Have you ever wondered:
What if my great grandmother had bequeathed to me an iPod (suspend your disbelief for a moment) with songs that had inspired her?
What if she had annotated her musical mix with a sentence or two saying why these songs had been meaningful to her?
In short, what if she had told her story with a soundtrack to her life?
On the odds that I will someday be a great grandmother, and because I do have an iPod, I hereby bequeath to my children Part I of my soundtrack story (thanks to iMix), the music which inspired me as a child, as well as my best-loved Christmas songs.
What songs were most meaningful to you as a child? Why?
Which Christmas songs do you cherish?
What if you were to create your own iMix and e-mail it to your children and grandchildren as a last minute Christmas gift?
Do-re-mi -- The Sound of Music, which I saw for the first time at San Jose's domed Century theaters next to the Winchester Mystery House, was the catalyst for my playing the piano. I still remember plunking out 'do -- a deer, a female deer' when I was three. Given that I have only two memories from when I was three, need I say more?
Melody -- I played this by Robert Schumann at my first piano recital, around the age of 7. I loved to play the piano; playing well nurtured my growing sense of self.
Six Grande Etudes after Paganinni -- My family listened to Andre Watts almost every Sunday; as an 8-9 year old, hearing Watts play (and also seeing him in concert) encouraged my dream of becoming a concert pianist.
Abide with Me, 'Tis Eventide -- As I sat in our chapel on Cherry Street late one Sunday afternoon, the singing of this hymn, stirred deep spiritual feelings within me. It is the first memory of this kind.
Everybody Wants To Be a Cat -- The Aristocats was so real to my 8 year-old self. This particular song was rowdy, and happy, and tapped into a creative impulse which manifested itself in my sister and I making up dances. Remember the kind: carefree, uninhibited dances that only young children are capable of doing.
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year -- Whenever I heard Andy Williams belting out this song, the Christmas season had officially begun.
Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker -- My mother took my sister and I to San Francisco every year to see the Nutcracker when I was growing up. Even today, I thrill at the music which accompanies the Christmas tree growing and growing and growing. It was pure magic!
Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas -- I could have chosen the entire Carpenters' Christmas Portrait, but this song best recalls the occasional longing I felt for home as a 21 year-old on a mission in Uruguay.
Vince Guaraldi's 'Oh Tannenbaum' -- If there is an album that most recalls our happy decade in Manhattan, it's this one. And because I still daydream about becoming Diana Krall's younger sister (musically speaking), 'Oh Tannenbaum' is one of my favorites.
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day -- Definitely my favorite Christmas song. When I sing "God is not dead, nor doth he sleep", my heart swells with gratitude for the birth and life and death of Jesus Christ.
Related posts:
NY Times: This is your life (and how you tell it)
Your very own song?
It takes courage to tell our stories
Triangulating on our story
A quote to dream by: Robert Atkinson
I love this idea. I would have to give my list some thought...
Posted by: Jessica | December 22, 2007 at 10:02 AM
Remembering names of songs is not something I do well. I would do poorly at "name that tune". So I would have to give this some thought and research too.
But I do know "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." That ranks as one of my favorite too. Few people know the history of that song.
The history is what makes it all the more meaningful to me. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem (I believe his poem is actually longer, has more verses, than the song we sing today) that inspired the song. His poem was a reaction of the news of his son being killed in the Civil War. His wife had died two years earlier in a horrific accident when candle wax dripped on her skirt and caught fire. I believe she died in his arms.
Longfellow, being prompted by the bells on Christmas day, reached deep inside past his despair and hung to the hope of the spirit of Christmas and Christ to find his peace.
I reflect on that everytime I hear the song and hope that I can find such peace in times of despair. It also makes me wonder about who might be hurting this time of year. Who needs a prompting, who needs love, who needs a smile, who needs to hear the bells?
It's a great song to put in the line-up to inspire our posterity. Its important to me that my daughter and son know where they can turn for help.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and prompting mine.
Merry Christmas!
Dana
Posted by: Dana King | December 22, 2007 at 02:00 PM
Great post! As a children my mother would entertain us in the car with songs. We listened to the Bill Gather Trio and We Sing Silly Songs. When my sister had her daughter and my baby sister was stationed in Korea we set up a conferenced call one day and played and sang together with our little niece - it was a powerful experience. Music touches the soul in a way that is profound and unexplicable...
Posted by: Stacey | December 26, 2007 at 09:07 AM