Beauty Will Save the World

I am a pianist, music teacher, photographer, and writer. But of all the mediums of communication, music for me is the most authentic and natural. Music at its best is arguably humankind’s most potent conveyor of transcendent beauty. When you hear truly beautiful music, it dissolves all boundaries between self and other, self and world It is ephemeral and yet utterly real. I recently found a quote from the great Russian writer, Feodor Dostoevsky. He said, “Beauty will save the world.” I humbly submit that as the context for this blog post and others to come.

I was born into a musical family and grew up in Westchester County, New York during the 1960’s and '70’s. For as long as I can remember music was a source of joy and inspiration. I studied piano from the time I was 7 and continued playing off and on for the better part of the next two decades. I am now playing and teaching music full-time in the Berkshire region of Western Massachusetts. (watch YouTube video )

My mother had a profound and enduring musical influence on me—she forged my relationship to music by helping me understand what makes music “sing.” During the 1940’s and ‘50’s, she studied with the Polish pianist, Leopold Mittman, who was accompanist to violinists Isaac Stern and Mischa Ellman. My mother remained an “amateur” pianist – she never had a concert career. Regardless, she succeeded in transmitting to me a discerning ear for truly beautiful music, and what is required of a musician to bring that beauty forth. When my mother recounted her lessons with Mr. Mittman, she communicated the awe he evoked as he played the great repertoire of the Western world—Chopin, Brahms, Beethoven. Music came to life for her in his Upper West-side Manhattan apartment.

Now in her late 70’s my mother continues to play piano and has even returned to piano teaching —something she gave up for many years. She continues to share with me recordings by some of her favorite pianists (like Vladimir Horowitz—watch video). My mother has also become a tag-sale enthusiast. One day last fall, she found an old book on piano pedagogy at a local garage sale. It traced the lineage of the great piano teaching traditions through the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The one fact she knew about her teacher’s background was that he studied with the Scottish-born composer and pianist, Eugen D’Albert. What she discovered last fall in the yellowed pages of that book, was that D’Albert studied with Franz Liszt, and Liszt studied with Beethoven. I was astounded. We both were.

I will continue to post my thoughts and reflections on music and more, illustrated with audios, videos and an assortment of other links. I look forward to sharing these with you and hearing your responses.