Tuesday, April 12, 2016

MUSIC AND WORDS




The fascinating Mistress Maddie chose me as one of the recipients of the Music and Words award - - and as a recipient, I'm required to answer some questions pertaining to music.

I usually don't "do" awards, eulogies, or circumcisions, BUT - since the subject is dear to my heart - I will acquiesce.

Also, as a recipient, I'm supposed to bestow the award on four (I think it's four) other bloggers of my choice. I'm going to politely refrain from doing this, because I don't want pick "favorites" and ruffle feathers - - or have anyone stick pins in a Jon voodoo doll. Don't snicker - - it's a possibility.

Here are the Q & As:


What does music mean to you?
There is no doubt whatsoever that music is the universal language. It speaks to everyone - regardless of age, gender, nationality, or rank - and it speaks with an intensely unique personal language, that becomes our very own. Musical tastes vary greatly and encompass an infinite range of variations - but one thing is certain: everybody likes music.

Music has been my greatest passion for as long as I can remember. It has provided a comfort, solace, and emotional satisfaction that could never be equaled. Music delighted and fascinated me when I was too young to fully understand what it was - - and it provided a wealth of psychological and spiritual satisfaction later on. Music is definitely food for the soul.

I've had the privilege of enjoying music on  many emotional levels, since I was not only a lover of music but also a professional musician. Studying the components of music and all its structural complexities adds new dimensions to its value.

For me, music always invokes special memories and induces incredibly strong sentiments. Every phase of my life has been filled with music. Every aspect of my existence resonates with melodic ghosts and harmonious echos of my past.

Does that sound too poetic? Probably. I should quit while I'm ahead, but I'll add one more thing: music is timeless. 

What is your first music related memory?

I have a lot of early musical memories. Both of my parents loved a wide range of music, so I was exposed to all types of music at a very early age.

One particular memory stands out. I was probably two years old - - no more than three. I was with my maternal grandmother and we were in the attic of her house. She was doing some sort of work in there, I don't recall what. The window was wide open and the warm air was filled with the gentle scent of blossoms and flowers. My grandmother started singing Over the Rainbow. She was a serene, gentle woman and she had an incredibly beautiful voice. I listened spellbound. It was the first time I ever heard that song and I never forgot it.  

My father was obsessed with country music....and Hungarian music. What a combo! He had tons of old records and played them constantly. I was practically weaned on Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, and Kitty Wells.....not to mention the csardas. 

I remember being completely mesmerized by the Hanks Williams song Kaw-Liga. The minor key and the tom-tom beat sort of frightened me but I loved it nevertheless.


My greatest musical influence, by far, was my mother. I had never heard her play the piano until I was six years old. At that time we still didn't have a piano. She played on a grand piano in an auditorium near where we lived and I was entranced.

My Mom wasn't merely a pianist, she was a gifted virtuoso and my greatest musical influence. She had performed on the radio in Trenton when she was fourteen years old and won numerous awards. She was also my first piano teacher, when I was ten years old (that's when we finally got a piano). I am indebted to her for introducing me to a wide variety of music, including the classics.

What was the first album you ever purchased yourself?
I bought my first album when I was eleven years old. The Mozart piano concerto in A major K.488, Rudolf Serkin pianist.

When I recently moved from Texas to Tennessee the movers "lost" my entire record collection and all of my deceased mother's piano music. It couldn't have been a greater loss if it had been a death. I never got over it. 

What is the latest music you purchased?
I haven't purchased any music in an extremely long time. I usually download it from the Internet.

What is the very last song you listened to before writing this post? Be honest! 

A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
(heard it this afternoon - honest!)

AND (drumroll inserted here)
the final scene from Puccini's opera Suor Angelica (which I watched several times last night)

I'm sure nobody will watch the video, but here it is anyway. In my humble opinion Suor Angelica is a masterpiece - this final scene never fails to completely overwhelm me.

The plot? In a nutshell -
An unmarried woman has a child. The baby is taken away from her and she is sent to a convent as punishment. She becomes known as Sister Angelica, cultivator of flowers.

Seven years later Sister Angelica learns that her son has died. In a dream, he implores her to meet him in heaven. She plans to take her own life, by ingesting a concoction of poisoned flowers. After she drinks the potion she realizes that suicide is a sin and she will be damned forever. After imploring Mother Mary for mercy, she dies - as she sees a vision of her son.

Soprano Barbara Frittoli is Angelica




  and if you want to see an even more powerful interpretation, watch Renata Scotto
(unfortunately the final notes are cut off on this tape)

 

30 comments:

  1. You summed it up nicely when you said, "Music is a passion that provides comfort, solace, and emotional satisfaction that can never be equaled to anything else."

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    1. It's very difficult finding appropriate words to explain why we like music. Sometimes our deepest emotions defy explanation. I will say that music kept me from going nuts many times.

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  2. I was waiting with baited breath to read your answers, and you don't disappoint. Thank you for taking up the request Jon. I really loved you answer to the first question, and this may be the first post I heard you mention your grandmother. Funny, we were both, at a young age, introduced to memorable music memories by our beloved grandmothers! Your cross spectrum of music didn't surprise me though...your very well rounded and I loved your music clips. I listened and now hitting the sheets for the night. Night.

