Saturday, January 31, 2015

Piano Performance

Over the past few months, I have been learning two piano compositions, one by Gustave Lange called Schelmerei and the other one by Haydn called Sonata in F major.  Gustave Lange is a German composer born in 1830 and died in 1889.  He wrote music during the Romantic period.  The piece I played is called Schelmerei which means playfulness.  This piece is the first of six characteristics of music that he wrote. I especially enjoy playing this piece because it makes me feel happy and upbeat.  All of the sharp major notes really bring the piece to life.

The other piece I played is called Sonata in F Major by Haydn. Joseph Haydn is an Austrian composer who composed in the Classical Period in the mid 1700s.  Haydn composed many wonderful Sonatas and Sonatinas. I have played a few pieces by Haydn over the years and you can listen to it on this link. The Sonata in F Major has both peaceful and rowdy parts in the composition which makes it interesting to listen and play.  I hope you enjoy!







Over the last few months, I played a piece called Clowns by Dmitri Kabalevsky.  Dmitri Kabalevsky was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 30, 1904. He is a modern composer but was still able to have successful career.  When he was young, Dmitri's father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a math mathematician like him.  But eventually he followed his dreams and became an accomplished pianist.  He is most famous for his piano solo pieces "24 little pieces." This piano piece was easy but it took a while to learn by heart.  It was fun to play and had a lot of staccatos. It is a happy, light, and fast piece. 





Do you play an instrument? 
What is your favorite piece to play?

Friday, January 2, 2015

Guest Post by Michael: Happy New Year

My Grandma and my siblings and I
On New Years I went to my grandparents house for a big party with my whole family. My aunts, uncles, and cousins came. First, we went to eat my grandma's many delicious dishes such as chicken, beef ,potatoes, and many types of salads. It was also my aunt's 29th birthday, and we lit the candles on the cake and sang happy birthday. My aunt and all of the children helped blow out the candles on the cake. Then we quickly ate the cake and went to watch the ball drop on television.

My Aunt and Uncle
After eating the delicious frosted colored cake we poured champagne into plastic cups. When my aunt opened the champagne bottle it popped very loudly. There was a second champagne bottle so my mom wanted to open it. This was my mom's first time opening a champagne bottle and when she opened it she freaked out. Every grown up drank champagne while watching the big ball drop. When it was 11:59 my sisters counted down to the last minute until 2015. Afterwards,  we all said Happy New Year and gave each other hugs. It was all ready 12:00 and was time to go home. That was a really fun New Year party, and I hope we will have another wonderful year.


Blowing the Candles
My New Year's resolution is to listen and be kind to my family.  I will be very nice to my sister's even when they annoy me. I will also play tag, basketball, handball, tennis, and hiding-go-seek with my siblings.




Toasting to the New Year



Grandpa and my sister

The Big Boys



How did you celebrate New Years? 

What is your New Year's resolution?