ST. FRANCIS AND SURGEONS

ST. FRANCIS AND SURGEONS
Some years ago, I was asked to address the Oregon Medical Association during a crucial time when legislature was being presented to change the course of health care in the U.S. An agreement between insurance companies and health care providers determining whether to cover health conditions which were “not cost efficient” was being proposed. The legislature would have allowed providers and insurance companies to deny care to those whose condition cost them too much. It was a juncture in history which would have altered health care as we have come to know it. I was asked to address the power of music as a means of assisting the healing process. A few days before I was to appear in Portland, I received a call from the woman in charge. She was reluctant to address her concern to me. She said that a number of her group were very concerned about the proposals coming forth and it was the opinion of many of those in charge of the event that the meeting should be opened with a prayer. They were harkening back to the founding of the nation when Benjamin Franklin asserted that prayer was needed at the Continental Congress as they were making such important decisions that would effect countless generations in the future. She was very concerned that if they prayed openly in the meeting, it was likely that representatives from the ACLU would likely close down the meeting. Still, the committee felt it was important. She asked if there was such a thing as a prayer set to music. I assured her that there were many. I told her I would be happy to comply with her wishes. When the moment came, I was announced to sing an opening song. I moved to the piano and sang the famous prayer of St. Francis of Assisi set to music by Olive Dungan as Eternal Life Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace Where there is hatred, let me sow love Where there is injury, pardon Where there is doubt, faith Where there is despair, hope Where there is darkness, light Where there is sadness, joy O divine master, grant that I may not so much seek, To be consoled, as to console To be understood, as to understand To be loved, as to love For it is in giving that we receive It is in pardoning that we are pardoned It is in dying that we are born to eternal life When I finished thousands of participants said, “Amen.” The music provided a means of meditation and invocation without offense. Music has the power to bypass religious, social, political differences and speak to the heart. It has no boundaries or language misunderstanding becoming a universal communication.

A SONG SAVES SEPARATION

A SONG SAVES SEPARATION
Some years later a song would perform an important function as well. In the middle of my performing career, I spent the majority of time on the road. Some people believe that absence makes the heart grow fonder. That may be true in the short term, but in my experience, too much absence creates problems. Such was the case in our marriage. In my naive way, I determined that flying home for a day would solve all our problems wherein we could discuss our challenges and move on to resolution. I soon discovered that the more I talked the worse things got. The more I tried to “fix” things, the greater the malfunction. At a certain point the thought came into my head: “Shut up! You’re making it worse.” I took that advice and with resignation, I walked toward the door. In doing so I passed the piano. I determined to sit down and sing a song that I thought might make a difference. It is the song for which she was named: Annie Laurie by Lady John Scott. Maxwelton’s braes are bonnie, where early fa’s the dew And twas there that Annie Laurie, gave me her promise true. Gave me her promise true, which ne’er forgot may be, And for bonnie Annie Laurie, I’d lay me doon and dee The music allowed me to convey the reality of my feelings that spoke to her heart which was crucial at the moment. The music allowed her to know the sincerity of my heart where words alone failed. Special songs between people are important as tokens for important bonding times. It can be very decisive in the maintenance of a strong relationship. Music has the power to communicate beyond verbal means.

PROPOSALS AND POETRY

PROPOSALS AND POETRY
As a painfully shy teenager, I struggled with how to communicate my feelings, perhaps that is why I was drawn to the stage, where it was easier for me. When I finally realized that the extraordinary young lady I had met at a piano lesson and dated for some time was the one with whom I wanted to share my life, I agonized over the words to convey my intentions. I tried practicing the phrases in front of the mirror to improve my delivery, but the more I tried the worse it seemed to get. I began to worry that if I didn’t express my deep feelings soon, one of a multitude of fond admirers surely would, and I would be left with a shattered dream. I determined to call upon the help of a friend, Oscar Hammerstein II whose words had touched my own heart so many times before. Though I never met Mr. Hammerstein, his lyrics were part of my being. I asked Laurie to come to my parent’s home and I sat her by the piano prefacing the following song I sang with: “Though these may be Oscar Hammerstein’s words, they are how I feel.” I make up things to say, on my way to you On my way to you, I write things to say I can write poems too, when I’m far away When I’m far away, I write poems too. But when you draw near, my lips go dry When you are near, I only sigh, oh dear! I’ve told every little star, just how sweet I think you are Why haven’t I told you? I’ve told ripples in a brook, made my heart an open book Why haven’t I told you? Friends ask me, am I in love, I always answer yes, Might as well confess. If I don’t they’ll guess. Maybe you may know it too. Oh my darling, if you do, Why haven’t you told me? The song did the trick, and it is a good thing, because Laurie became the mother of my 6 children.

CONCILIATION AND COMPOSITION

CONCILIATION AND COMPOSITION
The great Irish author, poet and motivational speaker Thomas Moore (1779-1852) Returned from a long trip to discover his wife had contracted small pox. Due to the ravaging disfigurement the disease exacted on her, she sought to have her husband leave her alone in the house and never return. She was sure he could not love her since her physical beauty had been destroyed by the pox. He tried to entreat her to allow him access to her, but to no avail. In despair he turned to his deepest friend, his pen and composed a beautiful lyric for a song which he implored her to read. The song helped her understand his intense love for her which transcended physical beauty. They were reconciled and the world was left with an elegant explanation of deep love. Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms Believe me, if all those endearing young charms, Which I gaze on so fondly today Were to change by tomorrow and fleet in my arms, Like fairy gifts fading away, Thou wouldst still be adored, as this moment thou art, Let thy lovliness fade as it will And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart Would entwine itself fervantly still It is not while beauty and youth are thine own, And thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear That the fervor and faith of a soul can be known, To which time doth but make thee more dear No, the heart that has truly loved, never forgets But as truly runs on to it’s close As the sunflower turns on her god when he sets The same look which she turned when he rose.

MALFUNCTION AND THE MERRY WIDOW

MALFUNCTION AND THE MERRY WIDOW
There are a myriad of means with which to communicate. Only one of them is verbal. My grandmother in the story above communicated with touch (caress) and with song, two very power means of communication. In 1997, as the Utah Festival Opera was rehearsing Lehar’s The Merry Widow, I was walking through the hallway of the rehearsal space when I heard someone singing some very complex lines from Act II. I assumed someone had left the rehearsal, hence I followed the sound to investigate. I came upon a young man who was mopping the floors in an adjacent room. I tried to speak with him but could elicit no response. I went to the office to inquire about the young man, and found that he was a severely disabled student who was helping out in the care of the building. According to the secretary in the office, he was unable to communicate on any level. I thought deeply about his profound gift (savant nature) relating to melodic understanding and replication. He could only have heard those portions of the opera for about a day, and yet he was able to store them in memory and repeat them with astounding accuracy. I recounted my fascination with his skill to one of his counselors who did not seem to be impressed by it at all. It is an extremely complex mind that can codify, replicate and remember such complex melodic patterns. I wonder if that area of skill in the brain could be transferred to other parts of the brain and enhance his ability to function in normal society.