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Another Happy Birthday Wish

...to Dame Myra Hess, born 1890. She was a British concert pianist who, during WW2, when the concert halls of London closed, organized lunch-time concerts at the National Gallery. I'm not sure if the National Gallery has relocated since then, but it was at the National Gallery in London where I discovered the paintings of J. M. W. Turner. I remember standing in a room surrounded by his work and being mesmerized. I marched directly to the gift shop and bought a book about him and his paintings which now rests on the shelf behind my piano. I have digressed.

I might not know the name Dame Myra Hess if my parents had not bought a Readers Digest record collection called Great Piano's Greatest Hits--seven or eight albums of some of the greatest piano concertos in classical music history. While the other kids were listening to Bobby Sherman and The Partridge Family, I had my ear glued to the console stereo filling my dreamy head with pianists like Earl Wild and Myra Hess playing Chopin and Debussy. Freaky kid, I suppose.

Anyway, happy birthday.

Comments

dive said…
Happy Birthday to Dame Myra and her unfeasibly large flag.
The National Gallery is still the National Gallery, young Robyn.
And now that I am suddenly without Americans to show round London, how about coming over so we can wallow in museums and galleries?
Er yes Happy Birthday to her. Him? her? I'm convinced that's really a bloke.
Scout said…
Dive, I could spend weeks and weeks in your museums and galleries. I'll buy a ticket.

Lynn, hee hee. She does look a little like a he, doesn't she, or he, or whatever.
dive said…
London awaits, young lady.
Sassy Sundry said…
Happy Birthday, Dame Myra. That's some picture.
you were just a freaky music geek robyn. I can identify. I use to spend a lot of Summer days at the library browsing books about music and musical instruments. When I wasn't doing that I was practicing my horn.

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