M.s. bought me a few classical music CDs the other day, I may have mentioned it already. I had only listened to the songs I am learning to play before today. (If you have some free time and know how to find MP3s easily, the song I'm halfway through learning is Chopin's Nocturne in E minor.) Now I have the Chopin CD on, nocturnes and ballads performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy.

And I am realizing that it's not just the song I chose to learn that I love -- I love Chopin's music. Each of these tunes has caused me to close my eyes and savor the melody. Passionate, dark, yearning, redeeming, glorious.

I'll have to learn how to play all of them. If I get half as much pleasure from playing these compositions as I do from listening to them, it will be time well spent. These songs are bittersweet, as satisfying as a well-written novel (of which I've read many lately).

Tonight, Dad is coming over to hear me play the piano, and then have dinner, probably somewhere local. The sooner I finish my work for today, the sooner I can practice the songs I will play.

-Barbarella

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