13/02: Daddy's Orchestra
Category: A Very Wingnutted Aventure
Posted by: wingnut
Growing up in a household limited to classical or sacred religious music and very little television cut a lot of common American culture from my childhood, but it opened my horizons to a different world.
I followed The Sorcerer’s Apprentice narrated by Jim Baccus, who had the creepiest voice on the face of the planet. I knew all the instrumentals to Peter and the Wolf and could sing along with each theme. I could also sing along with variety of musical excerpts from nearly every popular musical without having seen any of the musicals. Most notably, I consistently heard a variety of classical forms---from Bach’s two-part inventions and Vivaldi’s Spring to Beethoven’s long list of symphonies and concertos to Berlioz, Liszt and Schumann of the Romantique period. To this day my favorites include the piano literature from Chopin and Liszt.
My dad’s favorite piece of music (if I had to guess) must have been Beethoven’s Ninth, especially the Third Movement where the chorus would sing in German the music that I know as Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee. The resounding four part harmony with a glorious compliment of the full orchestra filled our home with the world of music at our feet.
On numerous occasions, Daddy would grab any implement that could mimic a baton and begin to direct the air before him with grand gesture, emphasizing each count of the four-beat measures in the conductor’s choreography, singing in German with the choir at the top of his lungs.
Sometimes the music inspired him to the point of taking his violin from its rarely opened case to play a tune. Occasionally his doing so would prompt me to take my smaller violin to play with him. We’d go from one tune to another, sight-reading through the hymnbook. Then he’d put the instrument away and go to the next record, listening and directing—or moving on to another task while enjoying the intertwining melodies.
A few weeks ago my husband had some classical sounding theme playing on his computer, reminding me of my dad. I couldn’t tell you why I did it, but I grabbed the nearest baton-like thing within reach and began to direct.
You see, I have inherited Daddy’s Orchestra and it is truly magnificent.
I followed The Sorcerer’s Apprentice narrated by Jim Baccus, who had the creepiest voice on the face of the planet. I knew all the instrumentals to Peter and the Wolf and could sing along with each theme. I could also sing along with variety of musical excerpts from nearly every popular musical without having seen any of the musicals. Most notably, I consistently heard a variety of classical forms---from Bach’s two-part inventions and Vivaldi’s Spring to Beethoven’s long list of symphonies and concertos to Berlioz, Liszt and Schumann of the Romantique period. To this day my favorites include the piano literature from Chopin and Liszt.
My dad’s favorite piece of music (if I had to guess) must have been Beethoven’s Ninth, especially the Third Movement where the chorus would sing in German the music that I know as Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee. The resounding four part harmony with a glorious compliment of the full orchestra filled our home with the world of music at our feet.
On numerous occasions, Daddy would grab any implement that could mimic a baton and begin to direct the air before him with grand gesture, emphasizing each count of the four-beat measures in the conductor’s choreography, singing in German with the choir at the top of his lungs.
Sometimes the music inspired him to the point of taking his violin from its rarely opened case to play a tune. Occasionally his doing so would prompt me to take my smaller violin to play with him. We’d go from one tune to another, sight-reading through the hymnbook. Then he’d put the instrument away and go to the next record, listening and directing—or moving on to another task while enjoying the intertwining melodies.
A few weeks ago my husband had some classical sounding theme playing on his computer, reminding me of my dad. I couldn’t tell you why I did it, but I grabbed the nearest baton-like thing within reach and began to direct.
You see, I have inherited Daddy’s Orchestra and it is truly magnificent.
