I learned go from Edward Lasker’s book 58 years ago, but stopped playing after several dozen games due to a lack of opponents. (BTW, I was thrilled to meet Lasker at the 1976 U.S. Open Chess Tournament.) Was delighted to discover a go group at my local library. I had no idea that go had boomed in the West. I speculate that I was about 10 kyu in my first “incarnation” as a go player based on tsumego I solved in Games and Puzzles magazine. I am a great believer in courtesy. I will never ask for an undo, and I will never escape from a game (short of dying).

I’ve posted quite a bit (classical and jazz) in the Music thread (https://forums.online-go.com/t/music-sharing-thread-links-only-no-chit-chat/7836/600), but since chit-chat isn’t allowed there, I thought I would put it here in a small guide (each entry starts with the post number):

743 (April 2025). Al Bowlly, “Melancholy Baby” (1934). Remembering Al Bowlly, one of the finest pop singers of the 1930s, who was tragically killed in the Blitz this day (April 17) in 1941.

733 (Dec 2024). “The Huron Carol.” 17th-Century Canadian Christmas Chant. Vocals and arrangement by Farya Faraji. Said to be the oldest Christmas chant in Canada, it was first noted in Québec in the 18th century, attributed to Jean Brébeuf, a French missionary c. 1625. The lyrics were written originally in Wendat (Huron). The melody was supposedly composed by Brébeuf, based on the French song “Une Jeune Pucelle” (1557), but that has been disputed. Like the Spanish carol, “Riu, riu, chiu,” the song adapts the Christmas story to the culture of the native audience.

725 (Sep 2024). Richard Cummming, #2 and #3 from 24 Preludes. These sound like something Chopin might compose if he were alive today.

723 (July 2024). Mozart, Quartet #14 in G Major, K. 387. Nicknamed “Spring,” this spritely, melodic work is one of my favorite Mozart quartets. I first played it as a freshman in Chamber Music class, together with two juniors and a senior. This was incredibly intimidating, and they were tough, but I learned rhythmic precision, blended tone, and silent communication. Our performance in a joint recital at the end of semester went well.

721 (July 2024). Domenico Scarlatti, Sonata in D Minor, K. 141. Although Martha Argerich (revered by audiences as The Goddess) is not known as an interpreter of Scarlatti, she has often used this spectacular sonata as an encore piece. Here she plays it immediately after Prokofiev’s hugely difficult Third Piano Concerto. Argerich was 77 years old in this video and still burning up the keys.

718 (June 2024). Patsy Cline. She’s Got You. Next to “Crazy,” which has already been posted in another thread, this is probably my favorite Patsy Cline song (written by Hank Cochran). It was a #1 C&W hit in 1962.

715 (Mar 2024). Roderick L. Jackson and Marty Beller. Breathe. I have this CD, which has nine excellent pieces on it. I love good drumming, an enthusiasm that dates from my attendance at a free Kennedy Center performance of the famous Japanese drumming group, Kodo.

712 (Feb 2024). Prokofiev, 7th Piano Sonata. Finest rendition ever of this landmark work, played by Olga Scheps.

707 (Dec 2023). The Wexford Carol. This Christmas carol is a traditional Irish folk song, probably from the 15th-16th century. I like this rendition the best because of its simplicity and clarity. It hasn’t been junked up by an interpolated arrangement. Lyrics here: https://www.lyricsforchristmas.com/christmas-carols/wexford-carol/

704 (Dec 2023). Ríu ríu chíu. Usually attributed to the Catalan composer Mateo Fleche the Elder (1481-1553), this song has achieved great popularity as a Christmas carol. I love this rendition because it has the verses sung by soloists in each register, while each refrain is sung by everyone. Music and lyrics in translation are here: https://www.genekeyes.com/RIU/Riu.html

697 (Oct 2023). William Bolcom, Graceful Ghost Rag. This lovely, modern ragtime piece has gained vast popularity in recent years.

695 (Sep 2023). Prokofiev, Toccata, Op.11. Prokofiev composed this, one of the hardest piano pieces ever, when he was 21. This is probably the best rendition, though Yuja Wang is a close second.

