Sept. 30, 2018
When something catches my eye, I tend to slowly build obsessions for it. Often it’s healthy obsessions, at least I’d like to believe they are. Sometimes I’d like to take time to research to see if I’d enjoy it if I make that obsession into reality (like the one time when I started taking film photos). Sometimes I’d like to be little bit impulsive without a second thought. I will give you an example.
Recently I was asked to present a recital, and a program of my choice. At the time of making the decision, I listened to many different pieces that I have not played. Then I started building an obsession to Romance by Philippe Gaubert (1879-1941). I have played and heard his works before, but hadn’t heard the Romance at all. I started to locate the music, called a friend and searched the library catalogue. My friend had a relatively newer part and score, and the school library had a fossil-like copy — one of those copies when you open you have to blow the dust off, and each page immediately falls apart.
The beautiful opening melody became part of my daily warm-up routine. Wherever I went, I took the beautiful melody with me. (I am thinking about transposing it, and add to my own “Tone Development” exercises.)
Anyway, this beautiful and mysterious composition of Gaubert, has been in my head all the time. I listen to it when commuting, resting, and humming the melody while doing dishes and sweeping the floor.