I've got a double yellow headed Amazon parrot named Sweetpea who lives in my piano room. She's usually pretty quiet except in the late afternoon. If I want to practice then the dreaded cage cover comes out.

LOL- one of my brothers is called Howard!!! Does Howard the bird ever chirp along to your piano playing?
Aww he likes happy music- he must be able to tell the minor keys from the majors ha ha!

LOL Frycek! Sweetpea must have a sudden energy surge in the afternoons! How big is she? Does she say funny things? Do you let her out to fly about?

Yes, sometimes he does. And sometimes he jumps from my lap on my arm. He is only 80 grams, but I feel him on my arm while playing. He doesn't seem to be bothered by the movement in the least. He also gets loud in the late afternoon by the way.

He sounds so cute! Maybe birds get loud in the afternoon as in the wild they would be looking for their last meal before dusk so it could be instincts- he might be asking you to feed him LOL

He is adorable! He nudges me, flies to me, gives me little kisses (he really imitates the sound), and... he is very spoiled... He always gets what he wants. I have no power. He is the boss. His crest tells me his mood, and I surrender.

I have a feeling that if Chopin himself were following his thread, he'd rather enjoy this exchange on pet birds.

I'm melting.....
I love the crests on birds' heads- so sweet! I'm dying to see his photo now!

Did the great Frederic like birds? I have a biography on him but not read it all yet, but I doubt it'd go into that much detail- seems to be mostly about his composing.

His crest is clearly visible here, in a moment of deep relaxation.

Gorgeous, beautiful sweet bird!!!! A magnificent crest! Thanks for posting his photo. Suits his name as well LOL

Thanks!

I want one now LOL

They are wonderful pets! Very affectionate and sociable (he asks for cuddles non-stop).
There is a lot of info here, as well as cool photos.

Sweet!

Really cute bird, but I don't recall Chopin ever expressing any emotional leanings toward our feathered friends. He did, however, like little white dogs and was also partial to toddlers.

That life-size cutout of Chopin would freak me out! Just how do they ship it? Do they have to fold it somewhere? I can't bear to think of that at all.


Kathleen

A litte white dog.

This is the character that keeps me from practicing. She whines!! Sorry it's so big. I forgot how to insert stuff. It's been a while.

Kathleen
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Awww fluffy alert! A Bichon Frise! So cute!!! What's her name?

I've posted her pic before some time ago, but since you asked....her name is Katie. And Yes, she is a Bichon. She has practically every single trait of her breed, including thinking she is smarter than I. And, at times, she is.

But since I don't quite trust her in the living room where I keep my grand piano, she is relegated outside of this room by means of a child's gate. She is NOT happy about it, and she really lets me know by whining so loud and so long, I have to finally give up to save my sanity. So I have to blame my lack of progress at the keyboard on her.

Thanks for asking,
Kathleen

Cute doggie! So sweet! My bird also tries to keep me from practicing, so I got used to playing with him on some part of my body, or it can get much worse. Once I put him away while I was playing and he jumped on my table and threw down my stuff, turning around to look at me in defiance.
PS: I am sure I saw a cage in Chopin's room in a movie about Chopin, probably either Impromptu or A Song to Remember, one of the old ones like this, although it could also have been a documentary film? So I guess it was fiction and he never had a bird?

Little white dogs! He had good taste lol. Regarding birds- sometimes lying down listening to his music you can feel as if you are floating/flying so there might be a tenuous bird connection1

Katie the cutie! Does she whine and bark to your playing? I had a friend years back whose dog used to howl when her boys played the harmonica LOL.

Naughty bird LOL! Hope he doesn't do his business on your music sheets!

No, but he once chewed the corner of Chopin's Preludes. I cried in horror and he flew off (also in horror). I don't leave anything around any more. I keep everything in the cabinet. (You can see it in the background in that photo I posted yesterday).

Did he indeed? Maybe it was a sign he likes Chopin!

"My good friend, I am doing everything possible to work--but it does not progress--and provided that this continues, my new productions will moreover remind you neither of the chirpings of warblers nor even of broken china. I must be resigned."

Chopin to Franchomme, 8 July 1846. The comment about warblers is often thought to allude to the trilled reprise of the B major Nocturne, op. 62 no. 1 (though we don't know this for sure).

Jeff Kallberg

Jeff: Is there anything you don't know about Chopin or (at least) can't get your hands on really quickly? You have a phenomenal memory.

I am listening to that nocturne as I write this. One can almost float on this lovely melody as EdwardianPiano suggested. But those runs and trills are about the most beautiful, I think, I've heard in any of his music. A very special nocturne because of this.

MaryRose and I both agreed that when we were teenagers, we thought the nocturnes too sticky sweet, but now...WOW! So many have such turbulance in the middle sections. Since Chopin got his idea for the nocturnes from Field, do you know if Field's music followed (more or less) the same pattern?

So happy you are still with us. It's been quite a journey and far from over.

Kathleen

PS EdwardianPiano: No, thank goodness, Katie doesn't howl. But that whining and gruff little barks are more than enough to let me know she is NOT happy.

Ohh the ending...bliss... those trills are so so sopoforic...perfect night time before bed music. Especially by candlelight.
HEAVEN= this nocturne, quality cup coffee, organic quality chocolate, sat by open fire and in candlelight. PERFECTION!!!
I just need the open fire.....





Nocturnes- sweetness in them yes in the melodies but never sickly. They have as you mention turbulance, moments of power, grandeur and passion. I think they are the most perfect compositions ever. Since I heard them I have heard good music but nothing that transcends Chopin's nocturnes. They are sublime. I have got a few mp3s of John Field and to my beginner's ears they do sound a similar pattern. I like his music a lot. You can find his music on Amazon.





Is she really that naughty in your piano room?

I agree. Chopin's Nocturnes are just the most beautiful music ever written for me, and they kindled my love for classical music even when I was a little girl. I could listen to them non-stop!
You are right about Field's influence on Chopin. Field did inspire our friend, although of course Fred surpassed him.
PS: Thank you for that quote, Jeff!

I have many a time listened to the nocturnes non stop! Frederic really knew how to craft sublime melodies.