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welcome to PIANONOISE!             December edition






the EVERGREENS presentation
on November 30th, I presented "Sounds of Christmases past" for the Evergreens group of Sewickley Presbyterian Church. I shared some of the music I've played at Christmas over the last 35 years as a church musician. These are the pieces I played, in recordings that date from those previous churches I mentioned. Some, like the second and third, are the actual improvisations (I later wrote the music down from the recordings). And, of course, you can hear what it sounds like to be in the pipe room from one of them. I've also included the other three Pintaric Pastorales for your listening pleasure. I only played no. 2 at the presentation.

Marteau: We Gather Together

Marteau: Cold December Flies Away

Marteau: He is Born

Bach: Pastorale movement one
Bach: Pastorale movement two
Bach: Pastorale movement three
Bach: Pastorale movement four

Tunder: Canzona

Tunder: Canzona (pipe room edition)

Pintaric: Pastorale no. 2 in A

bonus:
Pintaric: Pastorale no. 1 in C

Pintaric: Pastorale no. 3 in Bb

Pintaric: Pastorale no. 4 in F

Marteau: Invitation  (this is the one I skipped)

Marteau: Nativity



Our Featured Recording It's the Vivaldi Gloria, as performed by "The Chorale" of East Central Illinois, in 2019, on the group's last concert. They have recently been reborn. Here they are under the direction of Dr. Craig Jessop, our favorite guest clinician. I am the little dot at the organ. The group's founding director was Julie Beyler.

blogs from Christmases past:




A new tradition is born

After the joyous reunion this year of all of the tiny members of the creche we keep atop our entertainment center, one of whom had been separated from the rest for a very long time, our seasonal mouse got a bright idea: why not go caroling at the gingerbread house across the way? And there was much rejoicing, and of course much off-key singing. In fact, the carolers enjoyed it so much they asked our humble mouse to organize a caroling tour to various creches in the neighborhood. Our house boasts several. Some are made of felt, some glass, some are ornaments on our tree. The mouse, an ambitious fellow, thought he'd try them all, but that was before they thought of the cat that patrols the house, and before they realized just what sort of treacherous terrain they would have to overcome. 

The first stop was a creche made of glass, on the mantle in the front room. 



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Seven things I learned from the Norad Santa Tracker



number 3 will just completely amaz--honestly, I can't even remember number three.


My wife thought I was a little bit cracked, but she humored me. A couple of Christmas Eves ago I kept a close and fascinated eye on the Norad Santa tracker.

If you've not heard of it, let me catch you up. In 1955, one company decided to advertise in the newspaper that kids could call in and talk to Santa Claus 24/7. The number they published was off by one digit. It actually (and I am completely not making this up)--it was actually a very restricted number for a senior officer at the command center for the North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD (this is where they launch the nuclear missiles, kids!). The commander who answered the phone from the first kid asking to talk to Santa Claus wasn't very pleased. Apparently he made the kid cry.


enjoy blog





Roar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe there weren't dinosaurs at the first Christmas, but we can fix that....  


[t]here's one thing that I do enjoy every year. Not the Christmas carol parodies, or the Night Before Christmas parodies, or all the radio stations playing Sleigh Ride 45 times a day for a month and a half. It's something our Bible study group does the last week of the semester. We go to the local Toys (reverse R) Us and buy toys for kids who might not get any this year because their families are on hard times.
....

This year I went with a dinosaur. Not just any dinosaur, mind you. This one was over two feet tall! With a very pink tongue! And scary all the same, even if he had just swallowed a vat of Pepto Bismol.


enjoy blog