Elegy for the Victims of the Tsunami of March 11, 2011 in Japan

Wow. Nobuyuki Tsujii was born blind due to microphthalmia but with a great talent for music. He is now 29.  Although he can read Braille musical scores, he learns most pieces by listening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqoV4ZW7xTA

Music for Reading

Although I could find this by going to YouTube, I'm placing it here for easy access. The numbers following the description are times on the recording, so if I want to find Clair de Lune, for example, I can go to 40:23 by moving the timer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc7UzQB8gtI

01 Chopin - Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in E-Flat Major

02 Schubert - Serenade "Leise Flehen Meine Lieder" 4:40

03 Chopin - Piano Prelude No. 15 "Raindrop" 9:12

04 Beethoven - Piano Sonata Op. 13 (II: Adagio) 14:47

05 Chopin - Waltz Op. 69 No. 1 in A Flat major 19:57 06 Bach - Violin concerto in E Major (II: Adagio) 24:47

07 Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 21 31:46

08 Chopin - Prelude, Op. 28 No. 17 in A major 37:25

09 Debussy - Clair de Lune 40:23

10 Schubert - Moment Musical Op. 94 D.780 N. 1 in C Major 42:56

11 Liszt - Liebesträume (Love Dream) in A-Flat Major 45:58

12 Chopin - Prelude, Op. 28 No. 6 in B minor 50:26

13 Bach - Solo Cello Suite No 6: Prelude 52:32

14 Chopin - Nocturne Op. 15 No. 2 57:09

15 Bach - Suite for Orchestra No. 3 "Air on the G String" 1:00:32

16 Chopin - Nocturne, Op. 27 No. 2 in D Flat major 1:05:01

17 Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (II: Andante) 1:09:36

18 Chopin - Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1 in B Flat minor 1:14:39

19 Beethoven - Fur Elise 1:20:04

20 Schumann - Kinderszenen Op. 15 (I: Von fremden Laendern und Menschen) 1:22:42

21 Beethoven - "Moonlight" Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 (I: Adagio sostenuto) 1:24:38

Thanksgiving 2015, Friday family photo

Isn’t this beautiful?  My husband has been taking guitar lessons for about a year, and his teacher, Dr. Smoot, wrote an arrangement for him and our son to play together.  So they were practicing in the living room and our daughter came in and looked in the piano bench for something in the same key.  I got all teary.  Had to eat another piece of candy.

It’s my recollection that I bought the piano in 1965 when I was a graduate student at the University of Illinois.  Which would make it 50 years old.  So I looked around and found a photo.

We had some great food, all prepared by my daughter, but she hasn’t sent the photos yet (she was having a contest with her sister in law in Colorado).  All I have are the pies.  For only 5 people, that’s a lot of pie. Hers are always very artistic.

Music to study by

I know that my smart nieces like Lindsey,  Aliyah,  and Joanie take advantage of on line courses for college, but I think it's an age thing. I can't even get past registration for free sites, let alone stay awake to read that much on a screen. Hurts my eyes. But ladies, and anyone else studying hard, here's some piano music to study by. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVP3fUzQHcg

Gershwin's Concerto in F by Oscar Levant

Speaking of George Gershwin, when I was a young teenager--maybe 13 or 14--my sister and I went to Rockford to hear Oscar Levant play. It's possible my mom drove us--I don't remember how we got there. But it seems like we were sitting about 5 ft. from him. . . maybe I was just mesmerized. He was a fabulous pianist and appeared in American in Paris (1951). I was so fortunate to grow up in a home with an accomplished musician--God knows, He moved on after he gave that talent to her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wePBkW6WMM8