Music to my ears - July 2021
Whilst holidaying in Vietnam a few years ago, I heard a beautiful rendition of the classical Jeux Interdits (Spanish Romance) which instantly evoked memories of a long-forgotten Parisian summer holiday back in 1969. Immediately I had the urge to learn to play it! Within a week of returning, I had bought a second-hand classical guitar, a Yamaha 250 (thanks Facebook!) and found a teacher who was willing to teach a complete novice. To my amazement, three years later, I still have the passion to play and have learnt to play Spanish Romance, albeit a much simpler version.
They say learning a musical instrument helps your memory. Maybe! Yes, my brain is certainly stretched as I juggle playing with both hands and read music at the same time. It’s tricky! Although I learnt Grade 1 piano when young, I don’t find reading music easy and learn best aurally, listening to recordings via the internet. Invariably, I come to love my latest piece as I play it repeatedly. Practising is not a chore but a way into another realm - sometimes meditative, sometimes calming.
My current favourite is Cold Finger Blues, a jazzy blues number by Maria Linnemann. You can hear it being played by a pro here (I’m not ready for public performances!): Maria quotes Victor Hugo on her website: ‘Music expresses what words cannot say and what cannot be left unsaid.’ Bravo!
Music making has led me into the music world. A small reflection group to which I belong, opens with music chosen by ‘yours truly’. A delightful job! Mainly I choose female composers. Hilary Kleinig’s Great White Bird, a hauntingly beautiful piece which imagines a time in Australia before European settlement blew us all away: Listen here. Dances in the Canebrakes composed by Florence Price in 1953, an American black concert pianist and organist is a short suite for piano and a great rag time piece. Elena Kats-Chernin, a Soviet born Australian pianist and composer is prolific and I love her White Swans Suite. I’m enjoying listening to music more and more.
Two years on, I treated myself to a new Alhambra guitar; perfect timing for the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown where practising became a natural part of my daily rhythm. Thankfully my very patient teacher is still offering me encouragement and guidance.
Recently I read the Welcome address given to freshman parents at Boston Conservatory by Karl Paulnack, the pianist and director of music at the Conservatory. I highly recommend reading it. Not only does it lift your spirits but it describes, very poetically, the profound power of music. Two moving quotes:
Music has a way of finding the big, invisible moving pieces inside our hearts and souls and helping us figure out the position of things inside us.
Art is one of the ways in which we say, "I am alive, and my life has meaning”.
https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/centers/boisi/pdf/s091/Welcome_address_to_freshman_at_Boston_Conservatory.pdf
Music has a way of reaching parts of our lives which nothing else can. Enjoy!
