Shakespeare and Company

Playing One Summer’s Day (Joe Hisaishi) from Spirited Away at Shakespeare & Co. (the historic bookstore) in Paris. This is finally the last of my European piano videos. Full video also on my YouTube channel (link in bio). Video: @buddhistmango #joehisaishi #joehisaishimusic #spiritedawaymusic #onesummersday #shakespeareandcompanyparis #shakespeareandcompanybookstore #shakespeareandcompanybookshop #publicpiano #streetpiano #streetpianos #pianist #piano #classicalmusic #classicpiano #pianoclassics #pianoplaying #pianopractice #alwayspracticing #classicalpianist #musicianlife #musicianlifestyle #practicing #musician #musicislife

Playing Sixth Station (Joe Hisaishi) from Spirited Away at Shakespeare & Co. (the historic bookstore) in Paris. Video: @buddhistmango #joehisaishi #joehisaishimusic #spiritedawaymusic #sixthstation #shakespeareandcompanyparis #shakespeareandcompanybookstore #shakespeareandcompanybookshop #publicpiano #streetpiano #streetpianos #pianist #piano #classicalmusic #classicpiano #pianoclassics #pianoplaying #pianopractice #alwayspracticing #classicalpianist #musicianlife #musicianlifestyle #practicing #musician #musicislife

When I was last in Paris in 2009 (10 years ago) with a very good friend of mine, I remember visiting a bookstore with a piano in it extremely near Norte Dame cathedral. I’m pretty sure that at the time, it was just random chance that we found this bookstore. After visiting all of the Paris train station pianos, I decided to just google “paris bookstore piano” because of this memory and immediately found Shakespeare and Company. The original bookstore, established by American Sylvia Beach, was frequently visited by members of the Lost Generation, which included Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was closed in 1941 because of the war and never reopened. George Whitman, also an American, opened the current Shakespeare & Co. and patterned it after the original bookstore to carry on Sylvia’s legacy. Whitman decided to operate his bookstore as a safe haven for aspiring writers - writers were invited to sleep there for free as long as they met various requirements such as reading a book a day and helping around the bookstore. An estimated 30,000 (!!) people have stayed overnight in the bookstore since it opened in 1951. Shakespeare & Co. was even more wonderful than I had remembered. It had a beautiful cat, beds, and a gorgeous piano. I’m not sure if the piano was different than the one from 10 years ago... I thought it sounded great in the space and was very well maintained. Here, I’m playing @nortonchris’s Eastern Prelude No. 3 "Bang Chhun-hon", which is based on a traditional melody from Taiwan. Its Chinese name is “望春風” and its English name is given as “Longing for the Spring Breeze”. This full video is also on YouTube (see link in bio). Video: @buddhistmango #parispiano #望春風 #christophernorton #easternprelude #shakespeareandcompanyparis #shakespeareandcompanybookstore #shakespeareandcompanybookshop #publicpiano #streetpiano #streetpianos #pianist #piano #classicalmusic #classicpiano #pianoclassics #pianoplaying #pianopractice #alwayspracticing #classicalpianist #musicianlife #musicianlifestyle #practicing #musician #musicislife

⁣ Please play me⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #shakespeareandco #bookstore #independentbookstore #paris #parigi #shakespeareandcoparis @shakespeareandcoparisy #piano #pleaseplayme #incendienotredame #notredamedeparis #tristejournພ #tristenuit #2008 #travel #lookingaroundme #passionphotography #photography #fotografia #nikon #streetphotography #lovephotography @lookingaroundme_photo

Back at my spiritual home in Paris @shakespeareandcoparis 📚 . . . . . #shakespeareandcompany #bookstore #paris #haven #homefromhome #books #publicpiano