Medicine, Music, & Musings
Category: music
What a pleasant surprise to receive this in my inbox (see the following attached screenshot of the email correspondence that has been partially redacted). Yishun Health (consisting of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital 邱德拔醫院, 90 Yishun Central and Yishun Community Hospital) had their Teachers' Appreciation Day on 1 March to demonstrate their thanks for the indispensable … Continue reading 04(06): An unexpected appreciation for my piano arrangement of “The Road Ahead”
Today, I was playing the piano (indulging in the majestic opening chords of Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto and some soundtrack pieces from The Phantom of the Opera) and as I also played other pieces I was familiar with, I reminisced about the past. Specifically, I recalled how someone had written me a note when I … Continue reading 02(03): Thank you, anonymous listener
In a previous blog post, 01(15), I discussed my musical journey from its very beginning. I highly recommend that you read it if you want an exposition on my musical journey. That blog post is a must-read if you are a frequent visitor to my blog! In this post, I would like to expound on … Continue reading 01(31): How I chose the pieces for my piano exam, and what I could have done differently
The handspan, or simply "span", can be defined as the distance between the tip of one's thumb and one's pinky of the same hand. Understandably, a pianist is going to have a headache if his hand is not able to accommodate a particular series of notes as dictated on the sheet music. The hands are … Continue reading 01(24): Winning the genetic lottery for handspans as a pianist isn’t enough
I can still remember exactly how I started learning the piano. My family had paid a visit to Plaza Singapura and as a boy at the tender age of six, I marvelled at the majesty of the grand pianos that were showcased at one of the top levels of the mall. For those who are … Continue reading 01(15): How I started tickling the ivories, quit, then rekindled my love for music
'His Robes For Mine' is a hymn consisting of text by Chris Anderson and tune by Greg Habegger. I first heard of this hymn at the conclusion of my church's youth fellowship camp last December. This hymn was used as the background music of the church camp's montage. The montage was shown at the end … Continue reading 01(14): What I learnt from ‘His Robes For Mine’
On the evening of the first day of the Lunar New Year, my family paid my maternal grandparents a visit. In the living room of their residence sat an upright, and it was the piano with which I had grown up. In fact, my earliest videos on my Youtube channel feature that Christofori upright. That … Continue reading 01(13): Why grands are generally better than uprights
I first heard the hymn during a church service a few months ago. It was the closing hymn for the service, and I could not help but feel how apt the hymn is as a choice for the closing hymn. Its melody is truly grand and majestic. Do you remember my post regarding the hymn … Continue reading 01(07): Story behind the hymn ‘Living For Jesus’
The three words describe the same thing - holiness. The first is self-explanatory as it is the most familiar to us. The second is more interesting. Where have you seen this word before? Most people would simply note in glee, 'Halloween!', and they would be right. According to the etymology as established on Wiktionary, the … Continue reading 01(06): Holy, Hallow, Sanctus
'Great is Thy Faithfulness' is one of the most recognisable hymns of all time. Its author and musician are Thomas O. Chisholm (1866-1960) and William M. Runyan (1870-1957) respectively. It is so popular that it is still sung even in most contemporary and liberal churches which have abandoned the traditional singing on hymns. This endearing … Continue reading 01(05): The story behind the hymn ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’
Last September, my pastor gave a sermon entitled 'Jesus led to Golgotha'. One learning point I had from that sermon was the meanings and etymologies of the words 'Golgotha' and 'Calvary'. The word 'Golgotha' means 'skull' in Aramaic, one of the two languages of the Old Testament. Golgotha is also known as Calvary, which is … Continue reading 01(04): Calvary or cavalry?
Nicholas Loh 