Thought for the day - December 10, 2000

Subject: Thought for the day - December 10, 2000
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Dec 00 - 11:47 PM

I stand to the right of my mom as she sits at the piano. Her slender hands with beautiful long, polished nails are poised over the keys, ready to accompany me. My bow is rosined, we've turned the page, in unison we begin a new piece. One of my favourites because I have it down pat and don't have to really work at it. I can soar and use the whole bow, all the finger positions, make the violin sing while mom deftly follows my lead in timing, then corrects me when I get too exhuberant, going too fast. We climb all of the crescendos to the last measure, ending with a sigh of contentment from making beautiful music together and, also, from my making it all the way to the end without making any glaring mistakes. Her patience knows no bounds in encouraging her children in musicmaking.

I have been so immersed in folk music for the past almost three years, reconnecting with it, from childhood, my sister and my dad, that I'd almost lost sight of how much classical music means to me and how much it has always been a part of my life, from before those early practice sessions and beyond.

Tonight I happened to turn on PBS and caught the last few bars of a piece mom and I used to play together. I can't remember the name of it and my book is in storage, but it was one of my favourites.

It caught my breath, brought instant tears, and that same sense of wonder and reverence I used to feel when listening to or playing classical pieces; and, it made me miss my mom, again. I shall go to sleep tonight with its shining bright refrains in my ear, singing to me from across the way, reaching out from my heart of longing to my mom now gone. While I am sad that we will never be able to practise together, again, I am grateful for this rekindling.

If you have the chance to make music with your loved ones, please do, esp. the older ones.

kat

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 10, 2000
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 Dec 00 - 11:53 PM

I wonder how many of us owe our Moms for so much of what we now love? I miss mine a lot too kat.....33 years..........Still remember her ease with music of all sorts as though she were here.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 10, 2000
From: CarolC
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 12:03 AM

We never played music together in my family, except a little bit of playfullness on the piano from time to time.

On the day of my mother's funeral, in the evening, my brother and I played music together for the first time. I played my accordion and he accompanied me on his guitar. Both of us are beginners on our respective instruments, so it was primitive, but the world brightened for a little while as we played. It was good.

Carol

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 10, 2000
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 01:40 AM

Nice thought kat.

Boy do I thank my Mom! She never really liked the folk music that so captured my heart, 'cause she was a "straight musician". She could sit down at the piano and (to my ears) sound like Art Tatum or Artur Rubinstein. Great reader and better "ear" player.

But I always remember her saying things like "That should be a Diminished chord" when I was playing something by Woodie. I'd be totally perplexed, til she'd play the notes on the piano. 'Course I never would "spruce up" Woody or Leadbelly, but those "fancy chords" came in real handy when I started playing 20s Jazz!

Rick

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 10, 2000
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 03:01 AM

Funny that, I got into music the opposite way - mother yelling at me to turn it down, and I'd just crank it up. I started going to folk clubs because they were in a pub rather than for the music (rebelling again) and only started singing because first time singers got bought a beer.... I was unemployed and very poor!!! Fiscally, not vocally....

After 10 years of singing in a church choir, I realised that I sing outside of church as well, once that happened, there was (and usually is) no stopping me. We never made music as a family, other than my mother (who has a singing voice no louder than your average pin dropping) being in the choir with me for a few months.

LTS

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 10, 2000
From: Jeri
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 09:34 AM

No one in my immediate family played any instruments, but we sang on car trips, we sang Christmas carols, and we occasionally just sang around the house. My Mom was constantly either humming under her breath or whistling, and it used to drive me crazy. Now I do it too.

I forget what prompted this, but I was once having a conversation with my Mom, when she started belting out "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar," "Ballin' the Jack," and a couple of others. I was rather surprised to discover she'd sung for a small local band in the 40's.

I got her interested in the local folk scene to the point where SHE would occasionally take ME to Cafe Lena. She was a big fan of Jackie and Bridie. (Anyone remember them?)

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 10, 2000
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 10:44 AM

My family was not musical at all with the sole exception of my mother. She used to push us to take music lessons but with youthful rebellion and all she was unsuccessful.

Still, one of my fondest memories is lying in bed waiting for sleep and hearing her play classical pieces on the upright piano.

Now, she is very proud of what I am doing in folk music and community theater. She hasn't come to see me perform in folk but she does make a point of coming to the musicals.

And every time I screw up on the guitar or have a question about music I remember her telling me I should take music lessons.

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 10, 2000
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 01:34 PM

Jackie and Bridey! You bet I remember them Jeri. Trouble is, I remember EVERYTHING except the things that are supposed to be important! I started having "senior moments" by the age of thirteen!

Rick

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 10, 2000
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 08:17 PM

I was reading this sad piece in The Observer today about how people in England don't like to sing these days I don't think it's they don't want to, it's that they have somehow picked up the idea that it's an odd sort of thing to do, if you aren't that good at it, and you need to be given permission.

So you stand in a congregation and nobody seems to be singing. But if you belt it out, you can feel other people coming on in, and it doesn't take many people and the rest join in. A great feeling. Of course if they don't you might feel a bit of a lemon, but it's good practice anyway.

Subject: RE: Thought for the day - December 10, 2000
From: Midchuck
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 09:41 PM

One of the few times I've actually gotten a kick out of writing a check (other than to pay for a new guitar, of course) was doing the check for mechanical royalties to my daughter when we put one of her songs on the second CD.

Peter.