Book - A Romance on Three Legs, Katie Hafner

Frank Fujimoto
Music, Oral History, Reading

It was pure coincidence that I was recently reading A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for a Perfect Piano by Katie Hafner, especially since I read about Henry Z. Steinway's death just as I was getting to the part of the book which talked about him. I found the book to be a quick yet entertaining read, especially since it dips into related topics such as the history of the piano, the artistic goals of tuning, and descriptions of how a piano is manufactured. As the title implies, the book centers around a particular piano, a Steinway which was labelled CD 318. Hafner tells how the piano was made during WWII and explains how it and Gould were finally brought together.

Podcasts - Coverville

Frank Fujimoto
Listening, Media

I wrote about Mac OS Ken in my work blog, kicking off entries about tech-related podcasts. As far as non-tech podcasts go, Coverville is easily one of my favorites. Brian Ibbott releases episodes several times a week chock-full of cover song goodness. Other than becoming more refined over the years, the show has stayed true to its roots. I may not always enjoy all the music, but even my least favorite shows are interesting enough for me to listen through.

Photo - Bellagio Fountains

Frank Fujimoto
Photography

Earlier this year one of my aunts celebrated her 90th birthday in Las Vegas. One thing I did with my cousins is to watch the Bellagio Fountains. This performance was to the song "One" from the play "A Chorus Line", and as you can see, the fountains are choreographed to the music, although it's hard to capture that in a still image. At times the water did look like a high-kicking chorus line.

Steinway; Frank's Yamaha

Frank Fujimoto
In the News, Music, Oral History

The last person named Steinway to run the Steinway & Sons piano company died last Thursday. Henry Z. Steinway was the great-grandson of Heinrich Steinweg (later Steinway). Coincidentally enough, I happen to be reading the part of the book A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano (by Katie Hafner) which describes how Steinway & Sons came to be. More on the book after I've finished reading it.