HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Since this is the “month of love” , I thought I’d fill you in on a little secret…I’ve been in love with a man who is much older than me.   His name…. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.   Ok…he’s dead and I’m more in love with his music than the man,  himself.  Every once in awhile, however,  I get this yearning…no,  it’ s more of a craving to hear his music and imagine myself sitting front row in an audience and watching the real Amadeus at work.

The first time I learned to appreciate classical music,  in particular the music of Mozart, was when I was just a tomboy kid growing up with four older brothers.  One day my dad came home with a big ol’ stereo that was stuck in the back of his station wagon.  At first I didn’t know what he had under that tarp, but it was exciting anyway because back “in the day”  getting a new piece of furniture was a very big deal, especially for a family of five kids who grew up in a middle to lower income family.

My dad  worked as a supervisor for the Cook County Highway Department, a hard worker who made sure his family had a nice house to live in and a decent education (Catholic schools, of course).   You never knew what he was going to bring home from work,  sometimes it was a fruit tree that he had his men dig up instead of tearing it up and tossing it to the side as they laid their new tract of highway.  Our backyard was filled with every fruit tree imaginable…and a long double row of concord grape vines.   He also had a friend that sold stuff on Maxwell Street.  Anyone who grew up in Chicago knows about Maxwell street, where vendors sold items out of the back of a truck…some were legit, some stolen, but the police never busted them.  One day,  my dad came home with boxes upon boxes of penny candy.  That was like heaven for any kid and man, we were the hit of the neighborhood…all the penny candy you could eat,  for free!   To this day,  whenever I see those candy dots on a long piece of white paper or those double wafter-like  “flying saucers” that were filled with little candy beads, bring back memories of that magical day.  To this day,  I am absolutely hooked on those big fireball candies,  I always keep a supply of them in the house.

When my dad came home with cases of banana’s…that was a different story. I thought my mom was going to kill him because you know how banana’s ripen so quickly and she had us eating banana’s until I thought our knuckles were going to start dragging on the ground and we’d be swinging from those fruit trees in the back yard.  My mom was busy making banana bread and banana muffins for days and handing them out to any neighbor who would take them.  To this day,  I have a brother who won’t look at a banana.

Damn…I’m getting off the story line  again, sorry. This is what happens when you get old, your thoughts start wandering.

Anyway, after my dad brought in this magnificent stereo system that was all tucked into a beautiful wood cabinet…and yes, it came complete with the new Eight Track Player,   we couldn’t wait to hear what it sounded like.  The speakers were huge and my dad excitedly told us never to turn the volume all the way up or it would blow the speakers and rattle the windows.  We were in awe.  Along with his stereo find, he came home with a ton of albums and eight tracks.   Unfortunately, the first eight track he played was Englebert Humperdink (my mom’s favorite)  and we were forced to listen to “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree” more than I could stand.   I still feel the urge to puke when I hear that song.

Amongst all those albums was an Album of Mozart and just for the hell of it, while I was alone in the house I put it on the turntable.  I turned up the volume (not full tilt as I was warned) and I sat on the floor with my head next to the speaker.  I then fell in love with the music of Amadeus Mozart.

Years later I saw the movie,  Amadeus,  and my favorite scene was when Salieri was describing the music of Mozart.

On the page it looked nothing. The beginning simple, almost comic. Just a pulse – bassoons and basset horns – like a rusty squeezebox. Then suddenly – high above it – an oboe, a single note, hanging there unwavering, till a clarinet took over and sweetened it into a phrase of such delight! This was no composition by a performing monkey! This was a music I’d never heard. Filled with such longing, such unfulfillable longing, it had me trembling. It seemed to me that I was hearing the very voice of God.

That was it! That’s exactly how I felt as I lay next to that stereo speaker, just a young kid full of the dirt and sweat from summer play, listening to a sound that I’ve never experienced before.  I think one of my favorite pieces by Mozart is Piano Concerto No. 22 in E Flat MajorK.482, Third Movement.  But ask me tomorrow and it may be Piano Concerto No.20 in D Minor K.466, Second Movement.  I guess you figured out that I really dig piano concertos.  

(Tribute to Amadeus Mozart-Part 1)

1.) Symphony No.25 in G Minor K.183, First Movement
2.) The Abduction From The Seraglio, Turkish Finale
3.) Piano Concerto No.22 in E Flat Major, K.482, Third Movement
4.) The Marriage of Figaro, Act III Finale
5.) Piano Concerto No.20 in D Minor K.466, Second Movement

(Tribute to Amadeus Mozart-Part 2)

Requiem
1, Introitus
2, Dies Irae
3, Rex Tremendae
4, Confutatis
5, Lacrimosa

A few facts about Wolfang Amadeus Mozart….just in case you’re in a bar and they’re having a trivia test on Mozart, ‘cuz ya know that’s gonna happen one day and you’ll thank me for this list:

1. Mozart lived to be 35 years old, making his lifespan about 13,100 days. Of those, he spent 3,720 of them traveling Europe and performing. His cumulative travel time adds up to over ten years, nearly a third of his life.

2. Although Mozart was born with five names, neither “Wolfgang” nor “Amadeus” were included. His birth name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. Later, his father shortened Wolfgangus to Wolfgang, and he adopted the Latin version of Theophilus, Amadeus. Read more.

3. Studies show that people may exhibit improved spatial reasoning after listening to Mozart. Has his music tapped into some intelligence-building cerebral code? Nope. Other studies proved that audio stimulation of nearly any kind can keep people more alert and improve spatial reasoning. So next time you’ve got a little thinking to do, just flip a coin — heads, Mozart; tails, Alvin and the Chipmunks’ Christmas album.

4. Locating Mozart’s remains has proved tricky. Originally buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave, Mozart’s final resting place is unknown. Earlier this year, forensic specialists tested a skull speculated to be Mozart’s, but admitted the tests were inconclusive.

5. Mozart is a musical ambassador for our planet. NASA launched the twin Voyager spacecrafts toward deep space Aug. 20 and Sept. 5, 1977. Both contained a golden record containing sounds and photos from Earth and basic instructions on how it should be played. Among the samples of music is a selection from Mozart’s famous opera, ‘The Magic Flute.’

6. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg on January 27, 1756. During his life, he wrote over 600 works. His output was astounding; 41 symphonies, 21 operas, 15 masses, 12 violin concertos, 27 concert arias, 17 piano sonatas, 26 string quartets and much, much more. He did it all in 35 short years.

Have a great day—take a break to hear the voice of God via Mozart, you’ll love it!