I’ve had a picture book idea floating around in my head for at least fifteen years. It’s built around some childhood memories involving my parents, but it is most definitely fiction. I’ve never written the whole thing, just various scenes that occasionally find their way into my notebook. Every once in a while something will remind me of this story and I revisit it…again. Last night it was a piece I saw on “60 Minutes” about conductor and pianist James Levine (who sometimes sings while he conducts) that got me thinking about “Martha’s Music” again. So I decided to share a scene with you today as my SOL.
“Did you practice yet today?” Martha’s mother inquired. “Remember, you need to practice every day so that you become the best violinist you can be. Then one day you can join Daddy and me on stage in the orchestra. Wouldn’t that be grand?” she said. It wasn’t that Martha hated to practice. It was just that the scales and etudes, even the concertos she was assigned to learn were boring. While the sounds moved up and down in a rhythmic dance, there was a limit to what the violin could produce. Martha longed to hear the bass notes of the cello and the high-pitched bird songs of the flute complement the music she could make. Sometimes she would sing those parts in her head.
I don’t know if I will ever complete the whole thing, but it’s fun to revisit every now and then. For those of you who might be wondering, Martha does eventually join her parents on the stage in the concert hall...but not as a violinist.
“Did you practice yet today?” Martha’s mother inquired. “Remember, you need to practice every day so that you become the best violinist you can be. Then one day you can join Daddy and me on stage in the orchestra. Wouldn’t that be grand?” she said. It wasn’t that Martha hated to practice. It was just that the scales and etudes, even the concertos she was assigned to learn were boring. While the sounds moved up and down in a rhythmic dance, there was a limit to what the violin could produce. Martha longed to hear the bass notes of the cello and the high-pitched bird songs of the flute complement the music she could make. Sometimes she would sing those parts in her head.
I don’t know if I will ever complete the whole thing, but it’s fun to revisit every now and then. For those of you who might be wondering, Martha does eventually join her parents on the stage in the concert hall...but not as a violinist.
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