Share Your Music — 30 Days, 30 Songs. Day 8.
In the 90s, when disco was dead, I went into my classical music phase. It was also the time I had my first baby. That was a difficult time and a difficult pregnancy. I listened to quite a bit of classical music when I was pregnant, and because I was new to it, I chose a few old standards. One of my favourite pieces was/is Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. I particularly liked “Winter”. It is like four seasons in one.
I had my baby during winter. That seems quite ironic to me now. I didn’t listen to much music after the birth. I was too exhausted. Too depressed. Perhaps I’ll write about that one day. About four months after I had the baby, I went to the mall with my mother and my little boy. We went into a shop and were browsing when Vivaldi’s Four Seasons came on. My son started waving his arms in time with the music. My mother and I were stunned. The shop assistants came over too to see this young baby conducting to the music. It was “Winter”.
After all that time, he had remembered. I wonder if this is why he likes classical music so much and once considered a career as a classical musician. That career path didn’t come to fruition, but it did extend my classical music phase for about 20 years.
Ready for some conducting?
Sarah at Art Expedition is hosting 30 Days, 30 Songs for the month of June. You can see her latest post here. It is not too late to join in the challenge. Casual players welcome.
Kind Regards.
Tracy
What a lovely post! And, pic. Yes can relate to this.
Dr T loved classical music and had it playing all day long. We took a tape into the delivery room expecting our child to be born to Vivaldi (Four Seasons – Spring – was our wedding entrance song). At the time of her birth, all I could do was yell at him to “turn off the @loody noise”! The memory makes me cringe! lol
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I’m sorry, but you made me laugh. No wonder your daughter is like she is. She could see the humour in the situation. 🙂
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It still makes the whole family laugh. a good idea that didn’t pan out!
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I love this one, too. I guess your son heard it when he was in your womb and sensed you loved it. ❤
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That’s what I think, Martha. He really was conducting.
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Such a lovely story, Tracy. And I love Vivaldi’s Four Seasons too, especially “Winter”.
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Thank you, Dominque. It does seem to be a firm favourite with many people.
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Yes indeed. The feelings communicated through this music are universal.
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Ah! Such memories are so precious! Lovely share.
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Thank you, Punam.
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You are welcome.
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Similar experience, very different music. I listened to a lot of Counting Crows, and went to one of their gigs while pregnant. ‘August and Everything After’ was one of our go-to albums during the middle-of-the-night crying sessions.
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I just listened to them. I must have been in my classical phase so missed them first time round. They are brilliant. I wish I knew how to do the spotify thing. We still do CDs here. You would need some energetic music to keep you awake.
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I haven’t tried to figure out Spotify yet. I have a biggish playlist on my phone and use chromecast to play it on the TV. And we still have a massive CD collection — mostly belonging to the Big T who really loves his music.
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Very techie, Su. I’m impressed.
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My boys are the ones who organised Chromecast. I just know how to push the button 😀
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Lovely memory. We read to our son in the womb the same story “On the Day You Were Born” and when he was born it was one of the first things we did. I believe they hear and are soothed by our voices and music. The familiar brings them comfort when they emerge into this new scary world.
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That’s a lovely story too, Heather. Thanks for sharing it. I unfortunately forgot all about the music when he arrived. So this experience was a great reminder.
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A beautiful story Tracy 💜 Your son would have heard this music in the womb and his reaction when he heard it again in a shop is just wonderful 🙂💖🎶 xxx
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Thank you, Xenia. 🙂
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A wonderful post – and they do hear what we say and sing. It has been scientifically proved. Lovely memory. It would have been great to see you when he started waving!
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Thank you, Ann-Christine. It was a rather weepy moment, among many weepy moments around that time. 🙂
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♥
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Vivaldi has always been a favorite of my kids. I love classical music, and after I had my kids, I guess I needed a break from pop radio so took to the classics. For some reason Vivaldi and Beethoven have stood out in my kids minds. Your son….that must have been the most wonderful thing to see!
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It was, Lois.
We have ABC classics as one of our radio stations. Last weekend, it ran the Top 100 composers (voted on by listeners). Beethoven was voted No. 1.
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The Four Seasons is one of the first pieces of classical music I really took to. One of the ones everyone likes I guess. I love the story about your son, that’s amazing.
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Our first son was also born in winter though definitely not to this piece or any other musical selection. He (and his younger brother) studied music from the time he was very young, has guided his two children toward learning music, and enjoys a wide range of genres and artists – but Vivaldi is always up there. For me as well. We’re always looking to the special characteristics of each season, and Vivaldi captured that.
Have you hear Ferde Grofe’s “The Grand Canyon Suite”? A composer who captured the essence of a magical place not much explored in his day.
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I hadn’t heard Grofé’s composition before. It is wonderful. I’m looking forward to listening to it when there are fewer people in the house (quieter).
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Vivaldi is very special and I love the fact that he composed music for the humble recorder which sounds amazing in the hands of expert musicians.
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Thank you, Jane. I listened to Vivaldi’s recorder concerto. It has harpsichord too. Brilliant. I had a friend who studied recorder at uni. As difficult as it to be a classical musician, it is even more difficult to be a recorder player.
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Oh, Tracy! I love this piece so much! It always makes me feel like soul lifts up to the sky and soars with all those birds free in the wind. And the passion – oh, this passion in this piece! That violinst in the video clearly showed it in her play – btw: thanks for sharing a video in which we can see the musicians play, that’s such a joy!
And I would have loved seeing your son conduct to the music! It must have been wonderful. 😊
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