10.7.02 Hidden messages: Today I made the most beautiful discovery. I've been working on a fugue by J.S. Bach since...FOREVER and I just couldn't get my hands to play their parts correctly separately (with Bach, my teacher always makes me take each hand alone first). But today, I decided I'd just put both of my hands together for the sake of moving on. Well...the first two pages were as usual. I'd already been working on them so no surprises there. But when I got to the fourth page, something incredible happened! The three different voices started a call-and-answer that was more beautiful than I'd thought at first glance (I'm a pretty good sight-reader. Give me Bb and I can hum what I read for about six measures). The melody was complicated, but in its entanglement, something more beautiful arose, like the beauty a mass of climbing pink jasmine gives. But when I reached the fifth and sixth pages, the last two pages of the fugue, it was as though all heaven had broken loose. The voices were tumbling over each other like water down a waterfall, tinkling and running and dancing like mad. The loveliness I'd barely glimpsed when I played each hand separately suddenly made sense as one lovely orchestrated piece. It is times like these that I love Bach. When I was little, I thought him a boring old man with atrocious music just waiting for me to trip up. Now I play his masterpiece, the fugue, and I see what a genius he was. The complexity and immense structure of the work overwhelms me! It just took me to a whole new level of music appreciation. It is such an incredible piece of work. After hearing this roughed-out version of the fugue, I have decided to play this for CM. It's difficult, it's complicated, it's ornery...and it's beautiful. The praeludium (prelude in Latin, I think) is a sparkling, magical piece designed to warm up one's fingers before entering the real work, the fugue. The first time I heard it, it was just as lovely as this was. The main obstacle in learning this is that it is written in C# Major. Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier is a series of studies for the hand, starting from C Major and going chromatically up the scale like this: C Major, c minor, C# Major, c# minor, etc. Each key has its own praeludium and fugue. Incredible, isn't it? Writing in C# Major??? This is one of the few pieces I've seen written such. Most composers make their lives easier by writing in Db Major, the enharmonic key. But nooo, Bach was the grand master and thus wrote in C# Major. Most composers don't even dare write in c# minor! The enharmonic key signature of c# minor is that of A Major, three very easy sharps. With C# Major, its enharmonic, Db, is much kinder with five extremely easy-to-remember flats. C# Major contains 7 sharps, the maximum number of accidentals you can have in a key. Isn't it amazing??? Ok, ok, that's probably enough on music. Probably most of the readers don't know what I'm talking about. But this is for the musicians out there, the pianists who can appreciate Bach's insanely complex notes and heavenly music. Praise be to Bach, who devoted his life to writing music for the church. If you want to attempt this gorilla of a fugue, here is the info you'll need-- Book: usually The Well-Tempered Clavier, since it's an exercise. BWV: 848. Number: 3 in C# Major (count the 7-sharp key signature). This book is recommended for more advanced students, CM levels maybe, oh, 8 to Advanced. It's pretty gnarly... neway, that's my spiel for today. Hope you enjoyed the trek into the musical side of my insane mind!!
10.17.02 Fatigue and exhaustion: Journalism deadline today and tomorrow. Geez I'm tired. Maybe I'll make like my co-editor and put this on a hiatus. I need time to work with the rest of my site anyway. More interesting stuff for people to see (which won't give away too much of my identity, of course. You never know who your friend might accidentally give your url to.). neway, I'll think of more page ideas tomorrow. Til next time....
11.09.02 Winning, yet not winning: Speech touranment at Bellarmine Prep today. League 1A, where I competed in Dramatic Interp. I didn't make it past prelims, but that's ok. My coach, Mrs. Brasher, was happy with me because I'd practiced a lot and gotten a lot done in a week. Solidly memorized before everyone else (DI-wise) too! And I got straight 2's in my first round. 2nd round was an almost-powerhouse round so I'm expecting a 5 there. Patrick Heil has incredible pops!!! WeiLi and Monika creamed me to a, well, cream I guess. Still, it was fun being there. The guy that did "I Might Be Edgar Allan Poe" really impressed me. Anqi, Shawn Badal, and Maryam were knock-outs too. I felt pretty miserable with my mellow, quiet, quaint little DI. I thought about scrapping it until Mrs. Brasher gave a peptalk to Sarah, Jen, Katherine, and me. Now I just want to completely overhaul it. :0) neway, g2g. more on the tournie later....
11.12.01 Staring into the embers and recollecting: You never know how much you miss someone until you're afraid you won't ever see them again. It's even worse when you do see them again and then they have to leave. It's like a tantalizing teaser of a movie you'd see on t.v. You know what came before, but you have no idea if what you've seen will come again in the next clip, or will it fall onto the cutting room floor. You never know how much you miss someone until you're ripped away from them and then you find yourself clinging to every scrap of paper, clothing, knick-knack, and THING they've touched. It's as if you're trying to absorb every particle of their being into yourself so you can keep their memory alive. The way they talk, they way they move, the way they play with an animal, they way they look, the vital life-essence that makes them THEM.
11.25.02 Unconditionality: What does it take for someone to accept you unconditionally? I'm not being sarcastic, what does it take? I came home, expecting a "Try harder" or "How could you do this?!?!" and instead, I got "That's perfectly fine. Why do you want to shoot for more?" Of course, I'll still aspire to greater heights, but at least I know someone's got my back. Expos went well this past weekend. I kicked some serious patootie at League. Maybe I shouldn't give up on Expos just yet... Got lotsa good feedback on my va's from Mr. Heinrichs too. Wow, just when I want to work more on my Expos I hafta start prepping for DI. Oh well, I love them both now. :D 1-5-2. Eat that, cellophane.
12.15.02 Amalgam: For the first time in my high school career, I broke at the Santa Clara University tournament in the winter. I semi-ed. I was one of two people who did in Open Dramatic. I'm shocked. I'm thrilled. ...Some things haven been more difficult to stomach, though. I guess it's part of growing up. I just wish this year were over. I don't know how long I can take this. I get angry sometimes. Other times I just want to break down, but I know I'm not at that point yet. Ohhh no, not yet, because I've been letting off steam. I have to stop that, keep the steam in, if I'm going to succeed.
1.07.03 Mettre en colere: I'm tired of taking the middle road. It bites and gets you nowhere. Life is too short to waste valuable moments on quibbling. Take a stand, grab your destiny by the arm and wrench it around to face you. The only thing you have control over is you, so make use of it. Take the high road. Don't be a sheep.