My love affair with Bach's music goes back a very long way. Of course as one marches up the student piano grades, one encounters a lot of music by Bach. Why play more Bach after all the exams are done? There is so much Chopin to learn, after all. I guess it has to do with brain waves, and how the music of Bach resonates in there. After graduating with a B. Mus way back in '79, one of the first things I did was to sit down at the piano and relearn (or learn for the first time) all of the Bach two-part inventions. There are fifteen of them, and as the name implies, only two notes are ever played at the same time. The left and right hands work independently of one another, something that takes years to master. In advanced theory, one has to compose a two-part invention, a daunting task. Bach wrote them for two main reasons: finger independence training for students, including his own kids, and as a way of learning how to compose.
One cannot simply put two notes together and assume they will work within the rules of harmony. Instead, one must think in four part harmony when composing, but only write the two voices that will best express this. Okay, we know a bit about the two parts, now let's move on to the "invention." What is an invention for Bach? It is a musical idea, a single theme. It may only be a few notes, or it may run on for several measures. This idea is what the piece is based on, and though the hands work independently, they each get to play the theme at various times and in various guises. Each of the 15 two part inventions are written with a single idea in mind. Only one of them has the hands copy each other exactly (called a canon), but at slightly different times. Youtube can provide a source for hearing the inventions. #1 is a great place to being, to get the idea of what Bach is doing. It can be daunting for non keyboard players to get into the music of Bach's keyboard writing, but the first invention will get you started. #2 is the canon, but all the rest are somewhat similar to #1. Bach explores all of the "beginner" keys in the inventions, and alternates a major tonality with a minor one. If you enjoy hearing pieces in a minor key, then listen to the even numbered ones (and #15).
My newest piano program is entitled "Exploring Minimalist Compositions." It opens with two pieces by Bach. One of them is a two part invention, #8 in f minor. Virtually any keyboard work by Bach can fit into a definition of minimalism. He always uses a basic idea, like in the inventions, and uses the rest of the piece to expand upon this idea. The invention in #8 is a long and flowing one, taking a full four measures to run its course before the left hand gets its turn to state the idea. But what does the left hand do while the right hand is introducing the theme? That's a great question! Essentially it is underscoring and supporting the main idea, by using passages that either strongly resemble what the right hand is doing, or that highlight the idea, giving it depth and meaning from the get-go. In the very first invention Bach allows one hand to be silent while the other hand first presents the theme. But #8 is quite different. Give it a listen. All of the inventions are very short. More about Bach next time.
In doctor news, Deb got to see a new specialist yesterday. We are now faced with the "flowering doctor tree," where one appointment now leads to three others. Two more next week, one of which is her regular RA infusion. But next Friday she sees her third kind of specialist related to her breathing issues, readily apparent when she goes uphill. Previously, her heart got the green light, as did her lungs. So what is going on? Stay tuned.
It has been dark and gloomy here at the Homestead of late. No sun in many days now. We still haven't had a proper frost, though it can't be too long now. Our main printer/scanner became infected with a disease that seems to preclude any hope of proper alignment. So a new one was ordered, coming free thanks to all those Visa points we earned on our journey last month. We still have to set it up. I put a new colour ink cartridge in the old one, but it will no longer align. It prints a very strange and somewhat freaky sort of writing and imaging. I managed to get it aligned once, but once it was turned off and back on again, it was back to its freaky mode.
And one of our phones would no longer update. So we had to buy a new phone, and they are getting rather expensive. But our systems are now updated, and the new phone works much better than the older one. It also has a better screen and a better camera. So there.
In film news, we have now completed the 9-part series called Self Portrait as a Coffee Pot. This had many moments of total brilliance, including episode 8, which took a very different look at Russia in the 1930s, especially Stalin, Lenin, and Trotsky, but also including several other members of the bully brigade. The point was that historical times cannot simply be understood by focusing on one or two major characters. Rather, the entire scene must be filled in in order to gather a more faithful understanding. So no more coffee pot episodes. Among the best TV we have ever watched.
Deb also chose an animated feature called My Life As A Zucchini. Directed by Claude Barras and from 2016, it is a family friendly stop motion animated film about what happens to a creative little boy after his mother dies accidentally. It tugs at heartstrings at times, and at others is very funny. Highly recommended. From Deb, "the animation is amazing."
Earlier I chose a very silly French farce called The Rendez-Vous of Deja-Vu. From 2013, it is directed by Antonin Peretjatko. It reminded me of American teenage bikini beach movies from the 60s, the kind with Annette and Frankie. A group of misfits heads to to the beach, but along the way they become separated, each group undergoing some harrowing and often funny adventures. Satirizing French politics, society, and relationships, true love (or true determination) win out in the end. No real reason to watch this, but it was mildly entertaining most of the time, and very funny some of the time.
Mapman Mike
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