If the
photograph looks familiar, it is because I used it once before .... long/long ago
on June 23, 2015, with a post entitled, "My voice is as the wind amidst
ghosts." You get three guesses what I meant by those words. The "moon" is here again
because it is sort of tied in with the post today, as you will discover if you
continue reading. There also are four videos, two about "genteel" music and two
about "heavy-duty" rock, which also have roles to play in this performance:Louis-Hector
Berlioz: "Requiem," Robert Shaw conducting a rehearsal / J.S. Bach: "Dona Nobis Pacem"
from Mass in b minor, BWV 232, Robert Shaw conducting / AC\DC: "You Shook Me
All Night Long," cover by Sershen & Zaritskaya, featuring Kim and Shturmak / (AC\DC: "You Shook Me All Night Long," cover by Sershen & Zaritskaya,
drunk drummer playthrough
Music is "very damn near a
religion"
Ever think about -- wonder about
-- the first time and the last time?
Whoa ....
This probably is not what
entered your mind as you read the opening sentence, but it is related in sort of a sideways manner.
Specifically, I was wondering about the first book you ever read and which might be the last you ever read .... or a song
-- what was the first song you ever heard that you recall and which will be the last you ever will hear?
Do things such as these make a difference? Are they at all relevant to your life?
Robert Lawson Shaw believed these
things are very important in terms of music and once said these words in respect to concert songs: "You
never know who is going to be hearing that piece for the first time, and you
never know who is going to be hearing that piece for the last time."
He believed that alone makes the piece and the performance very important -- relevant beyond words.
This was not Robert Archibald
Shaw, the English actor, novelist and playwright speaking, an individual I admire for
his performances on stage and film. That Shaw probably is best remembered as the
assassin in, "From Russia with Love," and the obsessed fisherman in, "Jaws."
Rather, this is Shaw, the "music
man." He probably is best remembered as the director of the Cleveland Orchestra
and Chorus and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. He is also noted for being a "perfectionist"
with his performances and his recordings, and for his absolute support for racial integration in his
choruses. He died in 1999 from a stroke while attending a performance of Samuel
Beckett's one-act play, "Endgame," at Yale University.
Music was more than luxury or
entertainment for Shaw. It was communication, spirit itself, a moral force .... "very
damn near a religion." His rehearsal techniques, isolating rhythm, pitch or
enunciation, were calculated for maximum effect and efficiency. He might reseat
singers, mixing voices to achieve a homogeneous overall sound, or shift voices
to another line if it suited his concept of the way resonance was best
projected.
Shaw believed a song could
transform individuals many ways and change their lives, which was why he was a "perfectionist"
and sought synthesis between the practical and the emotional when preparing for
concerts. Once a choir became fully accountable for the structure of a piece,
the "true magic" of emotion and interpretation could emerge, he said.
Hmmmm ....
The other song features Daria Zaritskaya and Sergey Sershen from Kiev. Information about the band is scarce, but I assume all its members are from the same area, including the drunk drummer -- who sure can handle the sticks and skins and is one hell of a great chair dancer.
The contrast between the songs and the individuals performing them is ostensibly stark. From my perspective, it almost is a certainty it would be fascinating to individually interview a few from each group. It also almost is a certainty there are more similarities than one might expect.
The time for the "moon flight" has arrived: I have a habit for which there
is no real explanation. Each month, if and when I see the full moon, I look at
it long and hard wondering if this will be the last I ever see it. This month -- October
2020 -- we are fortunate. It is a "blue moon" month, with one full on the 1st
and another on the 31st.
I hope circumstances will be
right for me to see the one upcoming ....
So, one more reminder: Think a
bit in terms of the first and the last and, if nothing else, it will give you greater appreciation for the life you have ....
11 comments:
The Bach is lovely. There was a time in my life when I sang music like that in a choir.
You always have such thoughtful, thought-provoking entries, Fram. For me, I can't really do the "first time, last time" thing with music or books. Both have been (and still are) such an integral part of my life. Of course I can give a last (the Bach and an Agatha Christie mystery, as I write this), but the first for either eludes me. I was read to and sung to from birth, I'm sure, and was reading on my own by age four.
Back in Black was the ultimate AD/CD album, in my opinion. Interesting covers...
I tend to have a love/hate relationship with the full moon. While I do appreciate its beauty (I'm inclined to think about the Apollo missions to its surface when I gaze at it for any length of time), I find it disrupts my sleep by making it way too bright at night. Darkness is one of the pleasure of country living, for me.
