My life has contained much music and many memorable musical moments, disastrous as well as humorous as well as transcendent. Today I want to share with you three of my favorite delightful and amusing moments, involving three very different and cherished musician friends.
One of my dearest friends, whom I met at St. Andrews, is a talented singer and guitarist (at least I hope she still plays the guitar!). Just as I was starting my last year at William and Mary, this friend popped in to visit me for a few days, which was a lovely link between St. Andrews and home. She went to some of my classes, toured round Colonial Williamsburg on her own, and then we spent a wonderful day visiting all the other places in CW that she wanted to see. One of our stops that day was the musical instrument maker's shop, a bit out of the way from the well-trodden tourist path. The craftsmen were constructing and finishing lutes that day. After the lutenist explained what he was making, and after he played a little tune or two, he turned to the folks in the front of the shop and, with a twinkle in his eye, asked if anyone would like to try to play the lute he held in his hand. I tried not to smile as my friend said "I would", without any hesitation. She carefully took the lute from his hands, positioned it in her own, and began to play one of the well-known classical guitar pieces that I had heard her play several times. Effortless and charming and matter-of-fact, she knocked them all over with her abilities. The crowd even applauded her, as did the lutenist! She handed the lute back to him, thanked him for the opportunity, and we turned and walked out. I have cherished that moment all the years since.
I was married in the church where I grew up, and we were fortunate to have several friends there who were consummate professional musicians. One was the organist, whose day job was serving as principal at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, whom I had studied with and who would wrap our ceremony in beautiful music. The other was our director of music, who led all the choirs and who happened to have been my piano teacher for many years. She also had the most glorious mezzo-soprano voice I ever knew. Between Nell and Fae, I had exactly what I hoped for in terms of wedding music. My husband's best man was not from Tidewater, and he later told my husband that he more or less braced himself to endure the lackluster music he expected from a Southern Baptist church in southeastern Virginia. First he was knocked for a loop at the quality of the pre-wedding organ music that Nell played. He just felt, however, that as soon as Fae stood and began to sing, some good old gospel solos would be forthcoming, in a down-home twang. (He didn't know me as well as he would in years to come!) I don't quite remember which solo Fae sang first, but her grand, professionally trained, beautiful voice swept our dear best man away and he talked about this for years. I didn't know all this until we were back in Cambridge after our honeymoon, but it remains one of my favorite stories.
My last story comes from St. Benedict Parish on the North Side of Chicago, where I participated in the music program for many years. Several talented men and women joined that group and our standard of soloist was quite high. (I was not numbered amongst them--I'm a really good choir singer, not a soloist!) My dear friend Les directed the music program. One Easter Sunday, Les had convinced our mutual friend Christine to sing Mozart's "Alleluia" as a special solo during the presentation of gifts. (She sang with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, to give you an idea of her talent.) She didn't want to sit mixed in with the choir because she had not actually rehearsed with us. Instead, she told Les she would just sit in the congregation nearby and rise and come to the lectern and sing. Only a few of us knew she would be doing this. At the appointed time, she quietly stood up, stepped out of the pew, and walked up to stand beside the organ. Les began the opening bars of music and then Christine let her truly magical soprano voice sing the alleluias. The congregation was spellbound. When the music finished, Christine quietly and unobtrusively returned to her seat. She told me afterwards that she was SO tempted to turn to the person next to her in the pew and inquire "what are you going to sing?" We have laughed at that scenario for years and years, but having her simply 'stand and deliver' that wonderful Easter alleluia transformed our worship.
I have to slip in one more memory from my earliest years at church. Our organist and choir director was Norma Edmonds. She could open up that pipe organ and make glorious music. But what I remember best was hearing her play Bach's "Toccata and Fugue" in D Minor on our church's grand organ. I was hooked from that moment onward.
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