I saved three lives today
I saved three lives today. What did you do?
That’s right. 3 lives, saved, because of me. I don’t know who I saved. I don’t know what was wrong with them. I don’t even know when they will be saved. But I do know that because of me, three people will be able to live longer. How do I know this? Because today, for the first time, I donated blood.
On This Day – January 20
Today we look at a composer whose life was cut short, leaving only 39 opuses, but leaving 39 works of great quality. Ernest Chausson, born on this day in 1855.
On This Day – January 19
Today we look at one of Mozart’s Late symphonies. Written in 1786, it was written to thank the people of Prague who devoutly followed his work. Mozart’s Prague symphony, Symphony No. 38, premiered on this day in 1787.
On This Day – January 18
Today we look at an army officer and a teacher of fortifications, a Russian of French and Lithuanian descent. No, I haven’t gone crazy, as he has particular significance in the history of music, being both a composer and music critic, and one of the members of The Five, or the mighty handful. He is César Cui, Born on this day in 1835.
On This Day – January 17
Today we look at a lesser known Belgian composer, who composed operas, string quartets, symphonies and choral works. While a lot of his works are not very well known, one work is known very well by all who have learnt violin through the Suzuki method. François-Joseph Gossec, born on this day in 1734.
On This Day – January 14
Today we return to the world of Opera, and look at one of the staples of the genre. This dramatic 3-act opera appears as number 8 in Opera America’s 20 most-performed Operas. Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca, premiered on this day in 1900.
The Lazy Musician
A little while ago, I wrote a few posts based on posts at Leo Babauta’s website, Zen Habits. His posts on simplicity and getting things done are often more directed to office workers (so it seems) and with good purpose – there’s quite a lot of them out there. Every now and then, I find a post that speaks to me, that says “Hey, musicians could really take something from this.” And when I find such a post, I tend to write about it, as I am doing now. Leo’s post “The Lazy Manifesto: Do Less. Then, Do Even Less.” has got me interested. Perhaps because I’m lazy.
