It’s all Mom’s fault…

Twelve in12

Reading
Queen’s Play ~ Dorothy Dunnett
Myst: The Book of Ti’ana ~ Rand Miller
Finished
Mirror, Mirror ~ Gregory Macguire
Witchling ~ Yasmine Galenorn
Changeling ~ Yasmine Galenorn
Something Wicked ~ Catherine Mulvany
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ~ J.K. Rowling
Myst: Book of Atrus ~ Rand Miller, Robyn Miller and David Wingrove
The Game of Kings ~ Dorothy Dunnett

In March, I took a Saturday and went to see some good friends from high school, Brian and Manny. Brian lives nearby and Manny was visiting the same weekend. Brian took us to a record store within walking distance of his apartment, which he often frequents. He and Manny have recently gotten into listening to vinyl records, and both have growing collections. There were milk crates filled with old vinyls of the Beach Boys, Journey, Paul Simon and all kinds of other pop music. But this store had a wall – an entire wall of of classical albums. I was in heaven. I found all sorts of great stuff, but with my strict budget couldn’t buy everything I wanted. As our college orchestra was performing Scheherezade that semester, I bought a recording of Pierre Monteux conducting London Symphony Orchestra and an album of oboe concertos by Vivaldi and Albinoni performed by Sydney Sutcliffe. I debated on buying one more thing, a box set of Brahms’s four symphonies conducted by Claudio Abbado (four different orchestras). I desperately wanted this, but decided to stick to my budget and put it back. When Manny saw this, he decided to get it for me. He was my hero for about a month for that.

Now I had filched my parents record player a while ago, but it wouldn’t quite work with my stereo. Now that I had these records, I was determined to find a way, or at least a way that wouldn’t break my wallet. I poured over the Internet searching for help. I considered buying a new record player that would work with my stereo, but decided against it when I learned the player my parents owned is considered one of the best in the market, even for its age. Eventually I discovered an answer and for less than $20, I was able to listen to my records. Brahms and Scheherezade blasted out of my apartment, as my oboist friends (known as the Small Brain Oboes or SBOs) came over to play cards and hang out.

Now that I had a working record player, I wanted more records! CDs are great, but some of the best performances are on vinyl and the sound quality, especially for symphony orchestras, is out of this world. When Mom came out for the Symphony Orchestra concert in April, she brought along a few records from her stash at home. I mean, she didn’t have the record player anymore – what did she need them for? As she was taking the train, she couldn’t bring them all, but it was still great of her. A few weeks later, I spent a day with my oboe friend, Sarah, at a huge yard sale. They take over the county fair grounds for the day. It takes the entire day to see everything! But Sarah and I had an excellent time, and I pawed through boxes upon boxes of records, discovering quite a few hidden gems. About a month ago, I made a quick trip home for a friend’s sister’s wedding. I asked my mother if I could take the rest of her records back to school with me. Like, I said before – she wasn’t using them! I also took the record rack, as my collection had outgrown its designated space. I’ve been in heaven, slowly working through all the records.

Where does my mother fit into all this? How is she to blame? And for what?! This morning, I put on an album I took from home titled Hymns Triumphant. It is two records of traditional hymns strung together in long medleys, performed by the London Philharmonic Choir and the National Philharmonic Orchestra. There wasn’t a hymn listed I didn’t know. As I listened to the records, something occurred to me. In church, I usually have the words to the first verse of a hymn memorized, maybe even the second verse. But I can never remember the verses that follow. I’ve never been able to figure out why. Until now. These medleys only use the first, and occasionally, second verses of the hymns. As I listened to each new section, I remember Mom playing these albums as she cooked or cleaned around the house. I learned those first verses, but never the following ones. The harmonizations I prefer are also the ones used on this albums. These are all my favorite hymns, and to me, are considered traditional. I’ve run into a bit of friction when my congregation doesn’t know a hymn I’ve selected which I’ve always thought was traditional. This album is why I think those hymns are traditional!

Now, I’m not one of those kids who blames her parents for all her mistakes. At the end of the day, I make my own choices and must live with the consequences of those decisions. But this… This I totally blame on Mom. She brainwashed me with all these great hymns, stuffing them into my subconscious when I wasn’t looking.

I must remember to thank her sometime.

Beannachd leat.