| Author |
Subject |
TerryM
Registered
User
(12/20/00 8:15:47 am)
Reply |
Any
Christmas Musical Traditions?
Does anyone here have some special
musical tradition around the Christmas holiday season? Music is such
an important part of the lives of people on these various boards,
that I wondered if some do make music over Christmas or are you just
too busy and the cello sits in its case until the New
Year.
In our home we have a tradition of having a Christmas
day music making session. This started years ago, when my daughters,
one of which plays the flute and the other the French Horn, would
ask me to take out my dusty cello and play some music with them.
This started when I was too busy with my work life to have time for
cello. I had played many years ago, but had not been playing for
over 10 years, except at Christmas.
Eight years ago, I got
the usual request from my daughters to play and I took the cello
out, dusted it off, and played with them. Something clicked for me
that year and I realized how much I missed music making on a regular
basis and how very special the feeling of making music, especially
with my family, was. That year I did not put the cello back in its
case and back into the closet. I had kept the cello for some reason
and now I new that I wanted to play again. Right after New Years I
found a teacher and began the arduous process of getting my fingers
and mind back in shape. I have taken lessons continuously from that
point and am very pleased to say that I have made significant
progress. I play regularly with others and enjoy my practicing. It
has become a focal point of my life away from work. I cannot say in
words how important this has been for me.
So now, each
Christmas, we have a music session that involves everyone, even our
guests. Everyone plays something even if they don't play anything.
This has become a tradition that everyone looks forward to. It can
get pretty noisy sometimes, but everyone has great fun in the
process.
Do any of you have a musical "event" over the
holiday season?
Terry
Edited by: TerryM
at: 12/20/00 8:15:47 am
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Patricia2
Registered User
(12/20/00 2:37:55 pm)
Reply |
I love
your story, Terry!
Congratulations on finding the cello
again, and keeping such a fun tradition!
Sounds like a great
household.
No such luck in my un-musical family.
But
it's funny, I have studied the French horn and the flute as well
--
I could start my own tradition, if only I could play
everything at the same time... 
(My father used to call my French horn a "tuba")
Best
wishes to you!
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Paul
Tseng ICS Staff 
Administrator
(12/20/00 5:44:23 pm)
Reply
 |
traditions?
I too come from a non-musical
family. But I'm starting a new one of my own now and I hope my
children will lovemusic as much as their father. My wife is going to
take piano and voice lessons somewhere down the line too.
I
envision some really sweet moments of family music making, maybe
like in the living room of JS Bach and all HIS kids!
Paul Tseng
My Website
MP3!
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HighCellocity
Registered User
(12/21/00 1:13:46 am)
Reply |
Re:
traditions?
This Christmas will be similar to
Thanksgiving with my brother on guitar, myself on cello, and
probably nephew and bro in law on more guitars. Guitar and cello are
great together, btw. I love the idea of *everybody* playing
something!
We have immediate family of both Jewish and
Christian faiths, which make for fantastic holidays and the need to
keep the music diverse.
I look forward to more playing and
hope it does become a tradition!
Matt
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MCopeland
Registered User
(12/21/00 11:19:29 am)
Reply |
Any
Christmas Musical Traditions?
This is my second year of a
"tradition". I play oboe and English Horn as well as cello. In
memory and honor of my oboe teacher, I have invited many of his
previous students to my house for the "2nd Annual Double Reed Toot".
I then make a web page out of it and you can see and hear it here, home.cdsnet.net/~busys/home13.htm.
It
is my antidote to all the commotion around the holidays. I get to
connect on many levels with my friends. The music and food is
wonderful. I know it is hard to get a large group of cellists
together but frankly getting five oboists together is a
miracle.
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Dorie
Straus
Registered User
(12/22/00 5:29:12 am)
Reply |
Re: Any
Christmas Musical Traditions?
I've been watching this post and
realizing that I don't have a tradition. A lot of people think I'm
Jewish so they're always wishing me a happy chanakah (see I can't
even spell it.) I'm pretty much a Unitarian at heart. My personal
high holiday this time of year is the Winter Solstice. No spouse
this year so my daughter and I are starting something new - perhaps
skating on Wollman Rink.
But, I was raised in a musical home
in Protestant churches where ever my mother sang and played organ.
Christmas music is important to me. This year I started teaching in
a different school in Newark, NJ. It's a really festive place and
since I like to sing, I'm in the faculty chorus - we sing for the
kids this morning.
Yesterday at our holiday luncheon, my
principal came over and said - he talks like Frank Sinatra so for
effect imagine that: "So you have a voice. How bout you direct the
chorus next year. Yeah, you do that. Get started early. Right after
Thanksgiving. Yeah."
So I guess the tradition I was wondering
about landed in my lap.
Edited by: Dorie
Straus at: 12/22/00 5:29:12 am
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Andrew
Victor
Registered
User
(12/23/00 9:37:19 am)
Reply |
Haydn
"Children's (Toy) Symphony"
When I was young, my parents
frequently gave a party at Holiday season (an adult party) at which
Haydn's Toy Symphony was played. Dad & Mom played violin and
piano, respectively, and any other musicians there were given parts
to play from the family's set of parts (all parts were in the Key of
C). The non-musicians were given the "toy parts" (cuckoo, quail,
nightengale, castagnets, drum, triangle, etc. and so forth).
