This week I am returning to my musical roots, Classical Music. I have chosen a piece by Franz Liszt, Liebestraum, or known in English as Love Dream. This piece of music was written by Liszt in 1850 and is not too difficult to play but extremely difficult to make is sound smooth and dreamy. The version I have chosen to illustrate this beautiful song is played as a duet with piano and cello.
On Father’s Day I wrote a tribute to my father. This article is, in effect, a tribute to my Father’s father, my Grandfather. He was more than a simple Minnesota farmer. He loved music and in his spare time built about 90 violins. Most of the violins were given away to friends but his favorite violin was given to me after we played a duet of this song, me on the piano and gramps on a violin instead of the cello shown in this You Tube.
Even though I had practiced this piece of music to death, the experience of playing with my grandfather was a memory that will last my lifetime. When we finished the tears were streaming down my Grandfather’s cheeks and I was upset because I had never seen him cry before. But when he handed me his precious violin he smiled and said “John somewhere in your musical career, you will need this” I could never make the violin sound good, it was squeek, squeek. Now the violin hangs in our music room with a picture of my Grandfather playing his violin.
Franz Liszt was born in what is now Hungary in 1811 and lived until he was 75. He was considered a “Rock Star” in the music salons all across Europe. He was an outstanding pianist and composer and remains one of the Giants of music along with Bach, Beethoven Chopin etc.