Note:
As if I didn't have enough problems - NONE of my computer keyboards are working. I'm presently using an online "virtual" keyboard, which is absolute hell.
Have to get a new keyboard. Don't know when I'll be back. Hope everyone had a very pleasant Thanksgiving.
Here is a rerun post from last year. Jon
I wanted to post some music associated with turkeys, in honor of Thanksgiving - but turkey music seems to be nearly non-existent.
The once-popular Turkey Trot dance (over 100 years ago) isn't foremost in my piano repertoire.
And I've always disliked Turkey in the Straw.
So I searched through my music files and extracted an old recording I made of the Rooster Rag.
Heck, roosters are sort of similar to turkeys - - and if you're drunk enough you can't even tell the difference.
I finally made a video to accompany the music. I threw it together in less than half an hour - which explains the shabby quality.
I'll readily confess that it isn't easy to do anything creative with a rooster theme.
The Rooster Rag was composed by Muriel Pollack (1895-1971) and published in 1917.
Pollack was a composer/lyricist who started out as a piano player for silent movies. She studied at the New York Institute of Musical Art (which later became Julliard) and eventually had a fairly successful musical career.
Her full name was Mary Muriel Pollock Groll Donaldson (she was married twice). Born in New York, died in Hollywood, California.
I heard that Muriel initially wrote The Rooster Rag when she was about seventeen, but it wasn't published until several years later.
It's a brilliant piece and fun to play.
If you listen to this recording carefully, you'll probably hear the music manuscript fall off the piano (around 1:12) while I was in the middle of the performance.
Fortunately I kept valiantly playing without missing much of a beat......
Jon (2021)
Video best viewed full screen
Oh no! I didn't even know there was such a thing as a virtual keyboard online. I am totally lost without Dagan and Leah to help me with computer stuff. I hope you get yourself sorted online again soon!
ReplyDeleteYou certainly did a commendable job with an online keyboard. Like Rita, was not aware of them. I seem to be out of the loop on most things these days. Oh well. I got a kick out of The Rooster Rag. I wish you'd post more videos of your music/playing the piano. Classical music would be wonderful Do you like Sate? Probably not everyone's cup of tea. I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, and that pie was consumed with delight! It sure looked heavenly!
ReplyDeleteTake care and hope you get the keyboard thing sorted out soon. Don't be gone too long.
Paranormal John
Oops. I missed the 'i' in Satie.
ReplyDeleteJon, I spent my childhood and adolescence with chickens in the yard and always enjoyed the compound & confounded rhythm of their movements. Sure liked the music! Past 4 days have been consumed by plumbing and I'm thankful for the respite you furnished here.
ReplyDeleteJon, can you contact me by way of my blog email and provide your last name, mailing address. I'm not sending spam emails, just holiday greetings to fellow bloggers and I prefer to do it the old-fashioned way by mail delivery; hang the expense as the postage is one of my "gifts" to myself although at the rate it's increasing, I may have to ask Santa to deliver holiday greetings by reindeer sled.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I had commented earlier on this blog post, but it seems to have been lost in blog cyberspace or perhaps because we were not home. In that lost comment, I commented that your homemade cooking looked good to someone who often does the same with whatever veggies are left in the fridge - make soup. Also, your pies looked good to me as I rarely attempt homemade crusts. I hope that you and Bosco had a good celebration. If we lived closer you would definitely be on our Friendsgiving invite list.
ReplyDeleteOh no! I hope you are back up and running SOON Jon!!
ReplyDelete