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!!
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) : “ [...]
This is just another example of the musical point that I have been trying to make with Weiss Music Minutes in various genres: very many complete and satisfying musical ideas can be stated in 60 seconds or less (also look out for Weiss Medical Minutes.) In any case, this little recording of the first 16 bars (with a two bar intro) of Debussy’s Reverie is a perfect example. (Moreover, not only can this dream-like introductory section stand on its own, it is so unique and has such resonance that many people will hear this section once and remember it for the rest of their lives!) This performance was inspired by seeing Hershey Felder as Debussy at the Laguna Playhouse recently. If you haven’t yet seen him perform, remember his name, look him up on google, and see him somewhere. He performs all over the world, but comes to Laguna at least once a year. Enjoy, Dr. Weiss P.S. A few other Debussy-related performances: Happy Birthday Stevie Wonder, Happy Mother's Day 2018 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 [...]
On This Day (March 31) in 1685 Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the greatest composers of all time, was born in present-day Germany. Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Haydn and Schumann were all fans and were strongly influenced by Bach. Bach’s Inventions (and Sinfonias), 30 short keyboard compositions in all, were originally written as musical exercises for his students, to help them learn how to play two voices clearly. A bit more about Bach. One of his most enduring legacies was a collection of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys, which he called the Well-Tempered Clavier. This collection is regarded as being among the most important works in the history of classical music, sometimes called the Old Testament of keyboard music. Although I had seen the phrase ‘well-tempered’ I really never knew what it meant. Well-tempered refers to the employment of a tuning system that would work equally well in all keys—a circumstance rare in Bach’s day. In 1722, the scale in use today (equal temperament, where the octave is split into 12 equal steps that we call semi-tones) had not yet been codified. There were unequal intervals between the notes within an octave. What [...]
Moonlight Sonata (the Piano Sonata No. 14 in C# minor “Quasi una fantasia”, Op, 27, No. 2) is a piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven completed in 1801. The piece is one of Beethoven's most popular compositions for the piano. The name "Moonlight Sonata" comes from remarks made by a music critic 5 years after Beethoven's death, that likened the effect of the first movement to that of moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne. I can see that. Well put! Berlioz said that it "is one of those poems that human language does not know how to qualify". This sonata was very popular even in Beethoven's day, to the point of exasperating the composer himself, who once remarked, "Surely I've written better things." I guess even back in the day, musicians could never tell which of their songs would be hits! This performance of the first movement of Moonlight Sonata is dedicated to the over 40 people who have requested it, including Lisa M. Thanks. I really enjoy playing it! 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. [...]
On this day (March 26) in 1827, Ludvig van Beethoven, one of our great classical composers, died in his apartment in Vienna at the age of 56 during a thunderstorm (and there reportedly was a peal of thunder at the moment of death!) I didn’t realize that Beethoven apparently had a sense of humor. His last recorded words were "Pity, pity—too late!", as the dying composer was told of a gift of twelve bottles of wine from his publisher. Adieux to the Piano was one of the greatly popular parlor pieces for the piano during much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Although attributed to Beethoven, there is some controversy. During the 19th century unscrupulous publishers (so the music business is the same more than 200 years later!) would frequently attempt to improve sales of their works by slapping Beethoven's name onto them. However, it is listed in the library of congress by Beethoven. In any case, there is a simple meditative peacefulness to this song, and it’s fun to play! Beethoven also wrote the popular "Moonlight Sonata", which clocks in at around 4 minutes (I play it a little faster than usual.) It's a fun piece and I'd love to share that with [...]
Minute Waltz On This Day (March 1) in 1810 Frederic Chopin was born in Warsaw, Poland. Chopin's music, his status as one of music's earliest superstars, his association with political insurrection, his high-profile love-life, and his early death have made him a leading symbol of the Romantic era. He was a child prodigy (giving public concerts by the age of 7), and at the age of 21, settled in Paris where he lived for the last 18 years of his short life. He died at the age of 39, probably of pericarditis aggravated by tuberculosis (Mozart, another child musical prodigy, was born about 50 years earlier and also died at a tragically young age - 35.) The Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No. 1, has long been known as the "Minute" Waltz. Its nickname was intended to mean "small" in the sense of a "miniature" waltz. Chopin never intended for this waltz to be played in just one minute. A typical performance of the work will last between 1½ and 2½ minutes (this one clocks in at about 2 min, 20 seconds), but sounds great to me when played even slower! Chopin got the inspiration for this waltz as [...]
Mozart began writing dances when he was five years old! The minuet was slightly old-fashioned by Mozart's time. It was of aristocratic origin, elegant and stately. Mozart passionately loved dancing, and never missed the public masked balls in the theatre or his friends' domestic balls. Although a short piano piece, this is a good example of the simplicity of Mozart’s genius. 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!!
This performance of “Fantasia in D Minor” is dedicated to and requested by my friend Monique B. Fantasy in D minor (composed in 1782), left unfinished by the composer, is one of Mozart’s most well- known and most popular pieces for the piano. For me, one of the most interesting things about this piece (besides its unique beauty) is that it was later discovered that the last 10 measures were completed by another musician - but nobody knew it for over a hundred years! It was only in 1944 – roughly a century and a half after Mozart’s death and the publication of the fantasy – that a scholar questioned the authenticity of the final 10 measures of Mozart’s fantasy. Now we know that the last ten measures of Mozart’s "Fantasy" are not by Mozart, but were composed by his contemporary and admirer, August Müller. Listen for a dominant chord and a long pause just before the final 10 measures - that’s where Mozart left it! Can you imagine the music Mozart would have written had he lived past the age of 35! You may notice that the keyboard that I am playing has rows of lights above the keys. [...]
As you've probably read in the email (you ARE on our email list right? ), I sat down to record a version of "Waltz of the Flowers" last night, and completed the recording only to find that I already had a previous version of the same movement! Well, rather than discard a take, I thought it would be interesting to share both pieces of music with you. While they are similar, there are certain differences in the performance that I can hear. I'm curious - which one do you like better? There are also slight differences in the recordings - (and a couple wrong notes) but I'm interested in the difference in performances, rather than sound quality or notes. This contest also gives me another opportunity to spotlight Weiss Music Minutes! As you may recall, I have been trying to offer evidence that the essence of many complete musical ideas (and songs) can be distilled down to under 60 seconds. I'm hope you'll agree that you will recognize this piece of music by Tchaikovsky as a complete musical concept - in just a minute! Let me know which one you preferred, and if your opinion happens to land in the majority, you'll get [...]
Well, this Mother’s Day has been quite the confluence of events! Of course, Mother’s Day is Sunday May 13th. As you’ll hear in the video, I decided to play a famous piece of music for my mom called “Claire De Lune” by Claude Debussy; I had played the song some 40 years ago at my mother’s wedding. As I began playing it, I realized suddenly that the middle section of Debussy’s composition has a modulation to the same key as another song I was working on – “The Secret Life of Plants” by Stevie Wonder. And guess when Stevie’s birthday is? Yep – May 13th! But wait – the connections don’t end there! It turns out that Wonder and Debussy are musically related (in a matter of speaking). Claude Debussy was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and 20th centuries, much as Stevie Wonder is one of the most influential composers of the late 20th and 21st centuries. Debussy was also a child prodigy – he entered the Paris Conservatory at the age of 10 (Wonder debuted on the public stage at the tender age of around 11 or 12). Debussy was associated with the Impressionist […]
