Music as Meditation: When is a Jig Not a Jig?

          Hasn't it been reported that the Philosopher Wittgenstien believed that a philosophical treatise might be written completely as a series of questions? If a serious work on the nature of reality could be written that way, why not a press release about the upcoming Music as Meditation planned for Sunday, March 1, at 5:00 PM at Christ Episcopal Church in North Conway?

          When is a Jig not a Jig? How could a jig be written in 2/4 time? Why did J. S. Bach choose such a meter for the last movement of his keyboard partita #6? Why did he choose such a complex work for the 1725 notebook he gave to his second wife Anna Magdalena Bach?

          Why does a composer so capable of complexity work with a simple theme like “Ah vous dirai-je maman” otherwise known as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star?” What makes a pianist want to play such a work? Might it be that the simple tune weaves through variations spanning light and dark, motile and lyrical?

          Had Beethoven really heard the popular tune for the second movement of his trio (opus 11) for piano, cello, and clarinet, in the lanes of Vienna? Is it helpful to balance the mathematical precision of a Bach Fugue with a romantic work like Rachmaninov's Prelude in G flat, Op 23 No 10? Why is it that so many composers write a short piece in each of the 24 usual keys? How grateful will Ms. Schwindt be to hear Mark Rossnagel play her little Etude in E flat, part of a (mostly-unfinished) set of such pieces? (Hint: the answer is very, very, grateful!)

Mark Rossnagel, visiting classical pianist, will perform at March's Music as Meditation

          And finally, what could be more important than preserving the living memory of these pieces by playing and listening to them? Will we be imbued with the emotions of the pieces, or with the opposites of those emotions?

          What is NOT in question is that we will delight in the playing of visiting pianist Mark Rossnagel, who holds a Bachelor's degree in organ performance from SUNY Binghamton, where he studied with the late Jonathan Biggers, and a Master's degree in piano performance from the University of Southern Maine, where he studied with Laura Kargul. Jenny Huang-Dale, cello, and Judith English, clarinet, are sure to join Ellen Schwindt, piano, to perform the aforementioned Beethoven Trio. We will share a poem Bach liked enough to pen into his wife's notebook and other musings on the nature of aspects and music.

           Music as Meditation is a monthly gathering of listeners and artists interested in the spiritual—though not necessarily religious—source of art and music. Music as Meditation in April has a folk music focus. The gatherings take place on the first Sunday of each month at 5 PM at Christ Episcopal Church in North Conway. Admission is free. Donations toward the upkeep of the Steinway piano are gratefully accepted. Call or e-mail Ellen Schwindt for more information: ellen.m.schwindt@gmail.com 603-447-2898.