Music is magic and it’s transformative. I’m not any sort of music scholar. I just enjoy listening to it. Many of us have music memories, events we associate with specific music.
New Year’s Day to me is the Radetsky March and the Blue Danube waltz. For many years I’ve watched the concert fromVienna on PBS. It largely features the music of a couple of Strauss family members (remember, I’m not a scholar! Richard and Johann?), ballet, Lippizaners, and the beautiful scenery of Austria.
The dancers move to the music, either through ballet or waltz. They are elegant and graceful. Ballet is nice to watch. I’ve watched a great deal. It’s nice, as I said. I truly love watching skilled ballroom dancers. The college I attended had an international ballroom dance team. I often went and watched their practices because it was so enjoyable.
Ballroom dancing has rather run out of favor. I will say it was still a physical education elective when I was teaching high school. And the kids really enjoyed it. My brother (four years my senior) was very musical and also loved to dance. He taught me many of the ballroom standards and we’d practice at his whim. The waltz was my favorite.
Now, pair the waltz with my love of reading. Add in that I’m a true Romantic. I spent long periods of time daydreaming about waltzing with a tall, dark-haired stranger though the time period always seemed to be 19th century. My daydreams are very detailed. Long story short, my daydreams never manifested themselves in reality. No one I dated enjoyed dancing, even if they were tall and dark-haired.
I’ve said that I’m not a music scholar. I took piano lessons for a short time but detested them. None of this precludes me from enjoying music. And I enjoy so many different types of music. When I watch musical performances, especially classical, I’m always struck by how the music affects the musicians. They really FEEL the music. This isn’t to say that musicians of all genres don’t feel the music. Orchestra members are often disciplined and stiff-looking. I know there are protocols. But to watch them be swept away by the music they’re playing is moving and so powerful.
I understand how they feel. I feel it when I hear words, or observe a beautiful scene in nature. It can move me to tears at times, good tears. The annual concert in Vienna ends with a very upbeat, audience-participation piece named Radetsky’s March. Though a military tune, it’s very celebratory and fun, a good way to welcome a New Year!
Almost forgot the Lippizaners. They are horses, but not just any horses. They are highly skilled horses that perform incredible feats (dressage) called “airs above the ground.” I was horse crazy as a youngster and read all about them. Their heritage was threatened during WWII by advances of the Soviet Army. A group of American soldiers saved them. These events are chronicled in a book (and movie) called The Miracle of the White Stallions. I’ve seen these horses in a few performances and they are incredible. The Vienna concert often features a performance of the horses choreographed to the music.
The use of music in my life has become sparse. I need to incorporate it more for enjoyment and relaxation. But I’m glad I remembered to watch this year’s version of the concert from Vienna.
Stories Are For Eternity 