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Some say that as we grow up we become different people at different ages and I don’t believe this. I think we remain the same throughout, merely passing in these years from one room to another, but always in the same house. If we unlock the rooms of the far past, we can see ourselves beginning to become you and me. James M. Barrie
The mesmerizing voice of Lynn Fontanne at the beginning of Peter Pan:
I bought a small collection of songs from Peter Pan to sing with my sister, who had descended into the merciless pit of Lewy Body Dementia. But, as we know, music is the magic wand of connection to brains that have started to disconnect. We sang through all the tunes, but there were two that always touched us as kids - Tender Shepherd, the touching bedtime round sung by the children before bed and A Distant Melody, sung by Mary Martin’s glorious Peter Pan, when Wendy asked him if he knew a lullaby to sing to the children. He hesitates and then seems to remember, Once upon a time and long ago, I heard someone singing soft and low. Now when day is done and night is near, I recall this song I used to hear. My child, my very own, don’t be afraid, you’re not alonge; sleep until the dawn, for all is well. Long ago this song was sung to me, now it’s just a distant melody. Somewhere from the past I used to know, once upon a time and long ago. … Music by the amazing Jule Styne, lyric by Betty Comden and Adolph Green - three magicians.
We grew up listening to all the broadway shows of the 50’s and 60’s - The Music Man, Peter Pan, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Finian’s Rainbow, The Fantastiks. We would lie on the living room rug and listen, over and over, memorizing all the lyrics. We were too far from Broadway to see live performances, but perhaps what we did was better. Lying there, in front of a stereo the size of a small car, we conjured up our own images.
My sister is gone now. For some reason, I pulled out that music the other day and sat down at the piano. As I played, Bill and I both became very quiet, lost in our separate thoughts of the past.
I got out the guitar and tried to do the song a bit of justice. The simplicity is its brilliance. Somewhere, along the way, in some room I have been in, I learned to create videos, to pair my visual art with music. One of the many rooms for which I am very grateful!
As we grow older, time slips through our fingers. We have passed through many rooms, some brighter than others. And of course, we all hope to continue to walk through new and different rooms!
Through the Doorway shop.sullyarts.com
We have no choice but to accept the changes, the limitations; for, after all, they are the price we pay for perspective and hopefully, a bit of wisdom. I like to think that James Barrie was right, that we are passing from one room to another, but all in that same house called home.
Upstate NY, shop.sullyarts.com
What a lovely post, Kate. Ahhh Peter Pan and all that's wrapped into it. I have an added way to appreciate it now! A beautiful rendition of that song!
Imagine living here with Kate and her music. It's quite a gift.