Music to Remember
You often hear people talking about "what they were doing when"...Man landed on the moon; President J.F. Kennedy was assassinated; John Lennon was murdered; 911 shocked the world--those moments that are frozen in memory.
There are times when music just hits me to powerfully that I remember the moment I first heard a voice, or a musician. It was like that the first time I heard the late brilliant Canadian pianist, Glenn Gould, playing the Bach Goldberg Variations on CBC radio one day. I had just arrived in the parking lot of my dentist's office, and had not a moment to spare for my appointment, but I couldn't leave the car. I was spellbound by the magical liquidity of Gould's fingers on the keyboard. I had never heard anything like it, had to hear it all, and I had to know who was playing.
Another such moment was again in my car. I remember the intersection I was approaching; Davis and Yonge; when Eva Cassidy's rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow came over the radio. I was so profoundly moved by the combination of her voice, the feeling it conveyed, it took my breath away. Learning that she had died tragically young, added to the impact of the song.
This morning I listened to another song that hit me powerfully for different reasons. I love the music of Peter Furler--the depth of the song writing and his particular edgy style. I bought one of his albums and was listening to it when I came to the song, "It's Alright (For Lazarus.) I stopped mid song to tell Paul about the lyrics. If you've ever had questions about the account of Jesus's mysterious behaviour in the Gospel of John, chapter 11when his friends, Martha and Mary, sent a message to tell him that their brother Lazarus was very sick, and he, who had the power to heal, delayed going to his friend for two days, and then arrived after his death. Why did he cry, when he did arrive, if he knew he was about to raise him from the dead? I've heard explanations before, but the one in this beautiful song and indeed the whole song, is full of meaning. I hope you enjoy too, and maybe fall in love with the Peter Furler Band.
There are times when music just hits me to powerfully that I remember the moment I first heard a voice, or a musician. It was like that the first time I heard the late brilliant Canadian pianist, Glenn Gould, playing the Bach Goldberg Variations on CBC radio one day. I had just arrived in the parking lot of my dentist's office, and had not a moment to spare for my appointment, but I couldn't leave the car. I was spellbound by the magical liquidity of Gould's fingers on the keyboard. I had never heard anything like it, had to hear it all, and I had to know who was playing.
Another such moment was again in my car. I remember the intersection I was approaching; Davis and Yonge; when Eva Cassidy's rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow came over the radio. I was so profoundly moved by the combination of her voice, the feeling it conveyed, it took my breath away. Learning that she had died tragically young, added to the impact of the song.
This morning I listened to another song that hit me powerfully for different reasons. I love the music of Peter Furler--the depth of the song writing and his particular edgy style. I bought one of his albums and was listening to it when I came to the song, "It's Alright (For Lazarus.) I stopped mid song to tell Paul about the lyrics. If you've ever had questions about the account of Jesus's mysterious behaviour in the Gospel of John, chapter 11when his friends, Martha and Mary, sent a message to tell him that their brother Lazarus was very sick, and he, who had the power to heal, delayed going to his friend for two days, and then arrived after his death. Why did he cry, when he did arrive, if he knew he was about to raise him from the dead? I've heard explanations before, but the one in this beautiful song and indeed the whole song, is full of meaning. I hope you enjoy too, and maybe fall in love with the Peter Furler Band.
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