691 (Aug 2023). Elgar, String Quartet in E minor, Op. 83. I never liked Elgar until I heard his three extraordinary chamber works from 1918. Our informal reading group in college played this quartet. The notes aren’t too hard, but the fluidity, dynamics, and proper blend of sound are extremely difficult. YouTube has several competent performances, but this is the only outstanding one IMHO.

689 (June 2023). Ravel, Piano Trio in A Minor. This is my favorite piano trio. It bowled me over when I first heard it at age 17. Performances are rare because the fast passages are wickedly difficult. In college, our trio stumbled through a very rough reading of it when we were searching for a third piece for our projected National Gallery recital (which never occurred).

687 (May 2023). Duke Ellington. Mood Indigo. One of his most famous pieces, in a unique arrangement from 1952. I treasure the memory of hearing Ellington and his orchestra live at a concert when I was in high school.

684 (Apr 2023). Prokofiev. Sonata for Cello, Op. 119. This is the most difficult piece I ever mastered. It was to be the highlight of a post-graduate recital I never gave. (It’s impossible to find a good, free, or at least cheap, accompanist outside of school.) I did get to play straight through it with my teacher on piano, but I still regret never having had the chance to perform it. I love the performers in this rendition; they are passionate but absolutely faithful to the music.

677 (Feb 2023). Gershwin, Three Preludes for Piano. This was one of my earliest introductions to jazz, probably when I was about 6, and Oscar Levant’s rendition is still my favorite version.

671 (Dec 2022). Corelli, Christmas Concerto, Op 6, #8. The title comes from the composer’s inscription: “Written for Christmas eve.” Its dynamic rhythms and rich harmony full of suspensions make it very popular. On first exposure, I and several fellow students thought it was great fun to play, so exciting and beautiful. It has one of the finest, most challenging cello continuo parts in Baroque music in the second movement. I performed this three times in Christmas concerts, twice at a friend’s church in high school and once in a cathedral in college.

668 (Nov 2022). Rare and Unissued. Muddy Waters. Muddy Waters was hugely popular when I was in high school. Deservedly so, as an exemplary Blues man who was important in popularizing Blues among rockers in the U.S. and England. Weirdly, today he seems almost forgotten. I believe these cuts also feature Little Walter (harmonica) and Otis Spann (piano).

661 (Oct 2022). Façade. William Walton (music) and Edith Sitwell (poems). One of the great vocal works of the 20th century. Fantastic orchestration with a sparse ensemble. Fascinating if sometimes baffling poems that are recited (not sung). Favorite numbers are consecutive around the middle, “The Man from a Far Countree” and especially “By the Lake” (where the recitation is, sadly, not the best). This is a rare, complete performance, the only one on the internet that is any good.

659 (Sep 2022). Joplin, Maple Leaf Rag, featuring Sidney Bechet. A jazz classic. This is the fastest rendition I know. As it happens, I arranged this for our professional string trio at ragtime speed, back in the day.

653 (July 2022). Schumann, Piano Trio #3. Our college trio played this and the Mozart G minor piano quartet in recital, our first together, at the end of the fall term. The attendance was so poor (about 20), we decided to give a private recital, in a dormitory basement, with folding chairs and refreshments. We got a huge turn-out (about 100), with many non-music students and their parents, who were on hand to take their kids home for Christmas after some sightseeing. We apparently filled a need for a relaxing evening. Everyone was in a festive mood, making this the most enjoyable recital experience I ever had. This rich, melodious work is one of Schumann’s best, IMHO.

650 (May 2022). Little Walter, Boogie. Encore from the greatest Blues harpist.

648 (May 2022), Lalo, Cello Concerto. I performed this (and the Bach 2nd Suite) on my Junior Recital at college. Weeks before, I played it for a sympathetic audience of about 50 at a religious fellowship coffeehouse, where I had a memory break about halfway through the first movement. I restarted a few measures earlier and finished fine. (My pianist was a friend of two years from our trio, which helped.) At my recital, I felt on a precipice as I approached the problem spot, but kept my focus and got past it. It was a very good recital, I think, and was my best memory achievement ever (18 pages of music).

644 (Apr 2022), Al Bowlly, “Midnight.” A popular song of the 1930s, sung by a top vocalist of the day, who was tragically killed in the Blitz this day (April 17) in 1941.

637 (Apr 2022), T-Bone Walker, Otis Spann, Super Black Blues (Album). I’m in a Blues mood, after a visit with an old friend who is a Blues expert.

