I've put eleven piano arrangements here that were originally made in July and August 2011 for our daughter Julia's September wedding. The recorded arrangements were made using a Korg Concert EC350 keyboard and Evolution Sound Studio II software that I didn't even know I had (it came with an M-Audio midi patch chord purchased seven or eight years ago and is no longer available). Two songs (those with rhythm tracks that were part of the SSII software) were done using standard midi patches, and the others using VST patches (TruePianos for piano sounds, DSK AkoustiK GuitarZ for guitar sounds, and a couple of electronic and keyboard sounds from a bank of patches from Radium). The midi files were then edited and recorded as Wave Files and later converted to MP3 using ITunes.

Note: The arrangement for Penny Lane is by John Bayless

Having the responsibility for learning how to manage the operations of  the software and doing the recording and editing in a limited amount of time gave me some relief from my usual dislike for the recording process - it did becomre (sort-of) fun, although as time ran out, I just had to quit and say the project was finished.

Almost nine years later, I found an opportunity to review these recordings, and realized I have a bit more knowledge over the process now than I did then.  I have been able to correct many deficiencies that existed in the original recordings. (All except Across the Universe which has too many errors combined into a single track, thus making it next to impossible to separate the good from the bad  -  the old recording for this song has been removed from the list.)

See the Listing of pieces within the right column.

  CG Recordings of "Sketches"

In July of 2012, three of a planned ten pieces entitled 'Sketches' were completed and performed in recitals that same year. These recordings, created just to give some sense of the pieces, were generated from Midi files generated from the score, and of course would require editing and manipulation as to dynamics and tempo, as well as being pushed through TruePianos software.

The numbering of the pieces refers to the order of ideas from the entire ten - these three just happened to be completed first, and were performed in the order listed on the right.

Scores for these three pieces can be obtained by clicking on the SCORES Menu Item at the top of  this page.

   CAPC Audition Recordings

The year of 2012 gave me an opportunity to be a contestant in the Chicago Amateur Piano Competion. I had not done any competitive playing since I was a teenager, and it seemed a great opportunity to get to know other amateur pianists outside of Toronto, some of whom were exceptional performers.

This also required a preliminary round recording of fifteen minutes of piano repertoire. Using a single microphone and computer, I was able to make the following recordings at Yorkminster Park Church in Toronto.

     Sonata in d (Domenico Scarlatti - K.417 - L.462)                                   (5308k)
     Hymn (Igor Stravinsky - Serenade in A 1925)                                          (4628k)
     Rondoletto (Igor Stravinsky - Serenade in A 1925)                                 (3539k)
     Scherzo (Serge Prokofiev - Episodes Op. 12                                           (3436k)

   Solo Organ Recordings 

I had mentioned earlier about the box of Cassette tapes which was discovered when moving back to the city, containing a mixed bag of organ, vocal and piano recordings (including a recording of our children that we did not know they had made).  For the most part, those recordings are now digitzed, and links to a few of these appear below.  I note that I had expected to have these on the site by the fall of 2018 - what can I say, other than I am easily distracted.  Those recordings that were made at Yorkminster Park vary in sound quality due to either or both of engineering and old age.  If the recording is from a service, then morning services will have considerably more background noise than services in the evening.

From November 3, 1982 Recital
     Paean (Kenneth Leighton)                                                                                 (4,080k)
 
From May 30, 1990 Recital
     Fantasia in G minor BWV 542 (J.S. Bach)                                                       (5,046k)
     Fugue in G minor BWV 542 (J.S. Bach))                                                          (5,513k)
     Prelude and Fugue sur le nom Alain (Marcel Dupré)                                  (10,621k)

From May 5, 1991 Recital
     Fantasia and Finale (Sonata 10 in B minor - Josef Rheinberger)              (7,811k)

From Services (dates unsure)
     Sonata No. 5 (J.S. Bach)                                                                                      (6,144k)
     Prelude and Fugue in G Major BWV 541 (J.S. Bach)                                      (2,877k)
     Jesu, meine freude (J.G. Walther)                                                                      (3,891k)


Meanwhile, those other two digital solo organ recordings are still here on the site.  The first  - Intonation - from the 1991 recording Bless Ye the Lord  with the Choir of Yorkminster Park Church (incorrectly titled "Organ Introduction" on that recording) - was appended to the 2009 recording Organs of Toronto, compiled and recorded by the Royal Canadian College of Organists as a companion to the book of the same name and timed for release at the 100th Anniversary of the RCCO and its corresponding Convention in Toronto that same year.  The RCCO recording also contains the second solo piece - John Cook's Fanfare, recorded at Grace Church on-the-Hill in May, 2009.

The piece Intonation was written specifically as a fanfare opening for the 1991 CD, its purpose being to "intone" the sung chant that followed, making use of the chant's melodic material as inspiration for the organ piece.  An accompanying fugue was also planned, but even after twenty-five years (and more), does not seem to be a priority and thus it is still unwritten.

     Found Piano Recital Recordings 

In a small box hidden inside another box down in the basement, reel-to-reel tapes were found of piano recitals given in 1970 (RCMT Concert Hall), 1973 (Uof T Walter Hall), and 1975 (UofT Walter Hall).  They were fortunately in reasonable shape, and thanks to a friend with a high-end reel-to-reel tape deck, we were able to have them converted to digital media and placed on CDs.

After 1975, I took up studying and playing the organ.  But in 2003, I went back to performing on piano, and played three more solo recitals in 2004 (recorded), 2006, and the last in 2012. 

1970            Intermezzo (J. Brahms)                                Preludes No's 20 and 16 (D. Shostakovich)

1973            Episodes Op. 12 (S. Prokofiev)

1975            Sonata in A Op. 101 (L. Beethoven)            Phantasie Op. 17 (R. Schumann)

2004            Partita V in G (J.S. Bach)                                Sonata 7 (S. Prokofiev)