Hammerklavier-Piano Lovers-コミュのWhat are your memorable pieces?

Thanks for sharing your sweet memory of your childhood!

Although I am little impressed by your extensive musical background and fondness of music as a little boy or baby(!?), I think I can relate to you too.

In my early childhood, I don't have much memory of talking or playing with my mother but I remember sitting in front of a record player and listening to classic music(we had bookshelves of records) and musical stories like "three pigs and a wolf","a red ridinghood" and so on. I don't remember those stories were in English or not but I also listened to a lot of English children music. I think my love of English and music was generated at the time. Music and English were like my babysitters, so to speak.

I loved the old record player dearly. I liked the sound of "psst,pt,pt", you know the sound you cannot hear from CDs, or current music player devices. Even a simple music like "the swan lake" can bring me into tears with the help of the aged, soothing background noise.

I cannot describe how peaceful those moments I spent with the old record player was!! I am sure I will put "the record player and me" down in words as soon as I put the turkey in the oven!!

Interesting topic!!

Marche Militaire No.1 by F.Schubert was one of the music pieces I used to listen when I was under 5 year-old. Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware the music was composed by Schubert until 10 or so when I played duet with my younger sister on Marche Militaire No.1. Marche Militaire was used in the opening song of a musical story record I was playing over and over again; it was a story of “three little pigs and a big bad wolf”. I liked the strong and confident yet swift base rhythm on the left hand so much. And also when the right hand merge together and makes a melody, I feel having fun from the bottom of my heart, which was the feeling as if I was building houses with those three little pigs.

The word “CD”, a compact disc, first came into my ears when my mother and I went to shop for a Japanese opera disc record ”Yu-Zuru”, the twilight crane, at a local music shop. I think I was 12. The employee told us that he no longer recommended buying old style discs. He said CDs had more longevity and higher quality in reproducing sounds. Soon, I started imagining how wonderful those CDs could sound. However, believe me or not, at first, I was so disappointed by the shinning fast spinning tiny disc. The muffling noise was gone, without it, the whole thing sounded too real, just like the most expensive tofu without any soy-source.


I wonder how the world had talked about music in general before Tomas Edison invented a phonograph. Taking Bach’s era for example, those written little notes must have been the only things people could replay his great work from. Well, nowadays, CDs are becoming obsolete and I hear Mp3, I-pods and all kind of mini devices with almost infinity-like memory capacity. Thanks to the innovation of sound recording devices, and playing devices, I, the just ordinary person, have been lucky enough to hear and listen authentic music anywhere, anytime without going out to theaters. I cannot deny how marvelous genuine piano sounds made possible by the digital technology, although my favorite device for listening operas or orchestra work still is a record disc player.

I hope someday some great engineers will invent a play back machine that makes a person to replay on piano exactly the way the person’s brain perceives sound waves, just like those built-in playback pianos. Tasteless? I think so too.

Music and memory are so delicate and fragile but I would like to keep them together forever in my heart as long as I live. Piano is my best play back device and I am thankful for being able to read the secret codes of delicacies.

Thank you for sharing your nostalgic memory with me.

>>In my early childhood, I don't have much memory of talking or playing with my mother but I remember sitting in front of a record player and listening to classic music(we had bookshelves of records) and musical stories like "three pigs and a wolf","a red ridinghood" and so on. I don't remember those stories were in English or not but I also listened to a lot of English children music. I think my love of English and music was generated at the time. Music and English were like my babysitters, so to speak.

Excellent, Mari! Incidentally, I really liked “Peter and the Wolf”, which is a composition by Sergei Prokofiev when I was a child. It is a children's story (with both music and text by Prokofiev), spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra.

>>I cannot describe how peaceful those moments I spent with the old record player was!!

Oh, yes, I agree with you. Actually, my father had a lot of old records in his home, but I wonder whether I can listen to them or not.

>>The muffling noise was gone, without it, the whole thing sounded too real, just like the most expensive tofu without any soy-source.

I always feel your explanation is quite unique like a poet.

>>I hope someday some great engineers will invent a play back machine that makes a person to replay on piano exactly the way the person’s brain perceives sound waves, just like those built-in playback pianos.

In my case, if I come up with some melodies in the brain, I can play most of them on the piano. Sometimes I feel playing piano is easier than speaking to express my feelings.

>>Music and memory are so delicate and fragile but I would like to keep them together forever in my heart as long as I live. Piano is my best play back device and I am thankful for being able to read the secret codes of delicacies.

Your feelings and mine are quite alike. Thanks, Mari.

Ryoma

Do you compose at all? I think I can come up with melodies Ok but I need to work on codes more since I have never had a proper lessons for that. I don't know why but I think my piano teacher skipped the part, taking my past experience at Yamaha for granted obviously... I have heard new students begin practicing codes first. Did you?

Burgmülle was my textbook after entering grade school. I think you are one of those prodigies.

I have heard Ballade No.4 Op. 52” composed by Frédéric Chopin is technically challenging and famous among accomplished piano players. I do like listening to it!!

Actually, I have learned music from several kinds of teachers since I was a child. In addition to the piano, I was also trained the theory of harmonics and composition by a teacher who was a conductor of an orchestra. I suppose my mother might seriously consider that I would go on to a musical university at that time. Therefore, I composed several songs, including an annual theme song of my high school.

>>I have heard Ballade No.4 Op. 52” composed by Frédéric Chopin is technically challenging and famous among accomplished piano players. I do like listening to it!!

Thank you so much, Mari. I am really happy to know that you have same feelings. I think all Chopin’s ballades are wonderful piano works, but No. 4 is exceptional and one the most important piano pieces in all piano works.I also found the performances of Viadimir Horowitz and Stanislav Bunin in youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br1HnIqflt0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDwBdFIsAGA&mode=related&search=

Ryoma

Wow! Can I listen to it? What was it like to hear hundreds of peers singing your song!? The theory of harmonics and composition, my sister took the lessons before entering a musical university.( Or, even that was a requirement for passing Kawai grade6, I think.)Anyway I thought the subject was interesting and I brought one of the text book here. As I grew older my curiousty keeps multiplying by seconds. What a shame I didn't discover this phenomenon in my youth. Pathetique for me

Chopin's Ballards and Scherzo, especially No1.2, I adore them!! Bunin used to be my star! My nostalgic memory has started flashing back again... I guess it's the season, you know, in fall everything suddenly gets old and falls. Although the fall makes me sad and nostalgic, this is the time I enjoy music arts the most because of that.

Hi, Mari.

>>Wow! Can I listen to it? What was it like to hear hundreds of peers singing your song!?

OK. If I return to Japan, I plan to download my previous performance to some digital music device.

>>The theory of harmonics and composition, my sister took the lessons before entering a musical university.( Or, even that was a requirement for passing Kawai grade6, I think.)Anyway I thought the subject was interesting and I brought one of the text book here. As I grew older my curiousty keeps multiplying by seconds. What a shame I didn't discover this phenomenon in my youth. Pathetique for me

To be honest, I did not like learn the theory of harmonics and composition at all when I was a child. If I restart my music activity enterprisingly in the future, I plan to study all theories of music again. Before then, I have to accomplish the goal in my profession. In my opinion, life is long and I plan to live until at least 80 years old. When my work reaches a stage where I can take a rest, I am eager to use a large sum of time for music.

>>Chopin's Ballards and Scherzo, especially No1.2, I adore them!! Bunin used to be my star! My nostalgic memory has started flashing back again... I guess it's the season, you know, in fall everything suddenly gets old and falls. Although the fall makes me sad and nostalgic, this is the time I enjoy music arts the most because of that.

For me, the International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition has been one of the most important music events since I was a child. If I had gone to music course, I would have wanted to try this competition. As for Stanislav Bunin, I clearly remember that he won first prize and the gold medal in the 11th International Frédéric Chopin Competition in 1985. Anyway, his technique was really exceptional. Incidentally, a Japanese female pianist, Michie Koyama won fourth prize in the same competition. I also show a preference for her playing Chopin. In addition to Stanislav Bunin, many of my favorite pianists like Vladimir Ashkenazy, Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich and Mitsuko Uchida made a debut from the competition. Next competition (the 17th competition) will be held in 2010 and I am looking forward to great success of Japanese pianists.

Ryoma