Music
Best Songs for Sons and Daughters on Father’s Day, part 4
Third place. Just the two of us… by Will Smith. The rather generic song, written by William Salter, was popularized by Washington Grover. Will Smith made it into a rap, and sang about a special bond between father and son. The sacred bond. In the video, Smith takes his son
Best Songs for Sons and Daughters on Father’s Day, part 3
Second place Cat Stevens composed and recorded Fathers and Sons before he changed his name to Yusuf Islam. It’s not time to make a changeJust relax, take it easyYou’re still young, that’s your faultThere’s so much you have to knowFind a girl, settle downIf you want, you can marry… The
Best Songs for Sons and Daughters on Father’s Day, part 2
First place ex aequo I’m gonna be like you, dad… A folk rock classic. After his son, Josh, was born, Chapin wrote the music to his wife’s poem. The singer died a few years later in a car crash, and didn’t live long enough to witness the footprint of his
Best Songs for Sons and Daughters on Father’s Day
We have two sons and twin daughters. In our family, the Father’s Day is usually quite eventful, and I pride myself on being important to them. Recently, I realized how many songs there are recognizing the unique bond between the parents and their children. The sacred bond. I have known
The Best Polish Women Violinists
At the height of his career, Paganini was asked who was the best violin player of them all. “I don’t know who’s the best,” he answered with his natural modesty, “but the second-best is Karol Lipiński. There were many superb Polish violinists. Many of them were born when Poland was
What soccer and opera have in common
The year was 1994 and America was getting ready to host the FIFA World Soccer Cup. The United States Soccer Federation tried hard to popularize the sport, which dominates the rest of the world. The professional broadcasters wanted to use complicated statistics to enhance the appeal to the fans. Percentages,
“Hotel California”, the Song I Love So Much
Probably one of the best songs from the 70s. Maybe one of the best. Here is one of its original performances. The main musical theme composed out of three notes. Just three notes! A brilliant guitar solo, in the opinion of many also one of the best. Humongous crowds listening
Why Cremona Became the Capital of the Singing Wooden Box
The centers of excellence. Athens, Florence, Hangzhou in China, Vienna, Silicon Valley in California. The spikes on progress in our civilization. And there is a smaller place, located on the left bank of river Po in Lombardy, in northern Italy. Cremona. The home of violin making. The craze started in
Violin and the road to perfection
If you’ve ever listened to the second part of Paganini’s violin concerto #4… you know that a violin can be an angelic instrument. But after listening to Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns… you also know it can sound like a Devils fiddle. And after listening to Charlie Daniels band… now
‘Tristan und Isolde’, a Five-hours Long Trial by Fire
Tristan and Isolde. “I know of some, and have heard of many, who could not sleep after it, but cried the night away.” Mark Twain, after watching the performance. He couldn’t be accused of being an overly sentimental person. French composer Emmanuel Chabrier heard it in Munich in 1880 and broke
Is the Violin a Devil’s Instrument?
On that night, in the year 1713, I dreamed I had made a pact with the devil for my soul. Everything went as I wished: my new servant anticipated my every desire. Among other things, I gave him my violin to see if he could play. How great was my
Learning how to Like an Opera Takes Time
An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. Maria Callas The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but also the most difficult to play. Richard Strauss While in my music school in Poland, our teachers provided us with
Is There anything Worse Than an Untimely Cellphone Ring?
We have a little gem in our neighborhood. It is a bookstore. Situated in a cottage-like house, on the old, traditional farm. Surrounded by the old trees, next to the farm with belted cows. Books are displayed on elegant shelves or on the tables. Not in stalls like in B&N
