Welcome to my first monthly blog. In these posts, I hope to share with you news about listening to and performing music, plus a bit of chat about life in this beautiful part of the country. There will also be a ukulele song tab for subscribers.
Most of you know I live in the picturesque village of North Queensferry in Fife. At the heart of the village is the The Forth Bridge. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (picture above is from my front door). The bridge was opened in 1890 and today it still does the job that it was designed to do - carry trains. Around 200 trains cross over the bridge everyday. In the summer, I love to watch the steam trains cross.
Happy Birthday Grieg
Edvard Grieg was born In Bergen Norway on 15th June 1843 (died 1907). He is the country's most celebrated composer. His love for his beloved Norway is evident throughout his music with fragments of Norwegian folk music peppered within pieces. Most music lovers are familiar with his popular works: Piano Concerto in A minor, Peer Gynt Suite and The Holberg Suite.
The piano composition Wedding Day at Troldhaugen taken from the Lyric Pieces was written to commemorate Grieg and his wife Nina's own silver wedding Anniversary.
Here is a beautiful graphic score of the composition. A graphic score is a different way of notating a piece of music. Each line, space and shape represents a different pitch. Enjoy!
Thank you aniMIDIfy for this clip.
Happy Birthday Brian Wilson (Beach Boys)
Another Happy Birthday...and to a hero of mine - Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys.
Brian will be 78 on 20th June. He was born in 1942. I have never met Brian - but I did meet his cousin Jerry, who came to my music lecture on Beach Boys v's Beatles on The Norwegian Star in 2016 (no pressure then!).
What a talent and musical genius Brian Wilson is. You do not really have to be a Beach Boys fan to appreciate the orchestrations, harmonies and creative arrangements of his music. Think Pet Sounds - breathtaking in parts.
If you want to know more about Brian Wilson I can recommend "I am Brian Wilson " with Ben Greenman and the inspiring but intense at times biopic "Love and Mercy" with the talented Paul Dano as the young Brian Wilson.
One of the best songs ever composed in my opinion is "God Only Knows' - Paul McCartney agrees! I was lucky to see and hear Brian perform this in August 2018 and while at times he appeared frail, nothing could detract from one of the 20th century's great maestros singing the perfect song...here is a short clip of that performance....Apologies for my poor phone video recording.
Ukulele Add on
I hope subscribers enjoy the Ukulele TAB "Fun Fun Fun" by the Beach Boys.
Please subscribe for (free) monthly Ukulele TAB.
Bye for now friends.....see you July
Ivy x
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