Yesterday I took our oldest Chinese daughter (age 11 and taking cello at her request — and she practices for hours because she wants to) to hear the youth symphony. I thought she would enjoy it. Three high school students were featured. They were each said to be good enough to be professional.

I didn’t realize the concert was going to be more than just these three (one played violin; one played the harp; one played clarinet — we had to leave early so we missed that one to our regret.)

I’m not much of one for classical music, because it feels morose to me and makes me melancholy, so I stay away from it, as I fight that anyway. But this was very well done.

And my daughter was enthralled.

One piece they played was a piece that had been lost and only in more recent years rediscovered at the Library of Congress by someone who felt it looked like it would be worth hearing. The conductor had heard it in Chicago and was surprised he hadn’t known anything about it, but felt the kids needed a chance to play it. I don’t know where my daughter put the program, but when I put my hands on it, I will edit this to include the name. Check back.

I finally found the program. It was Serenade for Wind Instruments, Op 40, by Arthur Bird (1856-1923). They performed the 1st, 2nd, and 4th parts of it — Allegro moderato; Adagio — Allegretto grazioso; and Allego energico.

They really did super. He said they hadn’t had much time to practice, but that only shows how good they are.

It made me think (and we spoke about it) about what it might have been like when there was no radio/TV/MP3s/before transistor radios/no Satellite radio or cable TV music…when in order to have music you had to be musical, such as the man singing tango that I just posted.

We are so spoiled to have access to music 24 hours a day, and every kind you could imagine.

I figure at one time, music was pretty much accessible only by the rich, and I wonder how much music was heard, such as concert music, by the poor.

Though I have gone with little music for periods of time, I’ve never been music-less and recently to be immersed in music again is a great gift.

Karin

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Just thinking, Music