Ha! I just came back here and a typo from my comment above jumped right out at me. I have no idea how my fingers typed AC/DC as AD/CD. I do proof before I hit publish. I really do!
My reading background is similar to your own, Kelly. My mother and grandmother read fairy tales and Bible stories to me, and there came a pre-school point when I was reading them to myself. Many still linger in my mind in great detail .... and, I still read some from time-to-time .... but, I would bet my last dollar Neverland really does exist somewhere with Peter Pan lurking about ....
I have no recollection of what might have been the first book I read, but I have no doubt it was a compendium of fairy tales .... figures, hah? The same is true regarding songs .... but, probably something by one of the "singing cowboys."
It annoys me that, in all likelihood, I never will know what my last book or song will be .... was ....
Your comment about the moon and sleep brought to mind the story of, "The Princess and the Pea." I was pretty much like "her" when I was a child and I could not sleep in daylight, either. The Marine Corps cured me of any sleep difficulties I ever experienced. I can lie down anywhere on anything at anytime day or night and be asleep in two or three minuites. I have slept tied in trees and sitting in mud up to my neck while it is raining .... no fun, but doable ....
Thank you, for coming and for reading and for writing a comment, Kelly. I will always think of you as someone special ....
P.S. Remember, to pull all the curtains tightly shut when the full moon arrives ....
P.P.S. I was going to tease you about the A/B/C/D/E .... W/X/Y/Z, but changed my mind ....
Good but difficult post
My first book,
The children's reading book.You know where mother washes up, father reads the newspaper ,the dog sleeps, and the children play.I loved such picture books and remember them well to this day-Much because of the consistency around this.I was an only child and lot at home with mother.So I played and dreamed of the brother I never had (he died)
Music I remember I liked my mother's songs, she sang opera, the first pop song was maybe Beatles heh heh do not remember
Have a nice day and always look at the bright side of life :)
Norskejenten.
Singing cowboys? Like Gene Autry or Roy Rogers? My earliest songs were probably those sung to me during bath time. I sang them to my own kids and grandkids.
My sister, rest her soul, left notes on the windowsill for Peter Pan waaaaaaay longer than she should have. Believe it or not, that's one I've never read. I had some favorites of my own, though. I was just commenting on another blog that I still occasionally pull Charlotte's Web off the shelf just to look at some of my favorite illustrations.
All my posts are good, Anita .... hmmmm .... well, some better than others and they often are complicated .... what can I say?
My mother worked, so my grandmother was in charge of me. She taught me many things, too, such as how to sew buttons on shirts and how to wash and iron clothes .... and, most importantly of all, how to bake bread and how to make cookies and cake and pies and lefse. I recall both mother and grandmother singing to me and teaching me songs, reading to me and telling me stories.
https://youtu.be/ffDoTTSIfRA
Lest I forget, in addition to fairy tales and Bible stories, a number of riddles and nursery rhymes were part of my bedtime repertoire, as well, many of which I committed to memory.
You did not mention the Sershen & Zaritskaya rendition of, "You Shook Me All Night Long." I was thinking of you on stage performing a duet with Daria. Did you watch the drummer? He is a true "danseur noble" of the chair dance. Ok .... enough teasing .... sit down and be quiet, Fram ....
Thank you, Anita, for coming and for commenting. Snow and cold rule the earth for me; I hope the weather is treating you considerably better than it is me. Take care and be safe and sing a bit of "Frere Jacques" for me .... later, Norske jenten ....
Yes, Kelly .... singing cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers and John Wayne and Eddie Dean .... hmmmm ....
Did you know John Wayne did at least one film as "Singing Sandy" back in the 1930s. He is riding down the trail at one point and later walking to a street gunfight singing in it, although I never have tried to learn if it actually was his voice or if he was just mouthing the words.
https://youtu.be/vOrv5rRpAsQ
I never had heard (that I recall) of Eddie Dean until a few years ago. He was one of the "big guys" in the world of cowboy stars during the 1940s. If I recall correctly, he came out of Texas, did some work with Lawrence Welk, actually was a radio singing star at WNAX in Yankton, South Dakota, for a few years in the 1930s, then hit Hollywood like a storm. His movies show up on Turner occasionally, which is where and how I learned of him.
https://youtu.be/EA_V_zjJkJ8
The sixty-four dollar question is did Peter Pan ever reply to the notes your sister left for him. I hope he did.
