Hi guys,
When I began this blog early last June, I wanted a catchy title which describes my recording in detail my sessions with the Aneros. I settled upon the title, "Gradus ad Aneros Parnassum." When I was a boy growing up in Litchfield, CT about fifty years ago, I had a good seven years of piano lessons under Cousin Bessie Dickenson, who had a long tenure as organist at the historic First Congregational Church in Litchfield, our family church, on the town green. She was a close relative to our family. Cousin Bessie taught me to play the scales on the piano and introduced me to piano works by Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. I was not one of her best piano students, but under her tutelage, I certainly learned to read musical scores.
Cousin Bessie practiced long hours at the organ at First Church into her seventies. She even took organ lessons into her seventies from more accomplished organists in Litchfield County. Cousin Bessie also introduced me to a book of piano studies or etudes by the 19th century Austrian composer, Carl Czerny. This book was entitled, Gradus ad Parnassum, or "Steps to Parnassus." The word 'gradus' is actually the Latin plural for 'step.' Parnassus is a mountain in Central Greece with ancient Greek mythological associations near the ancient city of Delphi. Other composers used this same title for musical studies for their students. I enjoyed very much using Carl Czerny's entertaining piano studies even into college. One of my greatest regrets in life is that I didn't keep up with the piano. But when I moved to other parts of our country and tried to make a living, it was rare that I had daily access to a piano. Although when took my present apartment here in June 1986, I could have easily bought an inexpensive digital keyboard with earphones, so I could practice at any hour without disturbing my neighbors.