Song by Michelle
Beethoven's
Moonlight Sonata is my choice - it has always been my favourite piece of music,
because it's deceptively simple but incredibly complex at the same time. When I was young(er) I wanted to learn
the piano just so I could play it for myself. Mum and Dad found a second hand piano and installed it in
the living room. I signed up for
piano lessons and trekked over the St Lucia hills with my heavy school bag to
learn to make these sounds. The
teacher was draconian, and refused to let me play Beethoven until I was
competent. I played for about 2
years, dreadful discordant modern piano, until I finally realised that my
teacher would never consider that I was competent enough for Beethoven! I quit the lessons the next week, and
found my great-aunt's old music book, which was falling apart - I had never
dared to touch it before this epiphany.
I spent the next three months committing the music to heart, and finally
played the Moonlight. And then I
played it again, just because I could!
When I left home, I had to leave the piano too :-) so I've forgotten
most of the notes - I can still remember the first page, but no further - my
fingers fumble with it now. My
eldest daughter had piano lessons a couple of years ago - she learnt it as a
present for me, and plays it to cheer me up. I know I can hear it any time - we have it on CD, on tape
and on record, and I'm sure it's available on downloads too - but it's never
the same as when you hear it played live.
It brings back one of my earliest efforts, and reminds me that sometimes
all the learning in the world won't get you where you need to go.
Artwork by Karin
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