Well, dear readers, it’s been the music of the night, all night, from seven to midnight to be precise – listening to all manner of music, mostly the STAGE Andrew Lloyd Webber album. I’d planned only to relax and watch motion pictures, but those plans went directly out the window and into the night air because as soon as the ALW master came up I had to listen and approve. First it was act one, which I approved. Then I had to download two new upcoming Kritzerland soundtrack releases, which I did. Then I thought I might finally get to relax when act two of the ALW show showed up, so I then had to listen and approve that, which I did. I also then listened to the two soundtrack releases, one of which made me deliriously happy, since it’s a favorite composer of mine doing what he does best. And that was the entire evening. However, as always, music is the great elixir, and even though I was irked, oh, yes, I was irked, I ended up in a musical zone, especially with the soundtracks. Music, of course, soothes both the savage beast and the savage breast, and if you’ve ever seen my breast you know just how savage that is, especially the left one. Music just takes me to wonderful places and it makes me happy and it makes me feel at peace, except for some of the orchestral madness on the ALW album (it’s live – nothing to be done about it but think of those bits as comedy relief – most of it’s fine). This has been the case from the time I was a wee bairn – I was in love with music for as long as I can remember – all kinds of music, whether Danny Kaye or South Pacific or Mr. Magoo in Hi-Fi or The Platters or Elvis or The High and the Mighty. In junior high school I was introduced to classical music and that was a whole new and wonderful world. My first piece of classical music was The Moldau and from there I discovered the music that “got” to me – Rachmaninoff, Gershwin (the classical pieces), most of the English composers of the 20th century, same with the French composers like Ravel and Debussy.
Then I discovered jazz and that was a whole OTHER world that I couldn’t get enough of – but only certain types “got” to me – it all had to do with harmonics – certain chords made me feel things, certain progressions just moved me or made me happy – it was very specific, too. The music of Harvey Schmidt “got” to me more than the music of Richard Rodgers, although I loved Richard Rodgers. The music of Bernard Herrmann “got” to me more than the music of Alfred Newman – again, something in the tonalities and the rhythms and the harmonics. Certain pop songs “got” to me – Sealed With a Kiss, She Cried, El Matador, It’s All in the Game – and then came Burt Bacharach and he was everything I loved about music – his chords and progressions were so me – all those wonderful major sevenths – I was a sucker for anything with a major seventh – all my favorite composers, including classical, thrived on those major sevenths. Sixths were interesting, sevenths were a necessary evil, adding a second to a chord made it beautiful to me, and I liked a nice augmented chord every now and then and, as long as it wasn’t corny, a well placed diminished chord – Mr. Herrmann loved his diminished chords. When Elmer Bernstein came along I “got” him – his music spoke to me, all of it. When he did To Kill a Mockingbird I just was in heaven with every note of that music. The textures, the way he got you to feel things. Same with Laurence Rosenthal and The Miracle Worker and Requiem for a Heavyweight. Then came Jerry Goldsmith and it was the same thing.
Soon I discovered Mahler, whose music just had such power and beauty. I discovered many more English composers that “got” to me – Finzi and Alwyn and Malcolm Arnold and Bax and Elgar and Walton. And more French composers like Les Group de Six, especially Honegger and Milhaud. In jazz it was, of course, Bill Evans and Brubeck and George Shearing – none of them could do any wrong. Then there were the arrangements and orchestrations of Claus Ogerman – I was totally smitten with his work and still am. The Beatles, of course, especially from Sgt. Pepper on. Then came Randy Newman, who I thought was amazing. When I began writing my own songs, they were filled with major sevenths – everywhere you looked. That was my language – what I loved, and I became somewhat adept at it. Music has, many times, been my salvation – it has seen me through. It is, for me, the greatest of all the arts.
My goodness, I went off on a tangent, didn’t I? The rest of yesterday was okay. I began the day by going to see Dr. Chew. He ascertained pretty quickly that the painful crown was because the tooth on which it’s mounted has become a little loose. He also ascertained that I’d chipped the upper tooth next to the gold crown – not terrible, but that has to have a porcelain crown. I don’t know what he’ll do to the tooth that’s a little loose, and I’m just hoping for the best, whatever it is. That’s all that happened for that visit – I return next Tuesday for teeth cleaning, and then there will obviously be a few visits after that.
Then I came back home and did some stuff, then went and had my meal o’ the day – I have to eat nothing but soft foods until all the problems are fixed – so I had penne pasta in a creamy tomato sauce and it was just the perfect thing to eat. After that, I picked up a couple of packages and came back home. Our very own Mr. Nick Redman arrived and we had a nice visit and I had a chance, briefly, to check out the new Twilight Time transfers – I can tell you that the upcoming The Big Heat looks absolutely superb. Desiree looked very nice, too, and Bell, Book, and Candle looks terrific – I can’t wait to watch that. Then I watched another Wallander movie – terrific. It’s so nice that they’re not whodunits and the plots are really interesting and it can get quite suspenseful. The actors are wonderful and I cannot imagine the UK version being anywhere near as good. And then it was on to the music of the night.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because it is late and I must get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I have to prep the announcement for our three releases – the blurbs are written, but I have to get audio samples to the web guy, which I’ll do this morning. The plan is to go live at midnight or just after, as soon as I get back home. I will write liner notes, I will hopefully pick up some packages, I will fill up the motor car, and then I will drive to Ventura to see a musical show – first I’ll sup with its author. I’ll have to leave directly after so I can get home in time to announce – it’s about an hour drive.
Tomorrow we have a Melody rehearsal and then I WILL watch a motion picture. Saturday is another Melody rehearsal, dinner, and then opening night of Forbidden Broadway. Sunday I may or may not see The Drowsy Chaperone at a dinner theatre near Pasadena – I’d actually go to the one o’clock matinee.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, prep announcements and eBlasts, get the audio samples to the web guy, hopefully pick up some packages, gas up the motor car, and then sup and see a show, after which we go live with our three new titles. Today’s topic of discussion: What is the first music you ever remember hearing? What music made you feel the most and “got” to you? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after the music of the night.