Hark! Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is on WRTI. During my first mania I thought Beethoven was inhabiting my body and that the Ninth was being played by the wind in the trees, the whooshing of the cars, and the dead autumn leaves rustling in the street.What a long strange trip that was.
Speaking of the Grateful Dead, dig this. My cousin Chez Ray Sewell just got a kidney transplant. He lives in Eugene, OR. Ray, a corpulent long-bearded fellow, was the chef for the Grateful Dead.
The most prevalent reason for getting a kidney transplant is diabetes which is what Ray suffers from. He was on dialysis for many years but finally his number came up.
Beethoven employs little melodies in his works, catchy melodies, that suddenly turn on a dime and instead of being happy and carefree immediately plunge you into a darkness of your soul. But he does not abandon you. He does not wanna leave you feeling sad. He wants to take you on the full circuitry of human emotion...if you can tolerate it.
His string quartets are another story, some so heart-wrenchingly beautiful and sad it seems the floor should be bathed in tears.
The phone just rang. It was wrong of me to answer it. I must now devote all my attention to the Ninth. The final movement is an explosion of joy - called Ode to Joy - as it breaks new ground and becomes a singing chorus with plenty of solos. But, ah, how he keeps us waiting...yes, I hear it now,
Freude, schöner Götterfunken
Yes - never answer the phone when the Ninth is playing. It might be a publisher, who will change your life if you answer at just this moment but no other - but it doesn't matter.
ReplyDeleteThis is the Ninth we're talking about here.
Never answer the phone during the ninth.
In fact, you should shoot your damn phone before the symphony begin.
the sound of the phone is so insistent and i've allowed myself to salivate whenever it rings as if honor, riches and glory will accrue to me when i answer it. when has that happened? NEVER!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bill but then again, it might be really important for you...After all, you are awaiting a transplant.
ReplyDeleteHope Ray does well. Is this Aunt Hy's son?