The Holidays are here and I ran across an "All Christmas Music, All Day" channel on our cable music choices. The first song was "Sleigh Ride" by the Boston Pops. I am sure you know the song; you hear sleigh bells through the entire song, the flutes and clarinets take turns carrying the melody and at the end you hear a crack of the whip and the horse neigh aka a trumpet with a strategically placed mute. It certainly was fun hearing our nephew, Colton, take on the role of the horse. There never was a better neigh in the Clyde Moore Auditorium.
I have so many memories that surround this song. The most recent involve listening to my own children play in the Redmond School Band Christmas Concerts for at least ten years. Jess was on my flute, Brand on the trumpet and then the French Horn, Brise on the bari sax and piano. What fun that was! I'm not sure why I was always so proud to hear my kids play music, but it still warms my heart.
Every time we went to their Christmas Concert I had flashbacks of playing my own little flute on the very same stage, just fifteen to twenty plus years earlier. Not much had changed at all. THe velvety red curtains still hang there looking pretty prestigious for such a small town as Redmond. There is something about the richness of a stage that is invigorating and builds a youngster's confidence. Don't we all want to be the center of the stage?
I remember a time when "Sleigh Ride" came together for us all in the RHS Band. We definitely had the beat down, the flutes and clarinets were in tune; we knew that for certain, because our director, Clyde Moore, wasn't wincing from the podium.
Speaking of the podium, there is something about learning self discipline in a group setting that I think is a very good thing for youngsters. Clyde, I mean, Mr. Moore, (We did call him Clyde behind his back when we were in high school, but it still had that ring of respect and awe.) Anyway, Mr. Moore had us practice coming to attention each time he stepped up onto the podium and we practiced and practiced until we were perfect. What is it about that sort of teamwork that has such a lasting memory for me?
When we played Sleigh Ride, we were having fun. We could each imagine a sleigh ride with some cute guy or gal. Little did I know, but my cute guy was such a short distance away from me that whole time. I always wondered what he would be like...... I think I digress.
Anyway, back to "Sleigh Ride;" the finale for that concert was playing the "Hallelujah Chorus,"from "The Messiah" by Handel. I believe, the choir sang with us, so most likey both Kiki and maybe my Jim were in actually there. On with the story, I remember getting a little misty when we played the Chorus. It was easily the most magestic piece of music I had ever played. The audience joined in on the last chorus and that auditorium literally rang with the fullest, most beautiful sounds that I had ever heard. We all received a spontaneous standing ovation. Granted, we were playing to our parents. It was quite a feat to make anything by Handel sound good enough for a standing ovation.
Maybe it had more to do with the music.... That eternal chorus that the angels are compelled to sing in ecstacy to our Father who sent His Son as a sweet little baby boy, who would brave a world that was seeped in sin.
For my small role in that night long ago, I am eternally thankful to be an eternal band geek. See the video for an "Amen" view of Handel's Messiah from the universe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlfxe8ujn7M&feature=related
