Today I thought I would tell something about my Dad. Dad passed away 1/9/99. As I was going through some of his papers and music, I came across his story that he wrote himself. I used that in his Memorial Service. His story that I found would be more interesting than one I could come up with. So this is his story of how he became "a musical man".
THE SAGA OF A MUSIC MAN
"I crawled along the long hallway, eager to reach the doorway and the pleasing sounds the wind made through the screen door. It was summer and, as our house was high on a hill, the wind rising and falling made sweet music to my ears. Reaching the door I pushed my face to the screen which had a pleasant taste to my lips and seemed to make the lovely sounds even better. I made daily trips to the door until one day to my surprise I heard other sounds even more thrilling coming from the parlor. I toddled along as fast as my unsteady legs could take me.
On entering the parlor, there was my mother making beautiful sounds on the piano. I stood there listening to the fascinating sounds until my mother left the room. I cautiously moved closer to the piano, but found I could not reach the place where my mother made the music come from. I always went into the parlor whenever my mother made the wonderful music. One day much later, I finally could reach and touch the keys with my tiny fingers. When I touched the keys I could make the sounds myself. My mother let me play along with her. Gradually I grew taller and soon by standing on tiptoe I could see the shiny keys. I was so delighted to find that I could make the low sounds and high sounds myself.
When I was 12 years old I went to see the big parade on Labor day where I heard the band coming down the street. I was overwhelmed by the exciting music and fascinated by the slide trombones blaring away in the front row. My fate was sealed that day. Though I was doing well on the piano with my mother's help, I told her I had to have a trombone. We took the Sears & Roebuck catalog and turned to the musical instruments and there it was in all it's glory.
I soon found I could blow the horn OK. After a few days my father quit complaining about the noise. Checking with the piano I soon located the positions of the chromatic scale with enough notes to play the average tune. Then I went to the rehearsals of the town band and sat beside the 1st trombone player who, fortunately, was playing treble clef music. As I already knew the value of notes I could follow the music pretty well.
Soon the director let me bring my horn and sit in the last chair. I'd start out with them, but if the music got hard, I would lay off, but follow with my eyes and pick up now and then where it was easier going. I started playing scales faster and in a couple of months was really playing a lot of horn. Soon the director let me play 1st trombone, too and would pick me up for rehearsals."
And that was how my Dad became a self-made musical man.
Stop by again sometime and there will be more about my Father, the Musical Genius.
No comments:
Post a Comment