A Valentine's Day Diversion
  • Randolph Nichols
    Posts: 398
    Although I was smitten from just about our first meeting, she was less than enamored and thought me, then an instructor at an all-male New England prep school, a Yankee snob. (Only later did she learn I grew up in a small town in Kansas; I guess being a mid-Western snob makes a difference!)

    A catalyst for the eventual change of heart was my gift of a recording featuring Metamorphosen by Richard Strauss, a work scored for twenty-three solo strings whose quiet intensity traverses the expanse of musical passion. When she told me a short time later that this was perhaps the most beautiful composition she had ever heard and had listened to it over and over, I knew I had found a soul mate. I haven’t always exercised good judgement, but on this occasion - now that our marriage is measured in decades - I got one thing right.

    And how about you? If you were attempting to sway with music the feelings of that someone who makes your heart skip a beat, whether it be as a gift of a recording or perhaps as a backdrop to a specially prepared dinner, what would it be?
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen JulieColl
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    Very romantic in more ways than one! My sweetheart and I are most fond of Baroque, although I was listening with earphones to Chopin's nocturnes at the exact moment when I met my husband on a hot summer day in Virginia. He wanted to know what I was listening to and nodded politely and then persuaded me to listen to Bach's Brandenburg Concertos on the stereo of his supercool shiny green '67 Cutlass Supreme. We had a long discussion on the merits of romantics vs baroque, and I was sold.
    Thanked by 1expeditus1
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    Bach's always been a babe-magnet, along with the Cutlass, how could he lose? What great stories!


    Thanked by 2JulieColl expeditus1
  • Blaise
    Posts: 439
    I don't have a favorite composer for romance, but I enjoy Morten Laurisen's rendering of "Dirait-on".
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    "Love Stinks."
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    My wife and I met in a bar. She approached me and saw my giant set of keys sitting next to my scotch and asked me if I was a janitor. Not wanting to have the conversation about how I was a musician and how it was a legitimate job and I made money that way, I just said yes.

    So is my story the opposite of the one this thread is asking for?
    Thanked by 5Andrew Motyka Adam Wood Ben ronkrisman expeditus1
  • kevinfkevinf
    Posts: 1,191
    Mon epouse ( my spouse) and I met in Paris while I was doing research for my book. She was my guide for the city of Lights and my translator for some things. I knew I was done when I asked if we could go to an organ recital at Ste. Clotilde and she said, "Oui."
    And the rest, they say, is history. Organ music is "la musique de l'amour."
    Thanked by 3JulieColl CHGiffen expeditus1
  • mrcoppermrcopper
    Posts: 653
    My story is right up to the minute: my valentine this year is what looks like a hairy weather balloon (but smells like what she is): an expectant sow that I had to bring inside from the east coast storm. Piglets any minute, I believe....
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    Sounds like you've got your hands full! Hope all goes well and please give us an update on the little piggies.
  • expeditus1
    Posts: 483
    CharlesW, you ol' pruneball!

    My to-be husband was a trumpet/trombone road musician who left his band to return to college. He stood behind me in choir, and still can describe his favorite skirt of mine. Two songs from the old music program days which bring back memories are: Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix from Saint-Saens' "Samson et Delilah," and Debussy's Clair de lune.
    Thanked by 1JulieColl
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    I was 21, had a 28 inch waist (no joke!), and besides already being a parish choirmaster, earned money and reveled as the bass player for a hot funk band that mimic'd Tower of Power amazingly well and toured the Catholic college circuit in the SF/Oak/SJose bay area. At a gig for Dominican College in Marin, there she was in her red dress, shag haircut, dancing up a storm with her stiff, date of the night. Yes, I made a pass directly to her from the stage. She returned the favor two Saturdays later by attending a dance at St. Mary's, Moraga stag (girls' dorm group road trip.) We fell in love that night.
    Couple of months later, Sunday afternoon, Dominican College Music is live-performing DIDO AND AENEAS on SF station KKHI. W's the second female lead with one solo. I'm listening at home in Oakland and I hear my beloved's incredible, flawless voice coming through my stereo. I say to myself: "Self, you are so NOT WORTHY." Those of you who know us personally will concur.
    We set a wedding for the following June. She called from her parents' after Christmas and said "Honey, could we get married now?" (No, she wasn't, her folks didn't share her enthusiam for loving a musician, what parents do?) I, of course, said "Heck yeah." We put it all together in two weeks ourselves, the church choir ladies did everything for us, the whole university music department played the ceremony, my bandmates did the reception, and the next morning we both went to work our jobs as choirmasters at now two churches, she took over for me at my original.
    We celebrated our 40th quietly at church Jan. 12 with a blessing from a beloved mission priest from Peru not during Mass, and then at home just the two of us.
    I'm still so NOT WORTHY. But she doth still and yet loves this bass player.
    Thanked by 3expeditus1 CHGiffen JulieColl
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    Expeditus1, I did buy chocolate for the person I love most - myself. And you think I am not romantic. Sheesh! LOL.
    Thanked by 2expeditus1 JulieColl
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    LOL, Charles! Hope it was good chocolate. You deserve only the best! Chocolate has become such an industry now. My favorite is Trader Joe's swiss dark chocolate with whole hazelnuts. Yummers.
    Thanked by 1CharlesW
  • expeditus1
    Posts: 483
    melo, are you at liberty to tell us the name of your late hot funk band? My husband also played the California circuit, in a funk band named, "The End." He loved his Tower of Power material. Did you also do your choreography wearing polyester onesie jumpsuits? Those are better left for the young.
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    "Truth."
    Rhymes with "Pluth." :-)
    Thanked by 3Ben expeditus1 CharlesW
  • expeditus1
    Posts: 483
    melo, how many vocalists/instrumentalists in "Truth?" Did you sing, as well as play bass? Tower of Power was out of the Bay Area, too, weren't they?

    Sounds like Bach is Noel's babe-magnet, and funk was yours. Great story.
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    We were based, like Tower of Power, from East Oakland and San Leandro, mostly from Bishop O'Dowd HS on 98th.
    Everyone sang except our drummer, same horn section as ToP, guitarist, me, Rhodes/Hammond, two lead singers (male). At one time we even had Mic Gilette on lead trumpet, whom I went to college with, and who eventually played steady with ToP. I only sang lead on a few power ballads, ala Peter Cetera from Chicago. It was great fun and we were a great band.
    Of course, once we were married, I had to find real employment and left the band and increased my church involvement. I still go down to a local coffee house and play bass in a jazz combo on Saturday AM's when I can.
    Thanked by 3expeditus1 JulieColl CHGiffen
  • expeditus1
    Posts: 483
    melo, my husband was excited to hear this news from "the day." I know that Mic had had a heart attack. See that he formed a new band, "The Mic Gillette Band." Listened to a few samples off their new CD, which can be found at the bottom of this page on their website:
    http://www.micgilletteband.com/

    It's great that you're keeping the continuity going by playing Saturday gigs with your combo.
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