“There are two remedies for the miseries of life: music and cats” – Dr Albert Schweitzer
He LOVES the piano. Sometimes he decides to appear on YouTube with me. See him suddenly show up during “The Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet” at 1:45.
He also likes to help me teach.
When I went to Indiana University to pursue a Master’s degree in music I did not know a soul there, so I made my first friend by going to the animal shelter. My kitten is walking across my vintage 1971 Fender Rhodes electric piano.
This little Prodigal feline ran off to live in the woods with the “tough guys” for a week, unknown to me joining a nearby feral cat colony. Ever since I found him and brought him back home he has lost interest when the front door opens. Few places can be safer and cozier than inside the piano.
Music and cats: two remedies for the miseries of life – Albert Schweitzer
Caring parents: a third remedy for the miseries of life
I cherish this picture because it is the last one taken of my mother, and this was her favorite cat. I would not be the musician and teacher I am today were it not for the influence and encouragement of my parents. When I was four in February 1964, they permitted me to watch the Beatles’ American television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Soon thereafter my father purchased for my sister and me the first Beatles single to make the record charts. “Love me Do” peaked at #17 in England in 1962. Then he surprised us by bringing home their first American LP. We played these records over and over again. Today “Love me Do” lies protected beneath a plastic cover on my office desk. Here my students can see an iconic reminder of major innovations in the history of 20th century music.
The first Beatles Hit: my father’s surprise gift in 1964
A Time of creative explosion
Sometimes I wish I were younger. Yet with that wish I would have missed the joy of witnessing the evolution of popular music which was indispensable in making me the musician I am today.
- The Beatles leading the British Invasion while Rhythm and Blues is catapulted and transformed by the emergence of Motown (1964).
- The completely unforeseeable transformation of pop and rock from Elvis’ “Hound Dog” into an art form that reaches a zenith of virtuosity and meriting musicological analysis previously reserved only for classical music: for example, “Roundabout” by Yes (1971), “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen (1975).
- The discovery of Elton John (1971) and learning I could teach myself his piano playing by ear (1973).
- The ingenious overlaying of highly complex harmonic structure and rhythm with melody which can be elegant in simplicity, soulful or driving: such as Stevie Wonder (1972) or Steely Dan (1972).
All of these influences motivated and led a child, teenager and young adult through the formal study of classical and jazz piano. And all of these influences continue to bring joy, fulfillment and consolation everyday. To be able to reclaim physical youth would come at the expense of my present musical and educational abilities. And to share a lifetime of these rich experiences with others who seek to learn about music and piano is a great gift. So I place parental encouragement alongside music and cats as a third remedy of the “miseries of life.”
Finally there is another quotation by Dr. Schweitzer that also means much to me:
“The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others.”
I am grateful to have had parents who served as living examples of compassion and service to others, who encouraged the cultivation of the gift of music with which I have been blessed, and to enable me to share music and provide enjoyment for others.