Chopin's Ballad No.1 Op 23

This was Gregory and my favorite piece: Chopin's Ballad No.1 Op 23. (You can click to listen below.)

Many years ago Gregory became enthralled with the piece and learned one page, doubting that he would be able to do more. I encouraged him to at least try to add a little bit at a time. Over five years, Gregory at his black, shiny, Yamaha grand piano and with me lying on the couch listening to him practice and practice and practice, he proceeded to learn the entire piece.

He would ask, "Aren't you bored with hearing me make so many mistakes (also called clams)?" My answer was always, "Never!" I used to tell people that to me the greatest feeling of home was hearing Gregory's piano music singing, dancing, and flowing through our house.

Eventually Gregory went on to perform the piece for our Gay Family at Chuck and John's house in Racine, Wi at the "First Annual Musicale," where family members performed, played piano, recited poetry, etc.

Not having much talent in this way and joined by Dominic, we created trays to carry around our necks and put on paper tiaras of sorts to recreate the image of a "Cigar Girl" from days earlier, who would circulate at the 50's supper club selling cigars and cigarettes. During intermission we distributed popcorn, boxes of candy, and soda.

When it was Gregory's turn to perform I had to leave the room. I was so nervous for him. He had a fear of performing for others that stemmed from his childhood. First, his mother Helen, while responsible for giving him this life long gift, also was the typical demanding, strict, piano practice enforcing mother. At one point Gregory, during college, stopped playing because of how badly his mom had "loaded" the piano experience.

While I cannot take all the credit for helping him return to the black and whites, I will take some. But I diverge, the reason I was so nervous was that Gregory always talked about how when during his childhood recitals he would be so relieved that the piece was almost over, he would inadvertently end it by hitting a glaringly wrong note in the last few bars.

You need to know that Ballad No.1 is a very athletic piece, played by people like Arturo Rubinstein, Vladimir Horowitz, and Daniel Barenboim for an encore at Carnegie Hall! At the "Musicale" he played the piece flawlessly to a standing ovation from the group. You should have seen his face!

After Gregory slowly became unable to play piano anymore, he decided that it was time to sell it. If he couldn't play it well, why not let someone who could, have it. We found a young composer, recently returned from LA who purchased the piano after sitting in our home and practicing and falling in love with the piano.

Gregory in his usual calm, intelligent, loving optimistic way was not upset at seeing the piano leave our home. He was happy about its new home and he commented: "I can listen to as much music as I would like on CDs and that make me happy."

Share Chopin's Ballad No.1 Op 23 with me:

Today at Lieberman

Yesterday I made a Rhubarb pie for Gregory.

Today, at Sunday's Entertainment, a man named Michael played his accordion and then the piano. Here are a few photos and a movie clip. Watch for a surprise ending on the movie.

The Rhubarb Pie

Gregory listening to Chopin at today's Sunday Entertainment

Gregory enjoying the accordion player at todays Sunday Entertainment.

Watch for the surprise ending.

Piano Recital

This is amazing. Another MAGICAL MONUMENTAL MOMENT! I have been wanting to sit Gregory down in front of the grand piano in Liberman's Great Room but have been afraid to do so wondering if it would be traumatic for him. Today I decided to try.

I lifted his hands and fingers and placed them on the keys. I played the keys further up the keyboard with his fingers just sitting on the lower keys. Then I pushed his fingers to make music. He would take his hands off the keyboard and I would play a little then put his fingers back. We did this quite a few times.

He would posture his fingers as if the "muscle memory" was trying to take over. The positions he attempted with his hands and fingers were very similar to what I had seen many times as he was getting ready to play. Sometimes the fingers would just sit there after posturing and other times he would strike one key or a handful of them.

I do not do these things in the hope that he will re-gain abilities or skills. I do them as yet another way to provide him with daily meaningful activities and as a way of interacting with him using skills he used to love doing.

Our practice session lasted about 5 minutes. Then I recorded this 18 second piece. I facilitated, I recorded, but I was astounded when I watched what had been recorded. I had not realized until I watched this video, what he was able to accomplish in such a short period of time.

He hasn't "played piano" for at least 8 years! He didn't all of a sudden play Chopin like he used to but you could see his hands trying to get back some of that muscle memory and eventually he did compose this piece which I will call: "Gregory's Muscle Memory."

At the end of the piece, you can see Gregory's fingers "making silent love" to the keys and his final comment sums up for me how he felt about the experience.

Entertainment Sundays at Lieberman

Todays classical piano concert, performed by Maralgua “Maggie” Darjaa, was a hit with the over 60 residents who attended "Entertainment Sundays at Lieberman." To louder than usual applause, shouts of YES! and BRAVA!, and a standing ovation by those who were able,  the audience really appreciated Maralgua’s well executed pieces by Chopin, Beethoven, and Mozart.

Gregory was especially moved as Chopin is his favorite and while Gregory's abilities are gone, he used to play very athletic classic pieces on our Grand Piano. When it was time to sell the piano because he could no longer play it, his comment was, “Well I can always relive these days by listening to our CD’s.” That is how calm and accepting Gregory has always been.

One photo shows Gregory with a tear running down his cheek. He was crying with joy at hearing one of his favorite pieces. Later in the concert, I placed his hands around my wrists and pretended to play the piece we were listening to. I know enough about piano to know when my right hand is hitting the higher notes and my left hand hitting the lower notes. Wiggling my fingers and moving left to right, I also kept rhythm to the piece as it was played. Gregory seemed to enjoy this experience and when I looked down at his feet, it looked like he was working the pedals of his piano. Afterwords he thanked me and it actually felt like he thought he had played the piece. The truth? The reality? Doesn't matter. We both had a "moment."

Wisdom

Yesterday I played some Chopin for Gregory. He began to get upset, then choked up, then cried. I decided that the tears were probably good for him. I asked, "Are you happy or sad?"

He replied, "I am everything. I am all of it."

Can't get more enlightened than that!

Chopin's Birthday With Memories

Happy Birthday today to Frédéric François Chopin

March 1, 1810 – October 17, 1849.

 

Our friend, Jan Yourist, posted this in honor of Chopin's birthday and in honor of her memories of Gregory pre-Alzheimer's. Beautifully written. Followed on her post by a link to a post I had written about Gregory and his Chopin.

http://connectere.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/gregory-and-the-gift-of-chopin/