr. Linton at MTSU, I very much admire his sense of h umour, his own writing, and his way with students. He was one of my favourite professors for years. I can't very well afford private lessons in composition, though. But I can wish....I have boxes and boxes of unlooked at compositions, just screaming for help. My string quartets, especially, have been getting less and less creative, and almost following a formula of composition based on simple 4 part choral writing. Yes, they are begging for example...

Anyway. I didn't practice today. I really wanted to emerse myself in music that I"m working on and music I'm not working on. Breathe fresh life into my worries and stressing about all these dates on my calendar.

One of my cats is having surgery on her mouth. So I am going to be playing to pay THAT bill. Man, can never get ahead. But it is SO WORTH IT!!

My mom is a weaver, and a vendor in an Americana Folk festival tomorrow. She gave me and my husband free tickets to get in. It will be cold, but it has been so long since I've been to something like that.

Sals,
JW

From Elizabeth Smith
Posted on October 21, 2006 at 11:54 AM

Maybe your professor would be willing to accept some kind of barter or work-in-kind in exchange for lessons. For example, house-sitting or pet-sitting when he's away, or gardening help (if you do that kind of thing).

From jennifer steinfeldt warren
Posted on October 22, 2006 at 2:55 AM

Maybe help grading theory class papers...He he. I'll see if the guts measure up to the desire to ask sometime before Christmas :).
JW

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Just Listening...

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