God inspired the trumpet, I think. Humans created it, and have been refining the concept and the material structure of the instrument for hundreds of years now. The trumpet, along with other brass instruments, is unique because of the necessary blend of technique and spiritual quality needed to play well. About three years ago, I was informed about the way in which trumpeters play out of their head, so to speak; apparently there's an inchoate, interior quality, within the trumpeter's mind or spirit, that influences their sound. By this point, three years after the insight was deliverd to me, I have heard the same information from five additional trumpeters, seasoned professionals who work in symphony orchestras.
If you play some other instrument, you're probably familiar with the moment at which the technical aspect of playing fades into the background, into a sort of unconscious yet watchful submerged state. At that point, the music takes over, and no, the musician doesn't enter into a wild state of primal emotive riot (as seen in the erroneous, silly, vapid movie "Red Violin"). Instead, the musician enters a realm of flowing connectedness with musical expression. It's really hard to describe, but once it happens, a musician tends to be hooked, usually for life. That's what happened to me. The experience is, for many musicians, the first glimpse of the realm of the spirit.
The trumpet, and other brass instruments, however, take the musician one step farther, according to players who've talked to me about this. And, listening, I can see the difference between the spiritually-connected brass sound and the other kind. My first experience of spiritually-connected brassplaying came when, at age 13, I first heard a recording by Maurice Andre, delivered as a signing bonus for my membership in The Musical Heritage Society, a mail-order business from which you can order recordings for below market rate. For several years I spent my babysitting money on those recordings, and at the time I didn't know why the music was so compelling. And I'll venture further into this experience with my next post--
If you play some other instrument, you're probably familiar with the moment at which the technical aspect of playing fades into the background, into a sort of unconscious yet watchful submerged state. At that point, the music takes over, and no, the musician doesn't enter into a wild state of primal emotive riot (as seen in the erroneous, silly, vapid movie "Red Violin"). Instead, the musician enters a realm of flowing connectedness with musical expression. It's really hard to describe, but once it happens, a musician tends to be hooked, usually for life. That's what happened to me. The experience is, for many musicians, the first glimpse of the realm of the spirit.
The trumpet, and other brass instruments, however, take the musician one step farther, according to players who've talked to me about this. And, listening, I can see the difference between the spiritually-connected brass sound and the other kind. My first experience of spiritually-connected brassplaying came when, at age 13, I first heard a recording by Maurice Andre, delivered as a signing bonus for my membership in The Musical Heritage Society, a mail-order business from which you can order recordings for below market rate. For several years I spent my babysitting money on those recordings, and at the time I didn't know why the music was so compelling. And I'll venture further into this experience with my next post--
posted by Vicky at 7:56 AM
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