Setting it to Music

The sun is up and bright in an almost cloudless sky and the temperature is slowly rising towards zero. We’re standing on our upper deck overlooking the snowy expanse of Lake Laberge. The deck is about 16 feet above ground level and the view is spectacular. Sunday morning music wafts through the open doors behind us. The selection of semi-classical music nicely complements the view and circumstance. As the two of us stand there admiring the view it comes to mind how much music has meant and been part of our life it seems forever.

During the past several months we have been renovating our upper floor. That of course mean a lot of moving, packing and generally sorting out all of the stuff that people accumulate throughout their lives. The upstairs has been our basement so to speak, the place to put things that we didn’t use anymore but couldn’t quite part with.

Amongst the inventory of these treasures, I found two heavy boxes of long play records, and a number of large boxes of cassette tapes. The collection already included no less than 200 CD’s, some seasonal, some rarely played, that have found their way upstairs. We have never had TV and our collection or music is probably larger than most.

Memories came to mind as I sort through the long familiar music boxes. Some of the records date back to my teenage years. Then there is Klondike “boat music” for the tourists that we carried on our tour boats in the 70’s and 80’s. There is a collection of light Mantovani classics that we played when driving an empty tour boat back from Dawson City. His music seemed a perfect complement to the never-ending wilderness unfolding ahead at each turn in the river. There is music to read by. Music, that if played loudly sets the mood for spring-cleaning. There are the heavy classics of Wagner, Beethoven and such masters that I reserve for my private listening at a volume that only I can appreciate. The soft evening classics that put the animals to sleep and Irene’s favorite Motown and Blues played on those occasions when she needs a spiritual lift.

“We really should get a multi-media stereo system so we can play all of our music, the CD’s, records and cassettes” I say as we turn back to go inside.

“Let’s do that” Irene replies. “We’ll call it part of the renovation process.”

I recently came across a fitting remark about music by the renowned English critic Aldous Huxley 1894-1963. It goes like this.

“After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”

Obviously I can only agree.