Thursday, November 4, 2010

A Little Elgar

Last night I dreamed that I was asked to speak at Georgia's funeral. When I arrived at the church, I found Cami and Haleigh on the stand, ready to speak as well. We were so glad to see each other and celebrate Georgia's life. I remember not feeling sorrow, just feeling like I missed her.

I chose to speak about how playing music with Georgia was like being her friend in life, and for some reason I centered my remarks on a piece by Elgar that we as a quartet had played with the Young Artist Chamber Players: Elgar's Introduction and Allegro for Solo String Quartet and String Orchestra. I spoke about how Georgia was reliable, how you could always count on her to give you the right cue and bring you in at the right time. I spoke about how there was a strength in her sound which gave you confidence to play your part with equal strength. I spoke about how she sometimes smiled when she played to reassure you that your parts were fitting together correctly. And I spoke about how if she played an out of tune note here or there, she wasn't bothered by it and just moved on. I spoke about how these lessons have given me strength as a musician, a person, a mother, and a friend.

And I woke up with the image in my mind of Georgia sitting across the quartet from me, and the sounds of the Elgar in my ears.

2 comments:

Emily said...

That's a seriously fantastic dream, Brit. How cool, when it actually makes sense and beautifully comes together. I didn't know Georgia of course, but the friendship you describe sounds heavenly, literally.g

mnhvance said...

I remember playing that Elgar like it was yesterday. I remember rehearsing it in my basement and sitting right across from her. She smiled this HUGE smile the entire time - even at the intense parts. What a great memory. Thanks Brit.