“Funkenstein” (written and performed by Reynold D. Philipsek) Just a little dab of flotsam and jetsam I concocted in the laboratory for Halloween. These little funk riffs have been laying around in my “attic” for many years. Now I have finally found a final resting place for them. I first “unearthed” these riffs in my late teens only to “reanimate” […]
For some odd reason Autumn stirs deep memories in me. As of late I have thought a lot about my grandmother. She spoke very little English and always pronounced my name as “Ronyal”. She was a very tiny woman and a prolific rose gardener. Only now (alas, too late) do I realize what a unique link I had not only
My hobby is and has been for some time to study the life and works of various concert pianists. Arthur Rubinstein is a favorite and his autobiography is wonderful. I also am interested in two pianists of the 20th century who passed away before their time. That is Dinu Lipatti (1917-1950) and William Kapell (1922-1953). As of late I have
In my pursuits as an autodidact I find that one discovery leads to another and that this rather circuitous path never seems to end. So the more I search the more I “discover.” For instance, my intense interest in the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) led to my stumbling upon Carel Fabritius. Fabritius came slightly before Vermeer and both were
Carel Fabritius (1622-1654) Read More »
A pretty sure sign that your having “writers block” is when you commence making lists of your favorite compositions much like I did in my last blog. I have had “blocks” before and I don’t much let them upset me like I used to. S. J. Perelman (perhaps my favorite writer) explained them as being the natural consequence of having
Writers Block etc. Read More »
According to the BMI catalog (and they should know) I have written and recorded 233 songs thus far. This number surprised me a little but also got me to thinking on the subject. Of course many of the 233 pieces are forgotten even to me. So I thought I would compile a list of songs that I have written and
My original repertoire Read More »