Welcome to my music blog - The Soundtrack of My Life!

Many of you have asked me “What’s with all the music, Dr. Weiss?” Well, as I’ve told some of you:

I personally call every surgery patient on the evening of surgery just to make sure they are doing well and have no questions that need answering. Occasionally, I would be at the piano and play a song that we had listened to that day. I gradually realized that I wanted to go through all the music that I had played during my life and at least start making a list of the songs that I had recently played.

Well, there are now about 600 songs on the list and I realized that it in a way it represented the ‘soundtrack of my life’! And that’s how I got the idea to record these songs and share them with my patients, friends and family. After I record them they will reside here, for easy access.

Music is truth. It’s honest. It’s really the first social media, where in a way, people could share their souls directly. And isn’t that what the purpose of social media is and why it’s so popular - trying to share who you really are, as completely and directly as possible?

Finally, it has been (and will continue to be) a genuine pleasure sharing these different songs with you and I really appreciate all of your positive feedback!!

Musical Genres

Chopin 1

Chopin Waltz in G# Minor Op 64 No 2

March 1, 2024

Frederic Chopin Waltz in G# Minor, OP. 64, No 2 (3:31) On this day, March 1, 1810, Frederic Chopin was born in Poland. He was a Polish-French composer and pianist of the classical Romantic period. He moved to Paris at age 21 where he lived until his death at age 39 in 1849. In my opinion, this is one of his most beautiful waltzes (although that’s a difficult choice!) Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Dedicated to David G. and Charlie B. Some information from Wikipedia Related Posts: Chopin Waltz in Gb Major Op 70 No 1 Chopin Waltz in F Minor Op 70 No 2  (Haunting) Chopin Waltz in Db Major Op 64 No 1 (“MInute Waltz”)

Mozart with play button horizontal 4

Sonata in C Major

January 27, 2024

Mozart: Sonata in C Major (9:30) Three Movements: I Allegro, II Andante, III Rondo Allegretto Recorded 1/25/24   Mozart was born on this day January 27 in 1756. This Sonata was composed 1788 – 236 years ago, three years before his death at age 35. Although the piece is well known today, it was not published in Mozart’s lifetime and first appeared in print in 1805. A typical performance takes about 11 minutes, but I think I play the second and third movements a little faster, so it clocks in at 9:30. Because we all seem to have shorter attention spans, I’ve been trying to keep my recordings to under 3-4 minutes, but this complete sonata is so delicate and beautiful that I was compelled to record all three movements. It’s well worth a relaxing 9-minute 30-second listen. I realized that there were so many notes, that I didn’t need to use the damper pedal at all, and doing so allows us to hear the left-hand harmonic themes more clearly, especially between 3:53 and 4:07. According to Wikipedia, “Despite his short life, Mozart’s rapid pace of composition resulted in more than 800 works of virtually every Western classical genre of his time. Many […]

Mozart with play button horizontal 4

Theme from Symphony in G Minor (First Movement) (1:31)

December 5, 2023

Theme from Symphony in G Minor (First Movement) (1:31) “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart This symphony is unquestionably one of Mozart’s most greatly admired works, composed in 1788 at the age of 32. (He was to die 3 years later.)  The fact that we are still humming this melody is a testament to the unique nature and magic of music. Few things stand the test of time more than music: maybe because the music still lives on and is present among us. But not just any music – who besides Mozart and some other classical composers will be widely known in another 235 years? Frank Sinatra, Lennon/McCartney, Bob Dylan and possibly Stevie Wonder? Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550, is one of only two symphonies Mozart wrote in minor keys and reflects his interest in the artistic movement known as Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress), in which darker and stronger emotions were showcased. The year 1788 was a dark one for Mozart. Viennese audiences were proving less eager to hear his concerts and recitals, bills were piling up, and his infant daughter Theresia had just died. Letters to friends […]

The Secret Life of Plants title

The Secret Life Of Plants – Debussy Intro

May 22, 2023

The Secret Life of Plants Words and Music by Stevie Wonder with an introduction by Debussy I came upon this song that I recorded about 5 years ago and it was so beautiful that I thought I’d share it again. The music is haunting and evocative of a secret communication between plants that we may be unaware of. And as always, Stevie’s words say it all: And what we think as insignificant, provides the purest air we breathe… But if you ask yourself where would you be, without them you will find, you would not So please join me in marveling at the wonders of nature, and take a break from all of our worldly concerns, for at least a few minutes (3:42 to be exact.) Enjoy, Dr. Weiss PS For the story behind my arrangement: click here PSS Plant lovers might enjoy a book that a patient of mine turned me on to: The Overstory by Richard Powers, which was heavily inspired by the life and work of forest ecologist Suzanne Simard. Simard is best known for her research on how  fungi and roots facilitate communication and interaction between trees and plants, and her own book about her research being ridiculed before it was vindicated is also fascinating, Finding The […]

