moved

On Sunday, I was moved. And I cried. This is a lot to happen in one day...

But the movement in question happened as a result of a concert. Not a shocker that I was at a concert, but what happened to me was totally out of my ordinary.

Several people I know were singing in the Sunday performance of Carmina Burana. This was the Youth Symphony, the local Ballet Theatre, the Children's Chorale as well as about 300 singers from several local choirs. In case you are not familiar, here is a clip of the last piece, which happens to be the same as the opening:

Now I have performed this piece 3 times, and this was my 3rd time attending a performance. But I was totally unprepared for what happened when the first notes played. I had watched the performers walk out on stage. I had watched as the conductor got them ready. I knew the piece very well, so I knew exactly when he was starting, and I knew what to expect. I could have sung along.

But I wasn't ready for this. As that first drum note sounded (BOOM!) and the chorus sang those first words (Oh Fortuna!) I was taken aback, and a tear slipped down my cheek. As they sang more words, more tears. Until, finally, I had tears streaming down my cheeks, and I couldn't stop them.

I think the shocking thing about those tears was that I knew exactly what to expect. I knew the music enough to sing it from memory. I knew the piece, and had listened to it several times before. But still...tears.

As I sat there crying in the dark, thinking about how beautiful this music is, it struck me that music is magical.

I know that there are a limited number of ways to put together a chord progression to comply with accepted western musical theory. I know the nuts and bolts of music. I have performed so much music that I couldn't list it. But still...

The fact that I know music, and even more that I know THIS music didn't change those tears from coming.

Magical.

Now here's the confession of the day: I'm not really a cry-er. I don't cry all that often, and even a sad movie has to be REALLY moving for me to shed a tear. I'm not someone who cries often.

Which makes this episode all the more intriguing, and makes my gut reaction of tears almost astonishing. I wanted to turn to the person next to me and ask, "Don't you realize how amazing this music is?"

But don't you realize that I didn't even know how amazing this music is?
How amazing music is?

Magical.
K