The Fine Art of Listening

How can one capture Martin Luther King in a short blog post? Or one piece of music? It’s a daunting task that took me through lots of pieces, many of which I had never heard before.

American jazz musician and composer Dave Brubeck wrote a piece in 1969 called “The Gates of Justice.” It is a religious concert work, taking its text primarily from the Psalms. However, in one movement, Brubeck  incorporates portions of King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, as well as the ancient Jewish leader, Hillel the Elder: “If the time for action is not now, when is it?”

Brubeck had a fascinating life, including a scandalous graduation from a music conservatory without being able to read music, starting one of the US Army’s first interracial bands, and developing strong religious views despite growing up in a non-religious family.

The words of Hillel remain pertinent today, and probably, always: “If the time for action is not now, when is it?”

… Shines the Morning Star.

A friend of mine called the German hymn Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern “the Queen of Chorales.” The hymn was written in the first century after the Protestant Reformation, and remains a staple of Lutheran hymnody to this day (well, sort of.) There’s something about the shape of the melody and the dance rhythms that make it stick.

I adore the cantata that Bach wrote which features this chorale. The spirit of joy is captured perfectly, and is found in every movement, even though the chorale itself is only found in the first and final choruses. The piece speaks for itself, so I’m going to sit back and let you listen:

side note: BWV is a catalog of Bach’s works. BWV 1 doesn’t mean it’s the first piece he wrote – in fact, he was middle-aged when he wrote it – it just happens to be the first piece listed in the catalog.

A few words about Strings. Of all the modern instruments humans play, the violin family was the earliest to reach (relative) perfection of construction, around 1600. (Side note: the double bass is not in the violin family, but instead a “leftover” from the earlier viol family, and has a different tuning and body shape, among other things.) Strings are the reason we have symphony orchestras. Their range is massive, and they sound consistently good in any register. They don’t tire quickly (compared to winds or brass players), and the ear doesn’t tire of their sound. They are equally adept at slow, sustained music as they are with fast, agile passages. It’s no wonder that many composers enjoy writing for String Quartet. It’s like a completely blank canvas, or a mound of clay that can be shaped into practically anything.

I love spending Saturday mornings with a cup of tea and a String Quartet. So, here’s Beethoven‘s in C minor. Enjoy!