635 (Apr 2022), Little Walter, Sad Hours (Album). Little Walter is widely considered the greatest Blues “harpist” (harmonica player).

633 (Mar 2022), Faure, Elegie, Op. 24. I considered this my “signature” piece for awhile as a teen, as I played it several times in churches, in a competition (2nd place), and with my high school orchestra in my senior year. It is often used to teach intensity, color, and bow control. It also has syncopation and fast runs in the middle section. This performance by a high schooler with a high school orchestra is superb. Very nostalgic for me.

628 (Mar 2022), Barney Bigard & Art Hodes, Bucket’s Got a Hole in It (Album). Bigard should be better known; he was the lead clarinetist for Duke Ellington for 15 years. And of course, I love Hodes. Second track is an excellent, relaxed version of my favorite jazz standard, “Sweet Lorraine.”

619 (Jan 2022). Berg, String Quartet, Op 3 (1910). One of the earliest and best expressionist musical pieces. Virtually unknown by students and the public alike when I first heard it at 16 or 17. At college, I studied the score from the music library. Two years later, my stand partner told me of a quartet that he and three grad students had formed for fun (not school related). They wanted to play a difficult, distinctive modern work (other than Bartok), but couldn’t agree on one, so I suggested the Berg. They loved it, but the first rehearsal was a mess. Although they were all more proficient than me, they knew the value of objective ears, so invited me to act as a coach at a couple rehearsals. The main issues were balance and rhythmic cohesion. In the end they gave a fine performance. For me it was a unique, gratifying experience.

613 (Dec 2021). Britten, A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28. One of the finest works by the greatest vocal composer of the 20th century.

610 (Dec 2021). Vivaldi, String Concerto, RV208. In a performance rivaling her spectacular work in the Kreutzer sonata, this shows that Patricia Kopatchinskaja, my favorite living violinist, is just as awesome in Baroque music as in modern works. An exhilarating musical experience.

607 (Oct 2021). Art Hodes. Hot Jazz at Blue Note. This classic record from 1945 features Sydney Bechet on clarinet (#1, 6) and soprano sax (#2-5) and Wild Bill Davison, cornet, in addition to Hodes on piano. I love Hodes and his groups. My father was especially fond of Bechet and Davison, whom he saw live many times at the jazz joints in NY between 1947 and '52. Davison was later a regular at Washington area jazz events, amazingly into his old age. I remember well when Dad announced his death to me in 1989; he regarded it as the final passing of the old guard in jazz.

602 (Sept. 2021). Dvorak, Piano Trio #3, Op. 65. In college, I had the unusual experience of playing in the same piano trio for two years. Our teacher kept us together because he thought we worked so well together. At the end, he urged us to audition for a National Gallery recital, a prestigious concert series that was broadcast on radio. We needed another piece and chose this one. After two rehearsals, we realized that we lacked the time to prepare. Our pianist was graduating, and the violinist and I needed to start preparing our Junior and Senior recitals respectively. So we gave up the dream, but I am glad I had the chance to read this piece.

598 (August 2021). Bartok. Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta. I first heard this when we performed it in my university orchestra. It instantly became one of my favorite 20th-century works. Through his exploration of timbre and rich sonorities, Bartok seems to create his own universe. This performance by a college orchestra is superb, due in large part to the conductor, who also hosts a wonderful PBS series on music history (https://forums.online-go.com/t/place-to-share-relaxing-and-thought-provoking-videos/31448/186).

582 (June 2021). Saint-Saens, Cello Concerto #1. This has a special place in my memory because it was the first “adult” piece I ever memorized and played. Took me a year to learn, ages 14-15. Later I used it as one of my audition pieces for music school. The runs are easier than they sound, because they are basically scale patterns. Hardest parts are the double-stops and jumps. The performer here, Gautier Capucon, is my favorite living cellist. I think he is on the same level as Starker and Rostropovich.

570 (May 2021), Debussy, Sonata for flute, viola, and harp. When I first heard this exquisite work, about age 11, the odd instrumentation intrigued me, but his complete annihilation of meter astounded me. The music floats like a balloon. “How does he do that?” I wondered.

