Our first square this time is about the horn solo from Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony. This piece was commissioned by my brother Charlie, in memory of our father Michael, who always loved this solo. The timbre of the instrument, the simplicity of the tune, and the serene feeling it evokes makes Charlie think of floating on tranquil water - perhaps in a simple boat - and I agree with him. So I chose to create the ripples using discharge and paint; they swirl, and then gently disperse, echoing the shape of a modern French horn and the simple melody.
Song for Athene by John Tavener: the first time I heard this
piece, as with millions of others I suspect, was during the funeral of Diana,
Princess of Wales. For me, it is forever linked with the sound of the soles of
the pallbearers’ boots, as they carried the casket out of Westminster Abbey;
they were just slightly off the beat, and that was just one more aspect of my
experience of it – the major/minor switch back and forth, and the march
seemingly in time only for a few beats, every so often - all part of the extraordinary
emotional wrench. This piece will also remind me forever of the boys’ wreath of
lisianthus and roses and the envelope that said “Mummy”, almost overpowered by
all the lilies and the royal flag and the uniforms, but nevertheless the
encapsulation of the grief of all who felt they had known her.
The border of flying angels is a reference to one of the
most beautiful lines in this anthem: “May flights of angels sing thee to they
rest”. This, I was reminded, is the line that comes after Horatio says
“Good-night, sweet prince” to Hamlet, in Act V, scene ii. So, goodnight, sweet
princess.
In the midst of our sadness surrounding thoughts of those who have passed on, we always remember that the world is a better place because of those lives. And has there ever been a better song to say what a wonderful world this is, and how good it is to have lived, than Louis Armstrong's scratchy version of What a Wonderful World. Written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David
Weiss, this was the choice of John and Susan, a happy couple who stopped to sponsor a square at our Elora Festival concert table this past summer.
It's a simple song, with a basic rhyme, and so Kathy chose a naive style, and picked out some of the elements the song focuses on. She also decided to show the world from the southern hemisphere, because she is going on a three month trip next month, visiting her son in New Zealand and daughter in Australia. Maybe that's her son with the beaming smile!
Happy listening, and may your music always be good for your soul.
Susan
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