The glorious instrument inside the rebuilt Frauenkirche in Dresden. Built by Daniel Kern, the organ possesses reconstructed stops from the original Gottfried Silbermann organ design as well as the addition of a fourth manual and stops suitable for 19th century symphonic literature.

The best thing I ate while abroad: a Schaumrolle from the (rightfully!) famous Demel bakery in Vienna.

Eastern European choir tour

Needless to say, it has been an insane semester, as evidenced by my deafening silence. Here is a juicy tidbit, not as an apology, but as the beginning of an explanation. I took this photograph on the Pest side of Budapest, on the second day of my Eastern European choir tour (more to follow).

Ave Maria

Words? completely insufficient. Music has a sublime ability to take us beyond mere human language . . .

. . . to dust

earnest narrative before the Throne,

yearnings rife and verdant,

verve and laughter, faith and dreams:

waxed inarticulate, disenchanted grown,

night-bed murmurs now 'most abjured,

fallen leaves, burning tears.

Liszt on Chopin

There you have it in the title: all the information you need to know that whatever comes next will be flowery, superfluous, and exhibitionist. Or will it?

Below is a quote from Liszt's biography on Chopin, aptly titled The Life of Chopin. Of course, this quote is a translation, but I think that much of the original panache was retained. It can't be doubted that Liszt had a flair for notes and for words. (Side note: if you think this bit contains rather Romanticized language, read the rest of the book first.)

However, what Liszt says here is not superfluous at all, and in fact, remains relevant to the state of "art music" in the classical world today, or to any new music for that matter. Even beyond that, any new Art at all often requires both a present push for acceptance and a simultaneous patience for time to reveal any lasting worth.

So, without caving to the need to say too much, and thus without insulting your ability to read between the lines (and I am not referring to staff lines), here it is.

"With the musical art it must of necessity be the case that the introduction of unaccustomed forms will present an obstacle to the immediate comprehension of a new work. The impressions it makes will be new, and new impressions, by their very novelty, produce surprise, and even weariness; and that very surprise and fatigue will, to many, make the new work sound like a message written in a language they do not understand, and which, on that very account, they will be likely to pronounce barbarous and uncouth. The ear will not without effort grow accustomed to the new language, and many will not study it because they will not go to the necessary trouble. The new work must win its way through the medium of the younger and more vivid imaginations, which are less under the thrall of habit, and of those more ardent souls which are at first attracted by curiosity and then filled with restless zeal for the new idiom. Through these channels it will finally penetrate to the obdurate crowd, which will then finally apprehend its meaning, its aim and its construction, and be able to appreciate the beauties which it offers. Composers who do not confine themselves within the narrous bounds of conventional routine have therefore more necessity to wait for the verdict of time."

Germany Goodness

I just realized that out of the five pictures I have ever posted, this is the second featuring an organ. But that doesn't give you grounds to grumble and bumble about my predilection for posting pipe panoramas. I mean, I'm an organist, after all. What did you expect? That's only a 2/5ths occurrence rate . . .

This picture is just a taste of my 2006 travel adventures with my sister. We attended a service at the Jesuitenkirche on a Sunday and then (gasp! sacré bleu!) took covert pictures of the phenomenal interior. The church boasts to be the largest and finest Baroque church in southwest Germany. Mozart, who lived in Mannheim for a year, praised the church for its ambiance and acoustics. Built between 1733 and 1760, it was damaged during WWII (like much of the city) but has been completely restored to its original condition. The morning service rites were formal and impressive, as expected--as was the skill of the organist.

The organ case is primarily by an anonymous artist but includes 16 registers from the post-war Paul Egell case. The current four-manual instrument was installed in 1965 by Johannes Klais and acoustically optimized in 2004. My only regret is that I didn't have a chance to play it. Maybe next time?