565 (April 2021), Bach, Sonata #1 for violin and harpsichord, 1st movement. If pressed, I would say that this is my favorite piece of music, but only in this version with Jaime Laredo and Glenn Gould. Indeed, all of the Bach violin sonatas stand high among my favorite musical works.

540 (Mar 2021), Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring, in the original piano score for four hands. This tremendous performance by Lucas and Arthur Jussen calls to mind the famous story of Stravinsky visiting Debussy, the “elder statesman” of French music, shortly before the premiere. Together they played the piano score, and at the end Debussy said, “You have composed a beautiful nightmare.”

536 (Mar 2021), Chabrier, 10 Pieces Pittoresque. I think of the wonderful, underrated Chabrier as the French Chopin. I discovered Marcelle Meyer, one of the finest 20th century pianists, just a few months ago! She was the favorite of Les Six, Debussy coached her on his preludes, and Stravinsky composed a set of pieces for her.

529 (Jan 2021), Kabalevsky, Sonata for Cello, Op.71. This is my favorite cello sonata. I spent 6 months learning it for my Senior Recital. Then on a cold Jan night, in a basement practice room, I was up till 2 a.m. running through the finale against the metronome (@1/4 = 120, this performance, which was my model, is at 148 IIRC). And I just couldn’t put it together in the exhausting, 2-page climax. I could play it piecemeal, but not straight through without breaking down. I changed my program. Greatest disappointment of my life.

524 (Dec 2020), Ravel, The Bewitched Child. One of my favorite 20th-century operas, brilliantly rendered here as a ballet-opera.

518 (Nov 2020), Bartok, Violin Concerto #2. A recent triumph by my favorite living violinist, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, in one of the most difficult works of its kind. No one has her passion and understanding of the folk roots of Bartok. I heard a different rendition touted by a commenter, and it was drawing-room dull!

509 (Oct 2020), Ravel, String Quartet, 2nd movement. Exquisite, like something from another world in its strange beauty. Hard to imagine how anyone could conceive such a work.

508 (Oct 2020), Arriaga, String Quartet #1, first movement. This prodigy composed three highly inventive quartets at age 16. In high school, our orchestra teacher and mentor introduced #1 to me and three friends. We instantly loved it and practiced it and Haydn’s “Sunrise” quartet in some evening and weekend sessions, culminating in a private concert for about 30 family members and friends. A tremendous formative experience for all of us.

504 (Sept 2020), Street Piano Boogie Woogie. I really love Theophilus Martins’s style, and his jam with Dr K is marvelous.

Broken Links:

483 (Sept 2020), Strength in Numbers, “Slopes.” My favorite number by them is “The Lochs of Dread,” but there is no stand-alone version of it available.

480 (Sept 2020), Street Piano Boogie Woogie. Dr K is a fabulous evangelist for Boogie Woogie. His videos are addictive. He can listen to someone playing an unknown tune, pick it up in a minute or two, and riff all day! Joyous!

460 (July 2020), Strength in Numbers, “Duke & Cookie.” Five bluegrass all-stars got together briefly to do something new. Spectacular!

459 (July 2020), Ives, “Charlie Rutlage.” From the collection 114 Songs. Although not published until the 1920s, most of these songs were written before Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and encompass almost the whole of modern musical innovation: polyrhythm, polytonality, tone clusters, etc.

457 (July 2020), “The Shoemaker,” Vision String Quartet. I love these guys!

455 (June 2020), Dvorak, String Quartet #12, Op. 96 (American). This is my favorite string quartet. I never performed it, but I did play it with an informal “reading” group in college. I love its dynamism and that poignant second movement.

445 (May 2020), Janacek, String Quartet #2. One of his last works, shortly before he died, age 74. It expresses his unrequited love for a young married woman.

443 (May 2020), Janacek, String Quartet #1. Janacek’s two wonderful quartets are unlike any in the literature. Born in 1854, he assimilated modernism better than any other 19th-century composer and wrote all his best works in old age. The influence of Stravinsky’s motivic style—cutting up a melody and mixing the fragments like a toss salad—is strong in this work, but moderated by Janacek’s expressionism.

440 (Apr 2020), Kodaly, Duo for Violin and Cello. This is the first of my posts that I have actually played, more than 40 years ago, with the love of my life on violin. Sweet memories whenever I hear this music.

429 (Apr 2020), Stravinsky, Sonata for Two Pianos. This is now my most popular music post, though I wouldn’t rank it as high as some others.

