If I permit these
knees to drift, like
so, will you pull your
eager string against
my tender bow?
[Yes, I'm learning the cello.
No, I sound nothing like Mischa Maisky.
But please, please listen to this Prelude to
Bach's Cello Suite No. 1, especially from
about 1:55 until the end.
It gets me every time.
Video courtesy of Bacholoji.]
knees to drift, like
so, will you pull your
eager string against
my tender bow?
[Yes, I'm learning the cello.
No, I sound nothing like Mischa Maisky.
But please, please listen to this Prelude to
Bach's Cello Suite No. 1, especially from
about 1:55 until the end.
It gets me every time.
Video courtesy of Bacholoji.]
24 comments:
I'm sooo glad you're back!!
I love your poem. Now I'm going to listen to the video.
I like that. the cello is so beautiful. I play the guitar and trumpet, but I've always wanted to learn to play the French Horn.
And your poem was very good, even suggestive!
~Jef
Nice! He does make sounds that transcend the physical instrument.
You write, you work, you are a mommy and a wife, and you are taking cello lessons??! How do you do it all?
It's good to see you back.
;)
Hey Sarah! Good to see you! How is everything going? I was hoping your long silence meant you were very busy working and having some good news. I'm glad to see you back! Have missed your lovely vignettes and sweet poems. This piece is one of my favorites. Angus' favorite too!
Thanks, Chris! :) I love his interpretation of the piece.
The French Horn does have a gorgeous, full-bodied sound, Jef. You should try it! I felt a bit silly about taking lessons at 31 (all the books assume you're a kid), but I really felt like I couldn't let this desire die. And I'm really enjoying it, even if I stink!
This poem was fun to dash off. It's impossible to play the cello, and not become a wee suggestive. ;)
Aine, the key is to do everything badly. ;)
Luckily, I'm not working too many hours right now, and the cello only takes up about a half hour a day. I just started and my kids love to shriek and tell me how awful I sound. There's nothing better for a child than to realize her parent is just as vulnerable and inexperienced as she is!
Thanks, Ello! I missed you, too. :)
I wish I had left due to some good news and hard work, but no. Unfortunately, I think my last book is officially dead (an editor at Grand Central wanted it in February, but the editorial board deemed it "too literary"--ha!) I just felt the need to step away for awhile and figure out some stuff.
And write dirty cello poems. But of course. ;)
Sexy, sexy, sexy!
Whew... is it hot in here, or is it just me?
Angelique
Oh, wait. I didn't mean to imply that I was hot.
That's one of the problems with translating "real speak" to "blog speak". I meant to say something more along the lines of:
"Is it hot in here, or am I crazy?"
Angelique
The cello...how exciting! 31 sounds like a perfect age to begin. Fair warning--we expect some audio posts someday.
Hey Chris, I used to play the french horn. I think its quality is lost on a grade schooler, however. It did make a nice weapon on the bus, though.
I'm always mesmerized by how Baroque pieces end. Like there is some cosmic resolution in the composer's mind which has built to that completion moment.
And the poem is perfect in its brevity.
LOL, Angelique! I knew what you meant, but hey, you're still hot. ;)
Thanks for stopping by!
Jason, you know not what you ask for. I'll post audio when this becomes a humor blog...
Yeah, that ending is something else. There is such a great elevation of tension and emotion, and then it's all released in one heavenly note. It always makes my head swim a little.
:)
Yes, that's a beautiful piece. I always wanted to learn the violin, but never did. I play a few instruments, but not the one I love. Good for you on learning the one YOU love.
What a poem!
I love the cello, especially Bach's cello suites. Good luck!
And she's back!
You still could, Beth...my cello instructor told me that she once taught a lady who was in her fifties. It's never too late to seize the moment, especially when instruments can be rented, and when you already have a musical background. Of course, there's always finding the time...
They're all beautiful, Billy. Yo-Yo Ma's collection is superb. My instructor will be performing on Saturday and playing Suite No. 2--I can't wait!
Back, and happy to be so. Thanks, Jaye.
:)
Hey Sarah, sorry about the book. But time to start a new one, yes? You know I am fan, I'll read just about anything you write, especially dirty cello poems!
I LOVVVVEEEEEE this piece. Nice words. :-)
I just noticed the "Part 1"-- does this mean there are more dirty cello thoughts? I may just have to get me a cello...
;)
I am starting a new book, Ello. We'll see if I make it to the middle of this one...but thank you for the vote of confidence! :)
I'm glad you're a fellow Bach fan, Seamus! He's probably my favorite composer.
Nothing concrete yet, Aine, but I'm in anticipation of more to come. ;) Of course, so far, hearing real cellists play is a lot more, um, inspiring, than playing the maddening thing myself.
But you should still get one. At the very least, it makes a great accessory when I'm walking on campus. :)
Congratulations Sarah! You are starting a new book AND you are learning the cello. How jealous are you going to make me?! ;-)
Thanks for dropping by on my blog and letting me know that you are back. It's always a pleasure to visit your blog, but I myself have not been active lately. And whatever you do on this blog and otherwise, you will always find an eager support in me (even if I'm not quick enough to let you know);-)
(:Good luck with the book and the cello:)
Thank you, Abhinav! I need all the luck I can get.
And good luck finishing up school...I bet you can taste your freedom. ;)
I love that piece Sarah! I think I played it on piano, or maybe flute... I can't recall, but it remains one of my favorites. I was a music major in college. How are the cello lessons going? I always wanted to learn cello, the harpsichord, and the harp.
I loved your poem and how sensual it is. Music, especially cello, is very sensual.
Thank you, Sheri!!
And I haven't forgotten to email you back. Just. Been. Busy. Hence, the tiny poems. ;)
I'm so in awe that you were a music major! I would love to learn the piano, too. The cello lessons are going great, if very, very slowly.
Who knew it would be so hard to hold a bow? And to make it not sound like an injured animal when striking the string? ;)
I think all the string instruments are very hard. I think they take much longer to master. (Besides oboe and bassoon!)
I began piano at 5 but sadly piano was not my instrument. I just had a very hard time with not only the two hands doing something entirely different, but they were in different clefs! That was so mind boggling and I had a hard time separating my brain. But in order to graduate music school - you had to pass a piano proficiency. I played a Bach piece, and for the life of me, I cannot recall what else. Flute was my major instrument. I used to practice 8 hours a day! Not consecutively, but 8 hours a day! And I still wasn't good enough for the NYC ballet... Oh well...
Hi there, I was googling "practice resolutions cello blog," on the lookout for other cellists promising to practice more this year (!) and I spotted this older post -- then noticed some familiar names, like Ello and Chris Eldin. I've probably seen your comments at Editorial Ass if you frequent that blog as well! Anyway, skimmed through other posts, looking for any sign of whether you continued with your cello. Hope so! It's never too late to learn. Best wishes and I'll check back for more news about your forthcoming novel.
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