Skip to main content

Happy Birthday


OK, I haven't honored a birthday in days, so here is a little tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach, born this day in 1685.

My high school piano teacher made me work through parts of the The Anna Magdalena Book, which came in handy when my sister got married and asked me to play the harpsichord while the guests were being seated.

Here is a bit of Bach, a Prelude and Fugue from The Well-Tempered Clavier (not me playing, in case you're wondering.)

Comments

dive said…
Happy birthday, JS!
Not that I need an excuse, but Goldberg Variations are now playing in my headphones.
Wow, Robyn! Playing Bach on a harpsichord at a wedding? That sounds pretty nerve-wracking.
Scout said…
It sounds cool, I suppose, but keep in mind the Anna Magdalena pieces were little teaching exercises--kids learn them early on, so there was very little skill required. The biggest challenge is the reversed colors--flats and sharps are white on black.
dive said…
Cool indeed, Robyn.
And the Goldberg Variations were also teaching pieces … JS must have been some teacher!
Scout said…
with 20-plus kids, you have to be able to pass something on to all of them. Might as well be music, I'd say.

I have the Goldberg Variations but no on my iPod at work, so it's Yo-Yo Ma and Appaliacha Waltz this morning. Apologies to Bach.
Sassy Sundry said…
I thought you might mention him when I read about his birthday this morning.
happy birthday to another crazy musician
Gina said…
I love Bach.
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the link Robyn ... my education is continuing. Many Happies to JSB.
His face looks just a little like he's trying to disguise a fart. Oh god i'm sorry, i've had a glass and a half of wine and i'm so not used to it. Lynn said fart.
Anonymous said…
Lynn is just wicked. Now, what's the french verb for doing that? Petter??? Well I never, at least it's not Roger!
hey Robyn, What happened to your movie review column? I enjoyed that. :))

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Birthday To...

Pope Leo IX (the Pope) JCF Bach (German composer) Jane Russell (of Gentlemen Prefer Blonds fame) Daniel Carter Beard (founder of the Boy Scouts of America) Jean-Paul Sartre (French philosopher) Maureen Stapleton (Academy Award winning actress) Mariette Hartley (who?) Prince William of Wales (the prince) but most importantly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 45 years ago today, I was born in Alabama in a small town on the banks of the Tennessee River. Yesterday, someone asked me if my family has any birthday traditions. The answer is no. My family never cared very much, but I do remember a few birthday highlights. I was given a birthday party in the back yard when I was ten years old. Two years later, my sister got married on my birthday, so I was just a bit overlooked, although I did get a stuffed animal--it was a white Yorkshire terrier with an AM radio in its stomach. When I turned 20, a different sister took me to an outdoor performance of Dvorak's New World Sympho...

Everybody Needs A Little Crème Brûlée

I went out to dinner with some friends the other evening and ordered crème brûlée for dessert. It was lovely—crispy sugar crust and creamy custard underneath. I'm a bit of crème brûlée fan and order it more often than I order any other restaurant dessert, which is not to say I always order dessert—only now and then. On my way home, I remembered I had a crème brûlée kit at home with ramekins, a torch, and a basic recipe. I love the torch. So, now I have made my favorite dessert at home, and I recommend that everyone have crème brûlée. It makes the world better. I used the recipe on the box, which was simple and basic. My only suggestion for improvement is to use less sugar for the caramelized crust. It was so thick, it was like chipping away at glass. An ice pick would have come in handy, or a diamond. Other recipes suggest 1/4 cup to be divided among six ramekins, making just over 1 tablespoon per serving. Crème Brûlée serves 4 1 cup heavy cream 2 extra large egg yolks (I used 3 re...

Right Brain Dominant

I am reading A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future , by Daniel H. Pink. I wouldn't have chosen this book had I been book hunting because I lean toward fiction—it was a gift from someone who, like me, is right-brain dominate. I haven't gotten very far, just far enough to learn that in Hippocrates' day, the left side of the brain was considered the true source of thought, the thing that separated us from the animals and made us human. It was the source of reason and logic. The right side was considered a useless left over, a parasite. Now we know that both sides of our brains are equally important and equally involved in our daily thoughts and functions. But some of us do seem to be governed by one side more strongly than the other. Me, sometimes I think the left side of my brain has completely atrophied, that the right side governs everything. But I am learning that I don't give that other side enough credit, that logical mathy side. As I read on ab...