By the time this was played, the cocktails had been flowing
freely and the cacaphony was prodigeous.
I participated as a
cellist when I was about 15 and possibly as a violinist before that.
(I never got to share in the cocktails). This all ended after Dad
died in 1954.
This autumn, I've been training a group of
three 11-year old 6th graders (violin, flute, and B-flat clarinet)
in lieu of their attendance at a local yough symphony that has been
going through some upheaval.
We ended our concert for the
parents last night doing Handel's La Rejouisannce and then the Toy
Symphony, with the parents playing the toys. I think this should
become a tradition again (I have enough family in the neighborhood
to do it as a family thing.) Everyone was sober (of course - at
least before the typical Marin wine and cheese that followed) and I
think these non-musical parents did far better than similar
participants when I ws young.
This was the first time the
music parts had seen the light of day for 46 years. All my family's
"toy instruments" had been lost, but with soprano recorders and a
tin whistle (all taped off to play the right key - of course the
cuckoo and (trilling) nightingale have to use fingers to play a
second note) and one strange blowing device that plays "quail" very
well (found at discount at a Smith and Hawken sale by my daughter
who works there, [by the way she and her dog are pictured on the
last page of the company's catalog this year]), and some rhythm
sticks and an upside-down laundry soap bucket as a drum - and we
were great.
Even cello was played as a toy (my good cello)
by my son-in-law who got too busy at work a few years ago to
continue the lessons we had started in Suzuki books 1 and 2. But -
since the Symphony is in C-major, he could do it all on an open C
string.
I was too busy conducting all this to play. The kids
did great, they carried it off thru all mistakes, including
mine.
Happy Holidays!
Andy
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Joe
S
Registered
User
(12/23/00 6:28:24 pm)
Reply |
Tradition!
It is funny that as much as I love
music and especially Christmas music, and the fact that my oldest
does play that I have not started a tradition in my home. I just
found a set of books that give you the solo line and a duet second
line. They are writen for each differnt instrument but stay in the
same key so that different instruments can play together. I bought
one for myself and one for my violist. Maybe we will start one now.
I did how ever join a long running tradition this year. I played
in our local Tuba Christmas and had a ball. I went in my elf costume
and with my big 6/4 York was quite a site. I did well in the music
making as well, but with 200 low brass players there, nobody would
have noticed a miss note or two.
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Bob
Registered User
(1/1/01 6:53:01 pm)
Reply |
Attention Ellen Gunst!
Andrew's post should set a light
bulb off above your head. What a great C2G exclusive if you
assembled and offered a unique package: Score, set of parts, and all
necessary toys for a performance of the "Toy Symphony." It would be
a smash bestseller! You can thank me later.
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me4cello
Registered User
(1/2/01 9:45:22 am)
Reply |
ha!
Watch it Paul, you may find it turns
out more of an electric guitar/drum type session rather than some
gentle Bach - as in our house over New years eve, number 2 son, a
good violinist, had a new electric guitar and amp for Christmas, was
joined by four of his friends with their guitars etc, the basement
was ringing to the sounds of Hendrix,etc, not a note of Bach from
anyone except the dog when he wanted to come in from the garden!!!
But music is music is music....
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Andrew
Victor
Registered
User
(1/3/01 11:36:20 am)
Reply |
Re:
Attention Ellen Gunst!
It is a great idea! My parts say
that the instruments "are" available as a package from the publisher
(I think Fischer) - but the music has been in my family at least 60
years - I doubt the offer is still good. Besides, I checked - and
some of these instruments, z.b., the Nightingale - can now cost $35,
I remember from my childhood that it was just a bird-shaped whistle,
that one filled with water so it would warble. I good search should
find one for a few dollars.
The right toys would be better
than the machinations and taping with tonettes, recorders, or tin
whistles I went through to provide the toys for non-musicians to
play.
The music itself is so straight forward that a violin
alone could cary it off - yet there is reasonably full orchestration
and a four-hand piano part, just in case nothing else is available -
although the way the piano parts are arranged - a separate different
part would be needed if only one pianist were available, otherwise
either of the piano parts (one treble, onebass) provides no more
than the violin alone. Our performance was carried off with three
11-year olds (pretty good ones) providing all the real instrumental
parts.
Andy
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Ellen
G 
Registered User
(1/3/01 12:55:05 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Attention Ellen Gunst!
Ellen Gunst here. I just get
uncomfortable when I see my name in print. Thanks very much for
another good suggestion, Bob. Seconded by Andy. Remind me a little
later in the year, though, with a gentle nudge. I'm just packing
Christmas away for this year and not quite ready to deal with next
year yet. But the Bach Suite Scholarly Edition is on the way, along
with some other goodies. A chamber network is underway here, so I'm
quite excited about it!!!!
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