The Prize

I mailed Britney's prize off last week and got a Facebook message from her today saying that she had received it. HOORAY cause the Midvale Post Office has a history of taking a really really long time to deliver stuff. Here is what she got.

And here's a list of the songs on the CD and some of why I included each one. Hmmm. I actually don't have the exact order that is on Britney's CD. But I'll give them to you in chunks.

The first bunch are piano songs. As a pianist, I know more piano songs than other types and I really enjoy piano songs.

1. 12 Variations in C by Mozart. This is the "Twinkle Twinkle" song but in classic Classical form. I love it and really should learn it.

2. Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin. This is an awesome piece that starts with a crazy fast section, then transforms to a slow melodic section and ends up with the fast one again. The middle section's melody was used in the 40s song "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows." I don't think I've ever heard that song, but my mom would sing it whenever I practiced this one. I played it my last semester at Boise State but sure can't any more. Again, I'll have to start practicing.

3. Rhapsodie on a Theme by Paganini. This is the song used in "Somewhere in Time." I played it in high school and is a crowd favorite.

4. Claire de Lune by Debussy. This is also a very popular one used at the end of "Ocean's Eleven," when they're watching the Bellagio's fountains.

5. Reverie by Debussy. Debussy was a composer during the early 20th century. He wrote music to sound like the impressionistic paintings that were popular at the time (think Monet). This piece is one of my favorites. It's not as popular as his Clair de Lune, but I think it's equally as pretty.

6. Prelude in C by Prokofiev. I played this at Ricks the first semester I started studying music seriously. It is one of my favorite styles of pieces: a very busy background with a slower melody over the top of it. I've never heard it anywhere but myself playing it, but if it were up to me, it would be much more popular.

7. Winter Wind Etude by Chopin. I loved this piece upon first hearing it when I was at Ricks. While I've tried to play it, I've never spent enough time to get it past the first few measures. Oh well, I can still listen.

The next section is vocal/opera. I had a hard time in school appreciating classical vocal music. Then I realized that it's like any other style of music... you just have to find the pieces that call to you and then you can totally appreciate it. I didn't ever study vocally nor was I in many choirs in college, so unlike the piano ones, I haven't learned to love these through practice, just listening.

8. Wachet auf from Cantata 140 by Bach. I don't know where I learned of this piece or why it calls to me, but from the first phrase I feel peace. Don't know why, because the words are in German and mean "Wake up!"

9. Barcarolle from Les Contes d'Hoffman by Offenbach. This is the opera that was in the beginning of "Life is Beautiful." Fantastic movie doing a fantastic job of incorporating opera music.

10. O Mio Bambino Carro from Gianni Schicchi by Puccini. Again, I don't know where I learned this piece but I love it. I think Sarah Brightman does a version of it.

Last chunk is orchestral music. Again, none that I've played but many that I love.

11. The Moldau by Smetana. I was at Ricks (living with Britney) when I learned about this song in my Music and the Humanities class. I instantly loved it. It is an aural story that tells of the Moldau, a river which runs through what is now the Czech Republic. There is a "river theme," the river passes by a peasant wedding, moonlight on the river, little woodland animals, and arrives at the castle. I have shared this piece with lots and lots of folk, but it is one that should be listened to much more than it is.

12. Brandenberg Concerto #3 in G by Bach. I think Bach was a genius. When I was working, I always used ribbons when I played this song. It's such a bouncy song that the kids would run around and wave the ribbons and it was so happy!

13. Rhine Symphony in Eflat by Schumann. This is another piece written about a river. The funny thing about this one is that Schumann, being the moody and depressed musician that he was, tried to kill himself by jumping in the Rhine river. Not sure if the jump was before or after he composed this piece, but either way it's pretty funny. There are parts of this song that remind me of the soundtrack to "Willow," which I have seen a lot more often than most people.

14. New World Symphony by Dvorak. This is another classic. I'm not sure if the melody is from a spiritual or if the spiritual resulted from this piece, but the tune is the same as "Goin' Home." Love it.

There you have it. Since compiling this list, I've thought "OH I should have put that song on or OH I should have done that one." But maybe there'll be a volume ii.

And for some other birthday shots, here is Miriam and Brent performing a Scooby Doo puppet show for me. I don't think I've blogged about Miriam's undying love for all things ScoobyDoo yet. I'll save that for another day.

And here's one of Elijah and I. I love this boy!