Notes on the Symphony by Someone Who Doesn't Know Anything About Anything

It seems DH and I have officially reached the ages where we do not need Any More Stuff. I faced such a quandary at his birthday this year, that I gave him season tickets to the symphony for the entire family.

Yes, our little town has a symphony. They play in the huge auditorium at the local college. It's a nice facility with decent acoustics.

Last night they played two Copland selections and an Elgar. I rather liked it all, but then, I really don't know anything about music. In fact, when they were tuning up, I turned to DH and asked what note that is.

DH is such a gentleman. He did not roll his eyes, or sigh, or say, "you really ARE an idiot, aren't you?" He just smiled a teensy bit and whispered, "A."

"Oh."

I just love it in the beginning when they are all tuning up their own instruments, before the A, before anything. It's all just a cacophony of sounds, not music yet, really, and each person is so intent on his own sounds he is blocking out all the others. It's a melange of notes and screeches and each of them has a look of intense concentration on his face. Waves of energy are emanating from each person, and the waves are all colors and sizes and flying in all directions.

Then out walks out the Concertmaster. He stands there, patiently, and finally they all realize he is there, and, as one, they all give an A. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaa. All the multicolored waves hanging above their heads evaporate and the A is one large undulating wave over them. All the colors blend and all the energy becomes one large focused energy.

Then for the next hour or so, they share all their energy, their mission, working on the same pieces together. Coming in at just the right time. Playing at just the correct rate, the proper notes. DH shared with me that the Concertmaster even has the choice of how the violinists bow: up on this note, down on this one.

Last night, they played Fanfare for the Common Man, then an Elgar piece, I forget which one, but I love Elgar, and then Copland again, the 3rd symphony, which has phrases from the Fanfare for the Common Man. So the program opened and closed with the same theme. It all had such symmetry; quite satisfying.

Our little family sat in the dark and absorbed it all. After each piece, LO feels compelled to pronounce her opinion. "I liked that one." or, "I did not like that one." We are patient with this, and behave as if her pronouncement were just what we were waiting for. We make appropriate comments when she says it, like, "Aw, sorry," or "Oh Good!" accompanied by a bright smile. It must satisfy her when we are happy that she liked it or sad that she did not, because she continues to pronounce upon each piece.

Finally--- it was all over. The players packed up all their instruments, and we --- we had the energy they had given off, energy to take with us to our cars and to our homes and to enjoy throughout the rest of the night and most of the day today. In some ways we were nicer to each other, and discussed this piece or that one, and did you see the cellist, I thought of our DIL, or how does one learn to play the harp in a small town, are there really harp teachers. Didn't you love the undertones of that quiet, low violin in the first movement. That kind of thing.

I look forward to the next one: February 15.