A simple request

Humorists Ilf and Petrov described a concert by Rachmaninoff In New York (November 1935):

The night we went to hear him he appeared tall, bent, and thin, with a long sad face, his hair closely clipped; he sat down at the piano, separated the folds of his old-fashioned back swallowtail, adjusted one of his cuffs with his large hand and turned to the audience.  His expression seemed to say: “Yes, I am an unfortunate exile and obliged to play before you for your contemptible dollars, and for this humiliation i ask very little – silence.

Cited in: Bertensson, Sergei & Leyda, Jay (2001) Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in music.  Bloomington: Indianna University Press, p.315.

Posted

in

by

Greg

Tags:

,

Featured Content

There’s one way to get him to play
People often begged him to play a little air on the violin, but he refused great lords and his fellow de-bauchers alike.  The only person who succeeded in making him play was the Marshal de Grammont.  He had a footman called La Lande who later became one of the best violinists in Europe.  After a […]
Recipe for success
“A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm.”— Charles M. Schwab, American businessman Peale, Norman (2003) Enthusiasm Makes the Difference. New York, Fireside, p.4
The juggling jazz musician
“A jazz musician is a juggler who uses harmonies instead of oranges.” – Benny Green, British saxophonist Benny Green (1975) A Reluctant Art: The Growth of Jazz.  Books for Libraries Press, p. 16.
A matter of tempo
Bruno Walter, Friedrich Buxbaum, and Arnold Rosé were to perform Erich Korngold’s Piano Trio in D in 1910. Korngold was only 13 at the time. These three great musicians were to remain Korngold’s devoted friends and admirers, and they frequently performed his subsequent works. Previous to this performance, Bruno Walter had known of the boy’s […]
White Christmas
Accounts vary on where Irving Berlin wrote “White Christmas”. Berlin himself even recall differing circumstances on when it was penned. Some sources claim at was written at the poolside in Aizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix. Other accounts state that is was in Beverly Hills, California. In any case, the narration is set in […]
Lord, I Love Your Commands – Psalm 118 (119)
Title: Lord, I love your commands Text: Psalm 118 (119): 57, 75, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130 Composer: Greg Smith Instrumentation: SATB and piano Product medium: PDF score and part Sample:
What about me?
Songwriter Johnny Green recalled Gershwin bragging about his achievements after a concert, eventually to stop and say: “That’s enough about me.  Now what did you think about how I played?” Cited in: Greenberg, Rodney (2008) George Gershwin.  New York: Phaidon Press, p.46.
Music as a metaphor … or not
“Most music is metaphor, but Wolff is not. I am not metaphor either. Parable, maybe. Cage is sermon.” – Morton Feldman, American composer Cited in Tom Johnson, Remembrance, September 1987. Accessed 11 May 2013.
Abstraction XIII
Title: Abstraction XIII Composer: Greg Smith Performer: Greg Smith Product medium: MP3     Related products:     – Abstraction XIII (PDF score) Sample:
Peace Is What I Leave You – John 14
Title: Peace is what I leave you Text: John 14:27 Composer: Greg Smith Instrumentation: SATB and piano Product medium: PDF score and part Sample: