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Gretchen Saathoff

~ Collaborative Pianist/Vocal Coach ~ forging partnerships, making memorable music together

Monthly Archives: June 2011

Update: The Creative Economy Project

30 Thursday Jun 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in work

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

the arts

The Rethinking the Creative Economy Project continues!

There are more interviews to be transcribed than I thought!  3 down, 17 to go!  Glad I asked!

Apollinaire's calligramme (1918).

Apollinaire's calligramme (1918) ~ Image via Wikipedia

So far, I have “met” a poet, a collagist, and a potter.   Having worked in a corporate law firm for several years, which used repetitive language in the extreme, I have to say I’m enjoying the variety here.  Everyone expresses themselves differently, of course, both in speech and in their art.  And as the project proceeds, I find that I am becoming more and more intrigued with each artist’s unique perspective. 

Kurt Schwitters, Das Undbild, 1919, Staatsgale...

Kurt Schwitters, Das Undbild, 1919, Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart ~ Image via Wikipedia

UMass, it turns out, makes agreements with independent contractors for relatively small monetary amounts, writing further agreements as necessary.  So there will likely be a few more of those.

4 Mugs & 1 Pitcher

3 mugs and 1 pitcher ~ Image by Martin Cathrae via Flickr

And since I am awaiting checks for all 3 completed interviews, I expect that I will be paid for some time to come.

Related articles

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More about Emily’s Movie

27 Monday Jun 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in audio, career, chorus, collaboration, music, piano, video, work

≈ 17 Comments

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Emily Dickinson

Black clapperboard with black and white stripe...

Image by Horia Varlan via Flickr

And the project happily continues!

We have a recording date!  Wednesday, July 6th at 1:00 p.m.  (I’ll be practicing on July 4th.  You?)

This is for the scratch audio track, for which I will be playing:

  • Beethoven’s “Pathétique” Sonata
  • seven of the Mendelssohn’s “Songs Without Words”
  • some finger exercises by Bertini

I will also be conducting the Emily Dickinson Museum Guides Chorus!   🙂   The chorus repertoire includes:

  • Joseph Haydn  “The Spacious Firmament on High”
  • Isaac Watts  “Broad is the Road that Leads to Death”
    and “Give Me the Wings of Faith”
  • Lowell Mason, “Watchman, Tell us of the Night”
  • Stephen Foster, “There’s a Good Time Coming”
  • William Dempster, “The Lament of the Irish Emigrant”
  • and possibly “Auld Lang Syne” and “Home Sweet Home”

I’m so excited about this project!  Since this will be my first experience recording an audio track for someone else, being as prepared as possible seems like the way to go.  Flexibility in tempi, dynamics, and possibly even pieces will surely be required.

Wish us luck!

Related articles

  • Emily’s Movie (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)
  • Emily’s Movie: Take 2 (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)

E-books

“Goal-oriented Practice” has been highly recommended by many satisfied readers! Click for great reviews and comments.

“When You Buy a Piano” is a brief set of guidelines to make the process easier. Just $3!

“How to Maintain Your Piano” clarifies how to care for your instrument differently from other furniture. Only $3!

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Remembering Charles Schisler

24 Friday Jun 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in a memory, a tribute, auditions, inspiration

≈ 4 Comments

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Westminster Choir College

Williamson Hall, Westminster College of the Ar...

Williamson Hall, Westminster Choir College ~ Image via Wikipedia

Dr. Charles Schisler was Dean of Westminster Choir College when I was a graduate student.  He was the best Dean on the planet!  Always so encouraging, attending nearly every recital and master class.

You can read about his many contributions to the college here.

The obituary appears here.

Dr. Schisler preferred to sit in the front row.  Although that could have felt intimidating, it wasn’t.  We all knew he was rooting for us.

When I auditioned for Westminster, he was there with other faculty, seated in the front row as usual.  Most of the proceedings went well.  And then he put some music in front of me to sight read.  Somehow, the piece happened to be the one thing I have the most trouble playing at sight ~ the slow movement of a Mozart violin sonata.  This one featured double-dotted long notes followed by 32nds.  Hard enough to count when not nervous.

So I played it.  After a page and 1/2, something clicked in my brain.  I suddenly realized the piece was in 2, and I had been playing in 3 the whole time.  So I switched!

Dr. Schisler rose from his chair, walked slowly to the piano, looked over my shoulder at the score, and said, “May we hear the first page again, please?”

Thanks for everything, and rest in peace.  All who knew you will miss you a great deal.

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If my father had a Facebook page

23 Thursday Jun 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in a memory, a tribute, collaboration, emotion, improvisation, integrity, personal, piano

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Carthage, construction, David and Goliath, hospital calls, IL, Litchfield, male quartet, Maywood, radio, seminary

Litchfield IL - First National Bank of Litchfi...

First National Bank of Litchfield ~ Image by myoldpostcards via Flickr

My father’s birthday is today.

He would have been 99!

If he had a Facebook profile, it might look like this:

Name:  Gilbert Allen.  Nickname:  Sawdi.

City of birth:  Litchfield, IL (pop. 6,815 as of the year 2000 census).

College:  Carthage College, Carthage, IL
Sang in college choir, where he met my mother.  Sang bass in a male quartet, which toured churches.

After college:  Did construction work in CO while deciding what to do with his life.

Seminary:  Maywood, Chicago, IL.  The seminary was moved.  A park was built at the original site which later became Wrigley Field!

Most distinguishing characteristic:  his speaking voice.  He was also very good looking.  (You know, tall dark and handsome.  6’4″, dark wavy hair, blue-gray eyes (same as mine).  When he would make hospital calls to see members of the congregation, the patient’s roommate would often say hello, having recognized his voice.  “You’re Pastor Saathoff!  I heard you on the radio program!”  He was always pleased at the recognition.

He also had a beautiful singing voice.  With further training, I think he could have been a professional singer.

Most unusual thing he ever did:  When preaching a sermon about David and Goliath, he became inspired and ignored his notes.  He acted out both parts.  I clearly remember him shouting, while channeling Goliath, “HA!  You can’t kill me!!!”  He even pounded on the pulpit!

Favorite activities:  Watching the campfire during summer vacation, swimming, attending the Drake Relays with friends, going to the St. Louis Municipal Opera with family (not that far from Litchfield).

Only time I heard him swear:  When parking the trailer in the mud.  It always got stuck.  I was happy when we got a tent.

Pet peeve:  Answering machines.  When I moved to NY, I bought one.  Every time he called thereafter, even when I picked up the phone before the machine, the first thing he said after he said “Hello” was, “Do you still have that answering machine?”

Favorite food group:  Hot fudge on vanilla ice cream.  Definition:  it has to get hard when it hits the ice cream.  Otherwise it’s chocolate syrup.

Favorite trees:  Gingko and Mimosa.

What I admired most:  his ever-present willingness to answer the phone and  go out on a call at times like 3 and 4 a.m. without complaint, and his unwavering integrity.

Happy Birthday, Dad.  I love you.

Related articles
  • If my mother had a Facebook page… (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)
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Call in the Cavalry!

20 Monday Jun 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in career, collaboration, gigs, music, piano, the unexpected, variety, work

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

accompanying, down side, up side

dragon dreams

Image by paloetic via Flickr

All of us have received last-minute phone calls from people who sound absolutely desperate.  We need you!  The earth will stop turning if you don’t play!

So you drop everything, cancel appointments and dinner/movie arrangements, get ahold of the music somehow (usually by calling every other accompanist you know ~ the call came so late, the library and all the stores are closed), and meet at a traffic median 1/2 way between your apartments.  You stay up late to look at the music (away from the piano ~ it’s too late to practice).

The next day you practice up until the last minute, all the while wondering whether the music you’re ignoring will be OK tomorrow, your friendships will be intact, and hoping your canceled appointments won’t result in added fees.

And then you play whatever it is ~ rehearsal, audition, master class ~ hopefully not a performance!  Afterwards, you may have to wait for a check or do laps around the building looking for the person who hired you.

And then you go home.

That’s sometimes the reality of being an accompanist.  That’s why I prefer a variety of playing situations ~ accompanying, chamber music, and solo recitals.

Sometimes I feel like a…

  • ​Lifeguard
  • Emergency room doctor
  • Clean-up crew

What makes it fun

  • Advance notice ~ not the night before!
  • Having the music in plenty of time.  (No, accompanying is not sight-reading at all times.  That should be the exception.)
  • Working with people who learn their parts.  (Just sitting there plunking out notes for people is not why I was hired.)
  • Participating in the forward movement of the project.  (Cleaning up someone else’s mess ~ again, not why I was hired.)
  • Being respected as a musician, not a robot who bangs out notes on cue or someone who shows up for emergencies to fix the mess.

What do you encounter that you’d rather live without?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

E-books

“Goal-oriented Practice” has been highly recommended by many satisfied readers! Click for great reviews and comments.

“When You Buy a Piano” is a brief set of guidelines to make the process easier. Just $3!

“How to Maintain Your Piano” clarifies how to care for your instrument differently from other furniture. Only $3!

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Emily’s Movie: Take 2

12 Sunday Jun 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in audio, career, collaboration, directed practice, expression, focus, listening, new approach, new insights, perception, practice after break, preparation, process, progress, serving music, singing, sleep

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

chorus, Emily Dickinson, Felix Mendelssohn, film, fortepiano, Ludwig van Beethoven, Music, piano, scratch track

Flowers 1

Image via Wikipedia

This is the first update about my work for an upcoming film about Emily Dickinson, the 3rd in a series of documentaries.

I have been practicing seven of the Mendelssohn “Songs Without Words” and Beethoven’s “Pathétique” Sonata.

Background

We will be videotaping in order to make a scratch audio track so the producer can organize his approach for the actual film.  This will probably take place within the next two weeks.

A practice interruption

Things were going along according to plan, when I caught the bug that’s going around.  For the first three days or so, what I thought might be a sinus infection may have been allergies instead.  But with swollen eyelids, a headache, and a sore, scratchy throat, exactly what it was didn’t seem to matter.

And then a virus hit.  That intensified things, making for many sore muscles and major intestinal upset.  At that point, I stopped eating, stopped practicing, and slept most of the time.

Not to lay the details on you, but taking two days off from practicing was not part of the plan, especially with an approaching deadline.

Heading for the piano

Finally on Friday, I felt better, mostly.  There were still achy muscles, and I was dehydrated.  But I wanted to try practicing.

Practicing after 2 days off

A full-out practice session would not have been helpful.  Instead, I made sure to stay relaxed, play under tempo much of the time, and focus on listening.

I was not expecting to hear progress after taking two days off.  But it does happen.  Some pieces had better flow.  So the music had been cooking in my head while I was asleep.  🙂

My big discovery!

In Mendelssohn’s Op. 67, No. 3 (called “Song of the Pilgrim” in the Schirmer edition), I had been feeling bogged down by the repetitiveness of the phrases.  How could this piece be played expressively?  Did I need to find a different tempo?  Change dynamics?  Use more rubato?

Relaxing, listening, and looking more closely at the music yielded results.  There are several articulation markings that I had missed completely.  That’s probably because the Schirmer edition looks so dense on the page.  (So much for buying the least expensive edition to save a few bucks…)

New focus

Now I’m practicing both hands being detached at the same time, and later with only the right hand detached.  (Try it.)  Beyond that, the phrasing is clearly indicated, so I just need to internalize it.

In retrospect, I had been getting in the way of the composer’s intentions.

Big difference!

The project in general

The details have been changing day by day.  A fortepiano was mentioned, but that has not been finalized.  And yesterday, someone suggested that there be a chorus singing part of the soundtrack.

Onward… I’ll post another update as we continue working.

Related post

  • Emily’s movie

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!


Are you without a teacher for the summer? Need fresh ideas to share with your students? Thinking about buying a new piano?

My E-books help you practice more effectively, teach, perform, shop for a piano, and maintain your instrument. Please click on titles near the top of the left sidebar. Thank you!

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A week of inspiration to practice

07 Tuesday Jun 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in career, fingering, goals, inspiration, music, piano, practice, process, tools

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

finding inspiration

Window to Dreams

Image by gaspi *yg via Flickr

Have you ever noticed how hard it is sometimes to practice on a beautiful summer day?  When you have fewer commitments, wouldn’t it be easier to just skip it and go outside?

When I have skipped practicing, though, it’s harder to go back.  So I skip the next day, then the day after that, and…

The truth is, I have plenty of practicing to do.  It’s just the inspiration that’s at a low ebb from time to time.

During this past week, at least one inspiring thing happened every day that may or may not have been related to practicing.  But I chose to use every little event as inspiration anyway.

Monday

Memorial Day.  Everyone else was taking the day off, so I did, too, and enjoyed having the time off.

Tuesday

Someone commented on a blog post from 6 months ago, saying how much she enjoyed rereading it and how much she liked my playing of the music I posted about.

Wednesday

Dennis from St. Louis donated to my blog.

Thursday

Wonderful day!  Sunny, cool, and windy.  That’s perfect practice weather!  Open all the doors and windows and go to it!

Friday

The four highest-ranked tennis players in the world played in the French Open men’s semifinals.  That doesn’t happen often.  Not only that, but everything I wanted to happen, did.

  • Nadal beat Murray in a fantastic match.
  • Federer beat Djokovic in the semis!  Incredible!
  • Djokovic’s winning streak is finally OVER.
  • Nadal gets to stay at #1 on his birthday.
  • Sunday final will be Nadal/Federer, everyone’s Dream Final.

Saturday

I woke up with a headache!  That’s not very inspiring… I zapped it with Excedrin, ate breakfast, and practiced anyway.  It went very well!

In the “Pathétique” Sonata, Beethoven’s attention to detail inspired me today.  The difference between staccato and non-staccato, changes in the way the accompanying part is written, sudden dynamic changes, the way good fingering makes the music jump off the page, etc.  (This is one of the pieces I’ll be recording for the producer to plan his upcoming film about Emily Dickinson.)

I think Emily Dickinson’s square piano probably had less sustaining power than a modern instrument.  So I’m playing with less pedal than I might otherwise.  Clarity of phrasing and articulation are my goals.  I don’t want to “read through it.”

I’m practicing fingerings very carefully, so as not revert to sight reading.  With “good” fingering, the sound is so much better.

Sunday

The Roland Garros men’s final, of course!

Brunch didn’t happen due to the length of the match.  So I had a peanut butter sandwich and practiced after Rafa won his 6th French Open championship.  (Vamos!)  And then I went out to dinner.

Monday

The film producer is back from Europe.  We’re making plans to get together to start recording, with the narrator present.  Instant inspiration!

Another gorgeous day, with birds singing outside.

My mailbox had a card in it this afternoon!  It’s so unusual to receive actual mail these days.  A friend sent a funny card.  Enclosed was a coupon for a free pint of Ben & Jerry’s!

New plan

I have a new way to ensure that I practice as long as I need to:  I write down the starting time, then put my watch out of sight.  Now I don’t look at the time during a practice session, but focus on the music instead.  Having a watch where I can see it allows me to look at the time and say, “Oh, I’ve been here for an hour.  That’s enough…”  But most of the time, it isn’t.  And if there is no impending rehearsal in two hours, there is no need to track the time that closely.

Where do you look for inspiration?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!


Are you without a teacher for the summer? Need fresh ideas to share with your students? Thinking about buying a new piano?

My E-books help you practice more effectively, teach, perform, shop for a piano, and maintain your instrument. Please click on titles near the top of the left sidebar. Thank you!

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