: The Impossible Dream
This will be the finale in a trifecta of posts about literature. Advanced warming: this post contains some crude language that I don’t normally use in polite company (and I know that everyone reading this is the epitome of politeness).
Most likely you already got the titled reference above – but just in case – I am of course referring to Don Quixote written by Cervantes and originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615. The last time I read Don Quixote was in high school – most of it was over my head. This time round it was great fun and very revealing.
So much has been said about this book (it was the first post-modern novel, etc, etc) that I can safely skip over any plot summary and/or analysis; I’ll assume that everyone is familiar with the basics. What struck me is how real it felt – I cringed at the cruel blows inflicted on poor Don Quixote & Sancho Panza. But beyond that? Cervantes was way ahead of his time in many ways, but one thing in particular jumped out at me. He did something that no other major novelist would do for centuries to come. To wit: he wrote about the – umm – messier aspects of human existence.
Yes. Don Quixote & Sancho Panza shit, piss, and throw up. Sancho refers to excreting as “That which no one else can do for you.” There’s a good portion of one chapter re-counting Sancho’s having to “hold it in” to stop the Don from doing something foolish. Sancho finally lets loose. No other novelist that followed for centuries mentioned these topics (at least to my limited knowledge).
- Did Anna Karenina bother to empty her bladder before she threw herself under that train? Nyet.
- Did Atticus Finch take a dump before he gave his stirring speech in To Kill A Mockingbird? I reckon not.
- Did Mary Poppins ever clean up vomit? Beats me, never read the book. But I doubt it.
But maybe I’ve overlooked something obvious.
Anyway, I highly recommend Don Quixote. The Edith Grossman translation was great, but I’m sure they’re all good.
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Rumble for Two Pianos
I have no upcoming concerts or appearances, but I have a new composition to tout. Rumble For Two Pianos started as an idea I got during a break at a Better Off Dead gig at the Great Notch Inn in December 2019. I heard this slinky left hand boogie-woogie bass line. When I got home I immediately logged into the computer and recorded it. In the next few weeks I fooled around with it for a bit and came up with a raw idea involving not one but two pianos. By using two pianos, one piano could double up on the left hand boogie-woogie line to really pump it up, while the second piano could all sorts of cool right hand stuff. I then put it on the back burner due to a glut of ideas competing for my attention.
I fooled around with this a bit in 2020 and then sporadically last summer. Finally this November I started serious work. In December I played a first draft at a New York Composers Circle salon; I got a lot of good feedback from my fellow composers and have incorporated some of their suggestions into the piece. It’s not quite finished, but it’s close enough to give folks a sneak peak.
This is possibly the single most rock & roll piece I’ve written since starting this composing thing – and also the most atonal / dissonant. I’m curious to get your reactions. You can listen here: Rumble for Two Pianos.