Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Sunday, February 11, 2018
A "Smudgies" Tale...
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After having ever so smugly enjoyed my 100% Arabica Double Latte while sitting in the Airport Waiting area for the arrival of my connecting flight, an urgent feeling of
an imminent... uh... “deluge” interrupted my music review. So as to avert a natural “disaster”, I rushed to the nearest “Exit” point, leaving behind my small music briefcase unattended.
Upon my return? You guessed it... The “Final boarding call” for my flight brightly blared over the PA system; making it clearly impossible for me to even think
about running back to retrieve my music. Needless to say, my heart sank! Yes, printed music is costly. But, what hurt me the most was the loss of my beloved “smudgies”.
“Smudgies” are those personal notes to self usually written in pencil on some area of the sheet music page. They include cryptic statements (e. g., “glasses/watch”), or symbols such as squiggly lines to
slow down or speed up, listen, marks for breath, fingerings... ad infinitum. They are “smudged” due to the many times bowing/fingering had to be changed, or when clarity was needed. In fact, “Smudgies” serve as a reminder - or “sign post” - to help trigger memory in general. It tells us how invaluable the under-appreciated rubber eraser
has been when making those changes, leaving behind remnants of former thoughts within the incomplete light grey erasure of pencil lead. Of course, sometimes White-Out© “smudgies” were awkwardly present on the page when - “Bon dieu” - an ink pen rather than a pencil was used!
Simply put, “Smudgies” in and of themselves are a personal provenance; speaking to times, places and events in one’s musical life. They serve as a valuable measure of growth as a person, as well as a musician.
Note to self: Music is my !
Happy Valentine’s Day, Everyone!
Image: Elevator on Mauretania from Wikimedia Commons
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
International Chamber Music Festival: Concert honoring Israel's 70th Anniversary
QUALITY CULTURE COMES TO EILAT WITH THE INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL
(YOCHEVED LAUFER, The Jerusalem Post; February 05, 2018)http://m.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/Quality-culture-comes-to-Eilat-with-the-International-Chamber-Music-Festival-540768
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