Sept. 04, 2003 - 19:54 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Slip 'n' Slide

So here I go peacefully on my way this afternoon, doogie cum boogie ka dilly ka boolie and all of a sudden comes an entry, suggested by Carol the Suicide Blonde who made an entry, "New Music" and in my e-mail to her and in her return reply suggested that I should make an entry of it, started my memory machine spinning again.

I think my first memory of music and rhythm was Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers. Radios in the home were just being born, I remember listening to a crystal set my uncle built, but was disappointed in the sound and selection of music that was played then. Occasionally I could get Dad or Mom to play the wind up victrola so I could listen to music they had on records.

What a day it was for me when they trusted me to do it all on my own. No problem with volume in those days it couldn't get too loud by the twist of a knob, it was just one volume. They had records of Caruso, I remember Neapolitan Nights which became the theme song for "First Nighter," (first time I ever heard Don Ameche was on that program), produced by Campana's Italian Balm. Another one I liked was the "Bell Song from Lakme. Mom and Dad had stuff that was currently popular so the menu was quite eclectic. I remember listening to the music from Hawaii, The steel guitars and the plunk, plunk of ukeleles, the sound waxing and waning with occasional surf sounds, Don Ho singing the famous "Tiny Bubbles," put the romance of the Islands in my being. "

There is and always has been music in my heart and soul, but I never could carry a tune in a galvanized wash tub -- and as far as that goes, my proficiency in dancing was about the same, my feet stutter. I about wore out those records. About that time Dad bought an Atwater Kent radio. Tuner, loudspeaker and battery box. We got some pretty good sounds out of that, but batteries got used up much too quickly. Then he got a table model, Cathedral style Philco radio.

I got used to the popular stuff then, including Ovaltine's Lil' Orphan Annie, Wheaties Jack Armstrong the All American Boy, Skelly Oil's Jimmy Allen, and the soaps back then, Ma Perkins, The Romance of Helen Trent and the popular music of the day, some of which I liked.

But it was the Cowboy songs, country songs, Negro spirituals, and songs from the deep hills which had been brought over from England and Europe and kept alive by those folk back in the hollows, music revered by all who lived far from the modern life. My love for music, some of each kind grew as I grew.

There was a man called, Tune Detective who could take a tune from way back in time and by changing the timing, emphasis etc. show that it was the exact notes of a modern song who interested me deeply and showed me that there was good music from the beginning to the present day. One example I can think of was "Tonight We Love," taken from a portion of Piano Concerto No. 1 by Tchaikovsky (SP ?), "Theme from Elvira Madigan" from a portion of a Mozart piece.

Being born in the arid west while there was still a cowboy or two around, the Cowboy songs were deep in my heart, Sons of the Pioneeers used to sing "Cool, Cool Water" and "Tumblin' Tumble Weed" they were for real to me Lucille. Thirst showed up quickly when out away from town, didn't have to be overbearingly hot, it was so dry that the desire to drink was ever present. "Cool, Cool Water" would run through my head when I thirsted. "Tumblin' Tumble Weed," how often I had seen Tumble Weed rolling across flat spots, driven by the wind. Russian Thistle (tumbleweed) grew almost in ball shape, died, dried up and presented enough surface to the wind to be pulled from the ground and roll and roll, scuttling across the prairie piling up in drifts along the barbed wire fences. Back then the wide open spaces were still wide and open.

Negro spirituals showed to me the faith and longing of people reaching out for a better life. On Saturdays Dad and I would do the noisy part of house work (Momma was on duty Saturdays) early so that we could listen to the Texaco Opera while doing quiet work, finishing on into the opera. Then, right after the opera came another favorite of mine, The Elder Lightfoot Solomon Mischaux, from the Banks of the Potomac with his choir of spiritual singers who could put the longing of slaves into music, put the joyful rhythm into the happy songs and the pure reverence in the worshipful hymns. "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" is one I still love, and "There's A Wheel In A Wheel" is another that is superb.

I guess from my early years I had learned to be adventuresome in music, so was able to find things I liked in all different kinds of music.

One year I was going to summer school to make up a failing grade in regular school. I would be in school an hour or two. It was just across the street from St. John's Cathedral a majestic edifice. One day I thought I would walk clear around it just to see the magnificent architecture of the building. I passed an open door and heard organ music. There was no gate, no obstacle and the music emanating from that grand instrument lured me inside. I sat down and first heard Bach's wonderful "Ode To Joy" or "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring," whichever one chooses to call it. What a great wonder that was to me, my spirit soared as the music twirled and spiraled, ever rising to become more beautiful yet. All that in a completely silent church. I stopped by every day to see if the organist was practising and sometimes was lucky, but never lucky enough to hear that Ode To Joy played in that church again.

Speaking of Tune Detective reminds me that there is or was a British group called Apollo 100 who made a rock piece out of the Ode To Joy, it was easy to identify although the rhythm was entirely different.

As I grew into teen age, I had a job and bought a record player I began to buy records, first off was the Viennese Waltzes, next was the well known Serenades, Aida of course and other music, I didn't have the bucks to buy too much but enough to keep my love of music going.

As a surprise a few years ago while I could still hear enough to enjoy listening to music, Heather took me to a concert where a well known pianist was in concert here in Denver and one of the pieces he played was the Piano Concerto No. 1 by that unspellable Russian composer. "Tonight We Love," which was made from a portion of that concerto, was "our" song when were going together. Heather wouldn't let me have the program, so I didn't know it was coming. Now, what a birthday present that was. She had bought the seats in the ideal place to hear the music too.

So now in the days of the "Grand Ol' Opry," and "Somebody sing me a somebody done somebody wrong song," has left me cold for the most part, since the compressed country and Cowboy music happened there has been something lacking for me. But there are nice country songs, nice western songs and a few good country western songs too.

The Beatles had some things I like very much, "Hey Jude," is one and "Michell Ma Belle," another. The instrumental of "Crying," the song that Barry Manilow made popular is to my way of thinking great music, almost moved me to tears when I first heard it over the radio. I told Heather that it was one of the most beautiful sad pieces of music I had ever heard. She then told me the title of the song, later I heard Manilow sing it. It was good, but I still like the instrumental better.

It appears to me that choice of music of pleasure is entirely up to the individual and as long as it is not played at too high a volume or at an inappropriate time -- there is NO bad music. What can be more appealing than a few small kids singing, "Ring-around-the-rosy a pocket full of posey," joyfully singing and circling until the All Fall Down brings them down in a heap on the grass. Usually in a fit of giggles or laughter of some kind. What can be bad about singing beloved hymns in church ?

Songs of inspiration ? Anita Bryant's, "One Day At A Time," helped me to stick to it when I was drying out and trying to go into recovery from alcohol addiction. George Beverly Shea in the 1960's singing How Great Thou Art, how majestic it was to me. One grade school song that I think is one of Robbie Burns poems set to music still lives in my head from first grade to today, "Flow Gently Sweet Afton." Another I don't know who wrote it, "Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes," Another, "I Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls.

I think that back in the my early days that "Won't You Try Wheaties," and the theme song to Lil' Orphan Annie was beloved by many of us kids, creating happiness in our hearts.

Now I am old and deaf, but the music plays on in my head, pure and beautiful as it ever was. This afternoon passed like a trip on a wet Slip 'n' Slide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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