Challenge of Music Reveal!

As you may guess from my screen name, music plays a huge role in my life.  My parents, my husband, and my children are all professional musicians.  I studied and performed, but was surrounded by enough real talent to know life as a performer wasn't my destiny.

But, boy howdy, do I have some memories that are indelibly connected with certain pieces of music.  So this challenge was right up my alley!

So get something to sip, put your feet up, and let me spin a little musical tale for you...

It was impossible to hone it down to one song, one piece, one work.  Rather than spinning myself into a never-ending sweat of regret and what ifs, worrying that a single choice would define me too narrowly, I decided to do a piece that was more a medley of songs or pieces that represent important parts of my life.  I'd like to introduce you to each player in the medley individually, along with a YouTube link to listen along as you wish:

This is Bohemian Rhapsody - the glitter of Freddie Mercury and Queen, dressed up in fuchsia and velvety green that are the exact colors of a rockin' pair of shoes I had that saw many nights at the disco.  This song always reminds me of  my years singing in a band, of college, of those glorious days of glitter rock.  Scaramouche!

This is Seven Bridges Road.  This song by the Eagles always touches me for a couple of reasons.  First, when you listen to it, be sure to turn your speakers way up to appreciate the rich harmonies and the terrific a capella singing.  Second, I'm from the South (as you may have read in other posts), so the whole image of stars in the southern sky evokes an immediate image for me, and inspired the choice of the deep blue seed beads and the firepolish with the sparkle.

This is Carmen.  She represents the opera in my life.  I've been in them, I've played for them, I've loved them. This bead has the bold ruffles and fiery flourish of the diva -- I look at it and can just see Carmen slinking across the stage, seducing everyone on stage and in the audience.

But when you get right down to it, the center of my musical life has been orchestral music.  There are certain works that are just the pure, sonic embodiment of glory, joy, of the sun breaking through the clouds and streaming down.  With this bead, I tried to capture the look of golden, warm light streaming from the dark background.  And though there are many, many works that fit this description, the most perfect example is the final movement of Mahler's Second Symphony, also known as the Resurrection Symphony.  (the whole symphony is over an hour long -- this video clip is the final four minutes.  Listen, and tell me you can't envision the heavens opening up)  I had the privilege of being in the audience for a performance of this work with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.  It was truly the most transcendent musical experience of my life.  I still get chills when I think of it, and it never fails to make me weep for joy, for the sheer emotional overload of it all.

Nearly every summer of my life has been spent at a music festival that my family has been involved with since I was two.  So many of my musical memories have a deep connection to this place, nestled in the mountains, surrounded by beautiful green pines and sparkling mountain streams, so this bead reflects the colors and sparkle of the environment.  Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has been the soundtrack to many milestones at this festival, most notably being the final work my father conducted before retiring.  It, too, is a long work in its entirety, so I've just found a video of the last few minutes of the final movement, which includes the "Ode to Joy."  If you can't stomach listening to the whole clip, start at the 11:30 mark, and then at 12:50, experience what it sounds like when 300 people produce a sound of pure and utter joy.  Then imagine being in the chorus or the orchestra.  I've been there.  And that's why this is here.

So when you put all the pieces together in this medley, this is what you get:

They're strung on one of my husband's used violin strings.  

But wait, there's more!!! (I know, I know, I know.  You have blogs to visit, beady beauty to drool over).  This next piece is what I initially wanted to do when I signed up for the challenge, but I didn't know if I could get the main component, a violin bridge.  The bridge is the little piece of wood that holds up the strings on a violin, viola, cello or bass, and although you can buy them ready made, professional musicians have them custom created and fitted to their instruments.  I was hoping my husband would have an old, broken one somewhere.  He didn't.  But he did find one that had been made for an instrument he no longer owns, so here is the result.

I'll be adding a necklace to this, and I will never, ever sell it.  It will be like keeping my husband close to my heart every time I wear it.  And just in case you're interested, here's a little bit of my sweetheart playing.

If you've made it this far, THANK YOU!!  You win the prize for endurance!  Now get a snack to build your energy back up, and visit the rest of the folks in the hop:

Erin Prais-Hintz

Marcie Abney

Christine Altmiller

Elisabeth Auld

LJ B

Lori Bowring Michaud

Shannon Chomanczuk

Cece Cormier

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Malin de Koning

Beth Emery

Michelle Escano-Caballero

Erin Fickert-Rowland

Therese Frank

Amy Freeland

Tanya Goodwin

Stephani Gorman

Amy Grass

Beth Hemmila

Kristina Johansson

Jennifer Justman

Tari Kahrs

Susan Kennedy

Ema Kilroy

Kathleen Lange Klik

Kirsi Luostarinen

Paige Maxim

Beth McCord

Natalie McKenna

Alice Peterson

Cat Pruitt

Bobbie Rafferty  You are here!

Johanna Rhodes

Cynthia Riggs

Sally Russick

Sarah Sequins

Amy Severino

Staci Smith

Kristen Stevens

Lola Surwillo

Stefanie Teufel

Sandi Volpe

Holly Westfall

Shaiha Williams