they say that deaths come in 3's...
and yesterday's news of DrTheoryGuy's passing...
was the 3rd from our church in 2 weeks...
but only the 2nd of my former college professors...
I first met DrTG as a sophomore in college...
he was my Music Harmony & Theory Prof...
and I think I drove him crazy...
'cause like math, I didn't "get" harmony...
harmony & theory were his "meat & potatoes"...
and to help guide all of us,"less than stellar" students...
he had compiled a massive tome[inches thick...]
which we had to buy at the bookstore...
called, "Crime & Punishment"...
"C&P" detailed all possible missteps in the solving & writing out of a harmony assignment...
voice leading, chord spelling, harmonic resolution...
cryptic combinations of letters, decipherable only with "C&P"...
my favorite one, [which I saw WAY too often...]
was, "YMTB", [You Missed The Boat]...
meaning that you had it ALL wrong...
too bad he wasn't still teaching in the last few years...
the "texting" generation would really think "C&P"was cool...
I found it confusing, to say the least...
10 years later, when I returned to work at VOPU...
we reconnected, since he was still there...
this time, since I was no longer trying to "get" theory...
we had a better relationship...
DrTG was also a composer, his main interest...
and during this period, I spent quite a bit of time...
hand copying his music onto "onion skin paper"...
so it could be printed & preformed...
[way before Finale...]
during these years & some after...
I'd occasionally play a wedding with him...
or see him around town at some musical performance...
the last reconnection came about 2 1/2 years ago...
when he became the organist at my church...
he had been involved with several church choirs during his career...
but he was very impressed with ours...
and I know that he enjoyed working with these fine musicians...
his friends & admirers at VOPU put together a concert of his music last fall...
the audience was large and very appreciative...
I know that meant a lot to him...
so did the premier of his final work in January...
at the St Johns Chamber Orchestra Series...
DrTG was a nice guy...
an unassuming person who will be missed...
fortunately, we have his music to remember him by...
rest in peace, DrTG... you've earned it...
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