| Dear Lila, This is a portrait of Virginia and Gould de Neergaard, your great grand parents (your grampa's in the picture too!). The photo was taken in the mid 1930's, in their apartment in Manhattan. Both Ginny and Gould were accomplished pianists. Ginny once gave a concert in Carnegie Hall.
In those days, a woman really had
to prove her skill to be accepted
professionally. So Ginny learned the composition you're now
listening
to, which is famous for being especially demanding, as well as
beautiful. She mastered it, and adopted it as her "Signature"
piece.
|
The composition is called "Un Sospiro" (means "A Sigh"), by Franz Liszt. To learn more about it, One of my favorite childhood memories is sitting under the piano (the one we still have), in the soft rays of the afternoon sun, and listening as my mother practiced this piece. We offer you this glimpse of your ancestry as inspiration for you, on your thirteenth birthday. Now - here's a happy expansion of these thoughts: click here for a suggestion of what you, on behalf of our entire family, could do for MY next birthday! |