Chopin 1

Chopin Waltz in Gb major Op 70 No 1

March 1, 2023

Frederic Chopin Waltz in Gb Major, OP. 70, No 1 (3:31) On this day, March 1, 1810, Frederic Chopin was born in Poland. He was a Polish-French composer and pianist of the classical Romantic period. He moved to Paris at age 21 where he lived until his death at age 39 in 1849. Chopin was the master of the classical waltz, and the center section (Meno mosso at 0:53) is one of the most beautiful and sublime melodies that I know. Believe it or not, Chopin ultimately decided against publishing it, believing it unworthy of publication! However, lucky for us, it was published posthumously, after his death. I have played this waltz for years but have never felt that I have gotten my performance quite right, but I’m getting closer. I tend to play all of his waltzes rubato, which is the temporary disregarding of strict tempo to allow an expressive quickening or slackening, usually without altering the overall pace. I just know that I try to play it emotionally, as if it was pouring out of my (and Chopin’s) soul. Special Bonus Track: Waltz in G# Minor, Op. 64, No 2 (recorded February 29, 2024, 4:53) Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Dedicated to David G. and Charlie B. Some […]

Beethoven

Beethoven 250th Birthday Celebration!

December 17, 2020

Moonlight Sonata and Adieu to the Piano Ludwig van Beethoven Well, unfortunately today’s Covid news is not any better since yesterday, but today we do have something momentous to celebrate! Today it has been 250 years since Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany. He is one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music. Here are links to two of his many popular compositions. I guess I started playing Moonlight Sonata in high school many years ago, and it has given me memories of many hours of peaceful tranquility. Adieu to the Piano is a more recent addition for me, and works perfectly as a ‘Weiss Music Minute.’ Thanks for the memories, Ludwig! Moonlight Sonata (4:30) https://www.drweiss.com/2019/03/29/moonlight-sonata/ Adieu to the Piano (1 minute) https://youtu.be/VqLksqpskT4 Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Bosendorfer piano sound - For this recording I’m playing a Yamaha Clavinova – which has the same keyboard action as a traditional acoustic piano, but there are no strings. Pressing a key activates (in this case) a sound which was sampled from a Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand piano. Try listening to it with a good set of headphones! It sounds better than any piano I've ever played!!
Traumerei Robert Schumann

Traumerei

January 6, 2020

Robert Schumann was a German composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Kinderszenen, or “Scenes from Childhood", Op. 15, is a set of thirteen pieces of music for piano written in 1838. Movement No. 7 of the work, Träumerei or “Dreaming”, is one of Schumann's best known pieces. This short piece is a little tricky to play, because if you follow closely you’ll notice that there are sections where the melody alternates between the right and the left hand. Anyway, it all comes out sounding pretty dreamy, and I suppose it sounds pretty romantic also! This performance is dedicated to Tom S, Takuya N,  David P,  and Stevie W Enjoy, Dr. Weiss PS  Another 2 minute tune! Bosendorfer piano sound - For this recording I’m playing a Yamaha Clavinova – which has the same keyboard action as a traditional acoustic piano, but there are no strings. Pressing a key activates (in this case) a sound which was sampled from a Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand piano. Try listening to it with a good set of headphones! It sounds better than any piano I've ever owned!!
Chopin 1

Chopin Waltz in F Minor, Op 70 No 2

December 12, 2019

Chopin was yet another child prodigy. He completed his musical education and composed his earlier works in Warsaw before leaving Poland for Paris at the age of 21.  Thereafter—in the last 18 years of his life—he gave only 30 public performances, preferring the more intimate atmosphere of the salon! This beautiful little piece was published after his death. Just think - Chopin could never listen to this masterpiece as we can, because the pianos that we play now were not yet made.  Chopin died in 1849, and it was not until 1855 that Steinway & Sons introduced the first square piano with a new scale that revolutionized the sound quality and was adopted by all future manufacturers. Once the most successful components of the various grand piano designs were established, many manufacturers began patenting their own combinations and changes to construction. In 1859, Steinway & Sons contributed to this evolution of the grand piano with the introduction of their full iron frame with fan-shaped strings and overstrung scale. In my mind, Chopin prefigured the impressionists who revolutionized painting starting shortly after Chopin’s death.  I have the following impressions in my mind as I’m playin this song: a fluttering candle, the [...]
Liebestraum blog

Liebestraum (A Dream Of Love) No. 3 theme

August 17, 2019

Liebesträum (German for Dreams of Love) is a set of three solo piano works by Franz Liszt, published in 1850. This is the hauntingly beautiful theme for the third of these piano solos. The poems on which the songs are based depict three different forms of love; exalted love (saintly or religious love), erotic love, and unconditional mature love (the subject of the current theme.) Liebestraum No. 3 is the last of the three that Liszt wrote, and the most popular. What’s really interesting and somewhat unusual about this section of the piano piece is that the melody frequently changes between the hands.  See if you can follow my fingers as the melody alternates between my right and left hands. Particularly starting at around the 1 minute  mark, I am constantly amazed at how the melody seems to be kind of drifting up between my hands even as I’m playing it! To quote Gary Myers (a great artist from the NY state finger lake region who has graciously allowed me to use his beautiful painting of the same name to match the mood of the piece) talking about his painting (but his impressions also apply to the music) :  “ [...]