Songs from the Chrysalis 14: SILENCE (& video of 'The Land')
Hey Hartlist,
This week I feel moved to write about Silence, which I'll admit is a weird thing for a primarily music-related newsletter.
“Where was it? he asked, “where was {the music} when they didn’t know about it?
Well, I says, it was all around them and it just kept on going about its music-business until they began to notice it. “
-like one of the family alice childress
Maybe a more accurate word would be 'Listening'? But for that to take place, Silence has to come first... as in, stop talking. Or Doing.
But first - a LOT of talking!
For those who've been asking for a version of my comedy storysong 'The Land'
here's the version from the Theaterworks Hartford "Living Room" series in April.
Also if you missed last week's 'Chrysalis' it's here and here for the time being. (Multiple guitars! Better sound!)
And yes, I'd eventually like to leave FB behind.
I was feeling a little under the weather this week (no, not that, all good) and haven't had a lot of energy. And I decided that rather than try to work against it (more coffee! get more done!) or wallow in it (eat junk, watch TV, scroll on phone), I would... surrender to it. Just for a couple of days. As in, not do a whole lot. Physically rest. Log out of social media. Instead of pushing myself to complete the draft of the opera I'm writing (more on this later!) I talked to my collaborator and listened to her feedback. I read (a book). I listened to teachers teach. I (mostly) stayed off social media. I - gasp - LISTENED to music (a thing I all too often forget I like to do) instead of pushing myself to write a song. And yeah, I sat in silence, a little more than usual. And that silence was...
... VERY NOISY! There was a LOT going on I might have missed. New ideas, perspectives, etc.
The opera I'm working on takes place in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. At one point, a character points out that "Barrens" is kind of a misnomer. The name refers to the fact that regular crops can't grow there because of the soil's acidity, but it's a huge wild area teeming with various forms of life.
The thing I love about the Childress quote above is the idea of what we think of as 'silence' or 'nothing' is usually full of something, waiting to be noticed... and the idea that maybe Silence is where music comes from. Whoa. ;)
Anyway then I got invited to participate in a "write a song every week" challenge and I'm gonna do it. Ebb and flow, nothing's permanent.
How will this inspire the Sunday show? Let's find out! Possibly there will be a guest. Definitely, I will be there and I hope so will you.
See you soon,
RH