Sunday, July 12, 2009

Somebody Else's Original Poetry Sunday -

There's a new poem in my life. A friend on another site found it and posted a link. I'll do the same here. The poem is Daddy Longlegs by Ted Kooser. To read the poem, click here.

Mostly, though, today has been about music. I have been thinking about music all day. The CBC (radio) had an entire programme devoted to Brahms, which made my heart sing. As for singing, I caught part of the Choral Concert this morning. As often happens, I heard something that I had sung in one choir or another. I love that.

It got me to thinking about the fact that we'll be leaving for Wyoming on Wednesday, and a few days later I'll be performing with my sister Gracie. I think I'd better get busy.

I know we're going to sing "Sisters". I wonder if I'll be expected to dance. I hope not. I mean, I would love to - but I'm afraid our act would turn out to be more of a comic turn than we intended. I'm watching the YouTube video so that I'll have the lyrics memorized, if not the steps.



Beyond that, we're separately thinking of things to sing. I'll probably do My Funny Valentine, and maybe Blue Moon. We'll sing a few things together - things we used to sing together when we were kids, like Now Is the Hour and Moonlight Bay. I suggested Sentimental Journey, but only in jest. Gracie gets motion sick every time she hears that song. I'm a mean widdle sister.

This afternoon, I watched 'Spectacle', Elvis Costello's show. He interviewed Elton John. The two of them were talking about someone I've never heard of until today, and I can't believe I've gone all these years without knowing about him - David Ackles. Am I the only one whose musical education is so sadly lacking? (If the answer is yes, please don't feel obligated to tell me so. ;>) ) This is his Road to Cairo -



Finally, I watched a show about music and the brain. Sting got into an FMRI machine and thought about music, listened to music, composed a bit of music, all while researchers took pictures of his brain. Fascinating stuff. I wanted to embed Sting's Fields of Gold, but YouTube won't let me, so once again, click here.

Much of the programme was devoted to the connection between music and emotion. I was reminded of the first time I saw the movie Cabaret. There was a scene that took place in a Biergarten. A young man stood up and sang Tomorrow Belongs to Me. The scene was a foreshadowing of the rise of the Nazis to power, and it was chilling. At the same time, the young man's singing was so beautiful, all the people in the Biergarten found themselves drawn into his emotion, standing, singing - and as I watched the scene, I felt momentarily pulled in, as well (kicking and screaming). I found the experience frightening, but it made me realize as I never had before, just how powerful music is.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Fun music selections; I hadn't heard of David Ackles either, so you're not alone in that boat.

& I agree with you on the "Future Belongs To Me" scene from "Cabaret"-- it's powerful.

Liked the Kooser poem.

Reya Mellicker said...

This is great! I saw a PBS special about music and the brain ... wonder if it was the same show.

Reading your post I wanted to keep saying yes and yes and yes and YES and YES!!

My sisters and I always sang together when we were kids, too.

Sandra Leigh said...

John, I think that I was especially shocked because I hadn't known anything about Cabaret before I walked into the theatre. I went to see a musical. Oy. I loved it. I went back to see it again the next night - but I had goosebumps.

Yes, Reya, that may have been the same special. Was Sting on yours?

Singing together is one of our fondest memories. When we got together in 1980 (after far too long) the first thing the three sisters did was head for the piano.

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