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Alice Herz-Sommer, Pianist (1913-2014) - Oldest Known Survivor Of The Holocaust


DonRocks

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Alice Herz-Sommer died yesterday. I'd never heard of her until I saw this NPR video (scroll down to the bottom).

Nevertheless, I shared this video with two professional-level classical musician friends of mine, adding that she plays the Bach F-Major Invention (BWV 779) - at 110 years of age - better than I can. Oh, I could play it faster, and I could play it louder, but I couldn't play it better - she has the piece under *total* control, and her tone and voicing are superb. The three of us rarely agree on anything, but we agree on this: Herz-Sommer was a marvelous musician - and she *loved* music: look at the joy on her face when she plays it.

As Sasha K said, "It appears she is not thinking about how markets are going to open in Japan overnight, which clarifies her musical thought nicely."

It may be more significant to the rest of the world that she was the "world's oldest Holocaust survivor," starring in the documentary "Lady In Number 6," but it's clear to me that it was more significant to *her* that she was a musician.

Alice Herz-Sommer, we need more people like you in this world, and I will always look to your F-Major Invention as reference material - as something to which I can only aspire. Rest in peace.

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Alice Herz-Sommer died yesterday. I'd never heard of her until I saw this NPR video (scroll down to the bottom).

Nevertheless, I shared this video with two professional-level classical musician friends of mine, adding that she plays the Bach F-Major Invention - at 110 years of age - better than I can. Oh, I could play it faster, and I could play it louder, but I couldn't play it better - she has the piece under *total* control, and her tone and voicing are superb. The three of us rarely agree on anything, but we agree on this: this lady was a marvelous musician - and she *loved* music: look at the joy on her face when she plays it.

As Sasha K said, "It appears she is not thinking about how markets are going to open in Japan overnight, which clarifies her musical thought nicely."

It may be more significant to the rest of the world that she was the "world's oldest Holocaust survivor," starring in the documentary "Lady In Number 6," but it's clear to me that it was more significant to *her* that she was a musician.

Alice Herz-Sommer, we need more people like you in this world, and I will always look to your F-Major Invention as reference material - as something to which I can only aspire. Rest in peace.

and she wears chuck taylor's

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