There’s a wonderful moment at my family’s annual Christmas party, often punctuated by awkward titters from the children of the day. To an adult who understands the fragility of family and the beauty of sitting and listening to a patriarch reminisce, those children’s groans can come across as nearly sacrilegious, but I know that I, too, offered the same as a boy, because sometimes when faced with something so unusual, so magical, the right response is not at hand.
So often, I ponder something I’ve come up with and wonder “Am I on to something? Or do I just not get it?” I’ve been asking those questions to myself a lot this month.
It occurred to me at one point this Advent that I’ve never known what Christmas is like without the church being a vital part of it. We hear about the over-commercialization of the holiday season, and that we’ve lost the “true meaning” of Christmas, but I’m over here quietly saying, “I haven’t!”
… or, “How a Massive Data Loss Turned Me Around.”
I have a tendency to worry. The earliest example of this trend has become the stuff of family lore. There I was, a child of five, sobbing in front of my mom, “I don’t know who I’m gonna marry!” The fears and concerns have matured over the years. I’ve even said they are the “right” things to be worried about, and that I am being a responsible adult to focus my thoughts accordingly. But today, I feel different.
A week of three additions, an opera, a choral masterpiece, and a piece of my whimsical choosing.
Three fun new pieces to enjoy this week. I’ll complete the Cav/Pag that I left dangling a few months back. Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana is one opera that has elude me all these years completely. I’m not even sure I’ll recognize the noted Intermezzo that everyone is supposedly so familiar with. But at 80 minutes in length, I suspect this will be just what I need to bring back my confidence. I sure did enjoy Manon the past three weeks, but it didn’t leave me with much time for my other pieces. Hopefully, this shorter opera will do just that.
I am not having a good day. It started out good, I suppose, though particularly commonly. Roll out of bed a few minutes before the alarm; ponder the day during shower; piece together lunch box; check that the internet is up for my wife’s morning; kiss her sleepy noggin; head out the door.
Depending on how it’s tallied, at some point around last week I spun my 200th classical music piece for the grand experiment that I thought may never have gotten out of the starting blocks.
Three new pieces to start out August. I’ve noticed the past few weeks have been quite out of the ordinary in my life, putting into situations where I haven’t been able to listen to my music as often as usual, and leaving me less interested in the project. The other day, in fact, I began to wonder if it was something that I should just give up on.
Once again, it’s a week when all three categories come up for renewal, so that means it’s time to open up a new post.