421 (Apr 2020), Darius Milhaud, Scaramouche, his most famous piano work. He is known for his use of Brazilian folk tunes and polytonality. I like him a lot.

413 (Mar 2020), Vassar Clements and Mark O’Connor, two fiddling giants. I love bluegrass and associated styles.

410 (Mar 2020), Scarlatti, Piano Sonata K.11, 159, 322, 9, and 27. More benchmark performances by Michelangeli.

409 (Feb 2020), Debussy, Images I and II, played by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. A benchmark rendition.

403 (Feb (2020), Scriabin, Vers La Flamme. The great Vladimir Horowitz a few years before his death, plays this difficult piece for some friends at home.

401 (Jan 2020), Prokofiev, Symphonia-Concertante for Cello and Orchestra. My favorite cellist, Janos Starker, personifies confidence in this performance of the most difficult of all cello concertos.

398 (Jan 2020), Debussy, 3 Songs of Bilitis, gorgeous examples of “through-composed” songs.

395 (Jan 2020), Pinetop Smith, Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie. Smith, the father of boogie, was shot a few months after recording this. When I was 10, I was enthralled by my father’s set of 4 78s that had all of Pinetop’s recordings.

391 (Dec 2019), Scarlatti, Piano Sonata K. 455. For me the Scarlatti sonatas are one of the greatest glories of classical music.

388 (Dec 2019), Prokofiev, Quintet. Perhaps Prokofiev’s most eccentric piece, this once obscure work has become very popular in the last 40 years. Everyone loves the clarinet’s inverted pedal tone in the 4th movement, the embodiment of obsession.

385 (Dec 2019), Schubert, Violin Sonata in A-Major. PatKo and Say give a dynamic rendition of this standard.

383 (Nov 2019), Ravel, Blues (2nd mvt of 2nd violin sonata), pushed the limits in this strange but tuneful piece. The PatKo-Say team makes it impossible to listen to any other version.

381 (Nov 2019), Bartok, String Quartet #3. An amazing feat of group memorization. Bartok’s late quartets are the most difficult in the literature. One slip and the whole thing would fall apart.

376 (Nov 2019), Artie Shaw, Summit Ridge Drive. Another favorite clarinetist. His Gramercy 5 ensemble introduced the harpsichord to jazz c. 1940.

367 (Oct 2019), Rouben Mamoulian (director), Love Me Tonight. Possibly the first “found music” in the famous opening sequence of a classic musical comedy.

356 (Oct 2019), Prokofiev, Visions Fugitive. These exquisite miniatures baffled people when they first appeared, due to their mordant humor, brevity, and lack of traditional structure or firm key, but today they are iconic classics.

346 (Sep 209), Ravel, Jeux d’eau, 13yo Tiffany Poon gives an amazing performance of this luminous piece.

341 (Aug 2019), Fazil Say, Say Sonata for Violin and Piano. Say and PatKo team up again in this fine modern work by renowned composer-pianist Say.

336 (Jul 2019), Beethoven, Violin Sonata #9 (Kreutzer). Stern, Zuckerman, everybody move over: this is the best by “PatKo” and Fazil Say. Stupendous!

328 (Jul 2019), Jimmy Noone playing Sweet Lorraine. My favorite jazz clarinetist playing my favorite jazz/blues tune.

320 (Jun 2019), Ravel, Sonata for Violin and Cello. This wonderfully lyrical piece features amazing counterpoint. It has gotten the most likes of my music posts.

303 (Apr 2019), boogie improvisation by Henry Herbert, performing in a mall. I love boogie, played a little in my youth, and even wrote one.

297 (Mar 2019), Stravinsky, Violin Concerto, featuring my favorite living violinist, Patricia Kopatchinskaja. One of the hardest violin concertos, though not really well written for the instrument, it is a lively and tuneful piece.

283 (Jan 2019), Prokofiev, Prelude, performed by 11-year-old Natalie Schwamova. Now 19 or 20, she is IMHO, the finest young pianist in the world.

269 (Dec 2018), Prokofiev, Piano Sonata #3, one of his most popular, superbly performed by 18-year-old Tiffany Poon.

242 (May 2018), Steve Reich, Clapping Music, a seminal work of minimalist music.