If you ask me which musical instrument I prefer, I will
always say, "the piano, of course."
The violin is fine, all strings are fine; horns, fine;
woodwinds fine. I have no use for the flute, however, but that may be another
story.
It's the piano. Perhaps because I grew up hearing it in my
home. My mother played and taught piano for most of her life. I didn't love her
lessons, but I loved it when she played, and I always liked hearing my older sister Janeen
practice and play, too.
So, if you ask me which musical instrument I prefer, I will say,
"the piano, of course."
I
know. I said that already. I'm saying it again, just so you will be sure I mean it, because for me, it's the piano, always the piano. Get it? I'm listening to the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 right now. It is glorious.
That said, as we say these days, I heard something on BYU
campus a few years ago that surprised me. What surprised me was its pure
beauty and how much I loved it.
The musical selection announced was O, Divine Redeemer,
Gounod's magnificent, pleading prayer to the Savior to have mercy, to
save. The words are perfectly matched to
the music.
See, I know the piece well, have sung it many times and heard
it sung, seen my mother direct it, have directed it myself.
But this day, as the piece was announced, one man went to
the organ and another man stood with his saxophone. I thought it an unlikely
pairing, thought the saxophone an unlikely soloist for this piece. And where
would be those words I wanted to hear? In short, I was doubtful.
You know what is coming. I'm about to tell you how wonderful
that rendition was, how deeply moving, how that mellow, pleading sound went
straight into my soul. How it brought tears to my eyes and brought the words to
my mind. It's a long piece of music, but that day it was not long enough. I
could have listened to it all again.
I loved it.
I could see that the saxophone player loved the music and I
heard that love in his playing. I could hear the same love in the organist's
playing. What a perfect duet. How unusual. How beautiful.
That love, the way
musicians have of losing themselves in the music, of getting their hearts
involved, was--and always is--crucial to the performance and to my hearing and
deep feeling for the music that day.
So, for me it's the piano, but I am not closed-minded on
this matter.