A side note on Neverland: When I went to Poland, I spent the first couple of weeks in a bed & breakfast while looking for an apartment to rent. The bed & breakfast had a few DVDs and CDs. It was there I saw, "Finding Neverland," for the first time on a DVD. And, one of the CDs was the original soundtrack album composed by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek. Every night when I went to bed, I would start the album playing. It kept repeating and still would be playing in the morning when I woke up. The music is beautiful and very conducive to restful sleep and pleasant dreams.
https://youtu.be/9AMjiwyEz8Q
"Peter Pan" can be read as either a play or a novel or both, and it never-ever-never is too late for a journey to Neverland .... I plan to move there some day ....
Thank you, Kelly, for your return visit and comment. Take care and be safe and happy reading ("Peter Pan") ....
Heh heh yes I remember that song "Fader Jacob sover du"
But really not so much.Mom song only american lullabyes to me
And those church songs.Ohh I remember very well going to church in our best clothes ,itchy stockings,blue dress with a white decorative collar and hard tree benches to sit on!Very boring!
But then there always was great dinner when back home.My fahter was never home.He was a sailor on all seas.
Yes i have watched the song "You shock me all up"I cant understand why you thought I like that one.Nope I was more Suzie Quatro Can The Can typehttps://youtu.be/xYoogY-UGio A wild one ,but today I cant understand why I liked the musicback then, but her clothes, hair and accessory, yes that was me
I watched Dario too..But not my type.But good drummer!
Yesterday I think my brain thought of you in deep sleepy awareness because I dreamed of you x two.Here in Norway and in America.I first dreamed my visit to America, woke up, got me to sleep again and then I dreamed of you here in Norway! Crazy! I was even not thinking of you in the daytime!.It was a friendly dream .But I remember I got jealous why you wanted to choose my blond slim nurse colleague to talk with instead of me hah hah So there you go !Fantasies!
Ok have a nice day Fram
I got free 3 days I better spend them well.
See you
Norskejenten :)
Thanks for the links.... I checked out all of them. :)
Sadly, I never thought to ask my sister if Peter Pan ever responded. Perhaps someday I'll be able to ask her. In the meantime, maybe I should add the book to my TBR.
Your dark hair and Daria's dark hair form the connection, Anita ....
I have, on occasion, encountered the name "Suzi Quatro," but do not recall ever watching her perform -- until today, that is. I watched, "Can the Can." Not having seen her before is not unusual because I am constantly running into bands and singers and songs on YouTube and elsewhere that I am not familiar with and many of which I never even have heard of before. For every Led Zeppelin or David Bowie, there probably are at least a few thousand "never heard of" individuals or groups just in the United States and England, and, when you include other countries, the number of unknowns increases exponentially.
I did a few minutes of "research" about Ms. Quatro and kept encountering other "never heard ofs," including one girl band evidently very prominent in the Detroit area. This, too, is rather common. Wherever I go, I seem to run into regional bands which are immensely popular in specific areas, but virtually unknown anywhere else.
Another element similar to this is that I occasionally see street musicians I think could hold their own with any professional musicians, but will never have a real opportunity to demonstrate their skill and talent.
As for your dreams, I am not sure what to think and, therefore, how to respond. You in the United States or me in Norway does not require much imagination. I know a number of people who have been to Norway, including my mother, who on separate trips went for "her big three" -- Norway = ancestral / Germany = ancestral / Israel = religious.
As for young ladies and the color of their hair, I have no favored. My first former wife is a blonde; my second former wife has black hair. Both are attractive and very intelligent.
Thank you, Anita, for your second visit and comment. Stay safe and take care and enjoy your time away from work -- while making sure to stay out of mischief ....
Try as I might, I cannot envision John Wayne singing, "You Shook Me All Night Long" ....
I think, maybe, it might be appropriate to place the tale of Peter and Wendy and Tinker Bell toward the top of your "list in waiting" and begin it on a winter night not long before Christmas, when the air is ripe for magic ....
If you never have watched the film, "Finding Neverland," I would recommend that, too. It is an interesting story based on the life of J.M. Barrie, with stellar acting, is very heart-warming and a real tear-jerker ....
Thank you, Kelly, for your return and your comment. See you at the library and at the movies ....
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