New England Conservatory piano major Hexin Qiao performs John Cage's Suite for a Toy Piano. Recorded live in Jordan Hall February 6, 2012.

John Cage: Suite for Toy Piano

Luce

String figures are a storytelling activity and an age old form of spiritual play. There are hundreds of them, from all over the world, often representing things from nature or day to day objects or activities. The long days of the Covid-19 pandemic UK lockdown and a bewildered mind led me to learning a number of them, picking at random for a welcome distraction. As the months went by and the lockdown continued, I began writing simple melodies to represent the simple, innocent and playful movements of two hands, a piece of string and the passing of time. There was so much uncertainty within the monotonous days and I think this also comes out in the pieces. 

My brilliant friends Mainly Two, a violin duo, recorded this collection of miniatures in the depths of the Black Forest in Germany 48°49'42.4"N 8°23’09.6”E. It had to be outside, everything had to be outside during that time, so you’ll also hear the soundscape of the forest, distant traffic and airplanes that surrounded them.

String Figures

Butterflies

Reflections

Calm

The Terri Schiavo case earlier this year raised ethical and medical issues that remain with us today. But missing in that debate was a real attention to the quality and the meaning of death. Joan Halifax tells us what she's learned and how she lives differently after three decades accompanying others to the final boundary of human life. 

See more at www.onbeing.org/program/midwife-dying/52

Joan Halifax — A Midwife to the Dying

Composer Frank H. Grey wrote this waltz in 1924.

Free score transcribed by Œnanthic:
https://musescore.com/user/3636436/scores/6148114

Frank H. Grey: Marianna Valse (1924)

Recorded for Brain Pickings. Background and poem text: http://www.brainpickings.org/2015/07/02/amanda-palmer-reads-wislawa-szymborska

Join me in supporting Amanda Palmer's art on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/amandapalmer?ty=h

MORE / POEM TEXT

Amanda Palmer reads "Life While-You-Wait" by Wislawa Szymborska

Background, context, and poem text: https://www.brainpickings.org/2017/01/31/protest-poem-ella-wheeler-wilcox-amanda-palmer/

CONTEXT / POEM TEXT

Amanda Palmer reads "Protest" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1914)

Heaven And Earth. A slow Meditation in F#- Major for two pianos . Hope, you like it!

Johannes Heinen - Heaven And Earth

music : Alonso Mudarra
guitar : F.Hiemenz
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please take a look at my little video work with this recording:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqJRgIGfvwQ&hd=1

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This "Fantasia" of the 16th century is composed for the vihuela (an ancient form of the guitar) by the spanish musician Alonso Mudarra. As its subtitle shows, Mudarra tried to imitate the special way, in which a famous harp player of his time used to play his instrument.
("Fantasía que contrahaze la harpa en la manera de Luduvico".)

Quite amusing are the annotations by Mudarra himself.
At the beginning of the Fantasia, he wrote "It is difficult until it is properly understood". And really funny but true, he set a foodnote in the middle :
"From here on to the end there are some false notes; but when played well they do not sound bad"
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"Fantasia" by Alonso Mudarra

A melancholic piano song with accompaniment on the Juno-60 synthesizer.

Music by Ryan Hay and Angelica Hay.
Cover Photograph by Ryan Hay.
Cover Design by Ryan Hay and Angelica Hay.


#pianoday2021

A Heaviness

Groundbreaking Peabody Award-winning conversation about the big questions of meaning, hosted by Krista Tippett. Every Thursday a new discovery about the immensity of our lives — and frequent special features like poetry, music and Q + A with Krista.

Joan Halifax — A Midwife to the Dying

On Being Studios

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