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    1. I'm glad that I didn't disappoint. Trying to explain my love for music wasn't as easy as I initially thought it would be. Much like you, my grandmother was a great influence in my life. She took care of me a lot because both my parents worked. She died when I was only sixteen but I have very vivid memories of her.

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  3. What a beautiful, moving account of your musical introduction, immersion and emergence. I understand also that there are parts of the process that are too intense for analysis, others that are too subtle. Your talent and skill amaze me, as I hope I've said before --and will doubtless say again. Excellent post, Jon.

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    1. Despite all of my blogger bravado, I've never thought of myself as having much talent or skill. Your kind words mean a lot - more than you know.

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  4. Much congrats! I love your music and words, so it would be hard for me to choose one over the other. But it goes without saying that you are a very talented dude. Kudos to MM for nominating you for the award :-)

    P.S. I could not live without music. It's the very thing that keeps me going...

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    1. It's very difficult when it comes to choosing between words or music. I'm really not a very skilled writer - - I've just read so much that I've become rather adept at tossing words together. I couldn't live without music, either. It's really my greatest inspiration.

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  5. I WAS going to nominate you, but maddie got to you first. music keeps us sane in an insane world.

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    1. Hey, Maddie gets to EVERYBODY first......(just jesting)...

      Music soothes the wild beast, and you're sure right about the insane world!

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  6. Kaw-Liga is a great tune, I liked it as a kid, too.

    And I really liked Marty Robbins' 'Big Iron' with Grady Martin on guitar (Mom had a big record collection.)

    I think my Beatles records were amongst the first I purchased, along with many 45s.

    :-)

    -Andy

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    1. My Mom was a big Marty Robbins fan. I remember when she bought the single 45 "El Paso".
      The first Beatles album I ever bought was Abbey Road.

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    2. "Out in the west Texas town of El Paso..." is a line of indelible poetic consonance that got me hooked on poetry as a kid hearing it on a.m.radio top-40 stations. Robbins could sure write.

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  7. Jon,
    My father liked Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, and Ernest Tubb too! Something else we have in common. A distant father who had great taste in music. And of course we both love cats. I would have them but Bill doesn't like cats. Maybe someday. One of the many regrets I have in life is that I never learned how to play the piano. I have a feeling that in one of my previous lives I was a virtuoso (HA!)
    Another fascinating and great post Jon.
    Ron

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    1. I'll send you my three cats (we won't tell Bill).
      My father was really obsessed with country music. Those were the days when it was GOOD country music - not like the crap they have today. Do you remember "Blue Christmas"?

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    2. Hell, no!!! The Ernest Tubb version!

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  8. An interesting survey of musical thoughts, thank you Jon! I'd never heard Kaw-Liga and to be honest I don't like that style of music but I can see how you were mesmerised by it. I would have been too, as a child, a bit worried by it I think actually!

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    1. Kaw-Liga was one of his biggest hits. My mother never cared for Hank Williams. She said he sounded like a tom cat in heat.

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  9. Jon,

    In this you and I were fortunate, we were exposed to a varied of music genres. I had a bit of almost everything in my musical library, even opera, which was one type I wasn't exposed to at home. Of course, my dad was a big Contry & Western fan so we had records by the hank Williams and Ernest Tubbs and Hank Snows and my favorite as a bot, Red River Dave! As to the piano, well, you probably read my early history at Mrs. Helms where she thought I would be a piano virtuoso, when I just liked to plink the keys. I played the two videos and it is always interesting how different singers/actors can bring a varied perspective to a set piece.

    Larry

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    1. I do remember reading your post about Mrs. Helms. I'm truly grateful that I was exposed to a wide variety of music (as I'm sure you are). It really enriched my life.

      Congratulations on watching the two videos!!!

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  10. I haven't thought of Kawliga in a long time. It was played on our juke box at The Bulldog Snack Shack a lot. Nice and interesting entry, Jon.

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    1. I think I first heard Kaw-Liga when I was three or four and I was obsessed with it.
      I like the name "Bulldog Snack Shack"!

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  11. Your response to #1 is wonderful, Jon. In particular, "... it speaks with an intensely unique personal language, that becomes our very own."

    My personal music language is messy ... all over the spectrum; but you're right. It's my very own and an ultimate comfort.

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    1. I initially thought it would be easy to describe why I like music, but it's not. It is indeed a very unique and complicated personal language.

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  12. Hello, Jon. Music really IS the universal language. It can affect people on a level that no other medium really can...

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    1. Hey, Keith - It's great to hear from you!

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  13. Jon,

    Now this was strange. I read a posting "Blossoms and Broadcasts". I clicked on comments to leave a couple of remarks and poof...I get a message the page doesn't exist. I tried to go back to that post and could not. I then returned to where I had originally clicked a link to this post. The link and pictures were there, but when I clicked it, I got the page doesn't exist message again.

    Larry

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  14. I had reverted the "Blossoms" post to a draft for a few minutes in order to change something. I've posted it again (hopefully it's there).
    I'm sorry about that, Larry!

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  15. Jon,

    Thanks for the explanation. It's nice to know I'm not crazy after all. Now if I could only remember the comments I was going to make.

    Larry

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I love comments. Go ahead and leave one - I won't bite. But make sure you have a rabies shot just in case.