JOY - AND DANCING ON!

"JOY!"

I heard it yesterday morning! The news media who listened, heard it. Did you?

The word "JOY!" ushered out of the mouth of our ebullient, droll, "tell-it-like-it-is in plain-speak language, mid-westerner Democratic Vice Presidential candidate, Tim Walz (love how I tend in error to write his last name as "Waltz" and I've seen others do it, too!). Walz was speaking at a rally two days ago in Detroit, Michigan.

Walz, known to me only from a brief appearance on the news before he was selected as Harris' running mate, gave an amazing answer to the one thing that he cannot forgive the "other guys" for. Aren't you expecting it to be something like the other guys' attacks on "criminal immigrants let loose from insane asylums" or "woke public education"?

But no, something a lot more imaginative and inspirational was expressed:

"With all the things that make me mad about the other guys and all the things they do wrong, the one thing that I will not forgive them for is they're trying to steal the joy from this country. They try and steal the joy. But you know what? You know what? Our next president brings the joy. She emanates joy."

Loud sustained applause erupted. Upon hearing that, immediately I jumped out of my chair and did a happy dance! For the very first time since the run-up and election of No. 45, we might possibly be able to talk openly about and find joy in politics!

Never before have I heard any political candidate use the word "joy." (Don't you find that odd?) And yet here we are: a two-candidate team poised to become our next national executive leadership, designating a major theme of their campaign and coming administration as...joy!

It seems like immediately following (because he must have been listening to Walz), I heard the typical gloom-and-doom scenario of the current Republican team member, Vice President designee JD Vance. A reporter asked why Vance never smiled. His answer reflected the approach of his running mate - yet another insult to the media person questioning him. It is paraphrased here: "Yes, I smile. I smile at ridiculous questions such as yours. Look, we have more important things to talk about." Then he let out a forced, performative imitation of laughter.

It was pitiful ("lamentable, or wretched and paltry" says one dictionary entry).

As in politics, in music, and in life - NO, MR. VANCE, WE DON'T NEED TO TALK ABOUT "MORE IMPORTANT THINGS."

Not one thing is more important than JOY right now in order for my heart and soul to heal from the devastation to my spirit and the reversal of the humanistic trajectory of my entire adult life. Not one thing can beat more joy on a daily basis to restore my hope for this country, which some years ago I decided was repeating the agonizing decline of the Roman empire.

Lack of joy leads to personal and political perversions and war words that tear apart alliances, colleagues, friendships, and families.

Then here comes Harris and Walz, out front determined to bring joy back to the national discourse and turn us around.

I think they were speaking to me.

Since realizing a month ago how devastating the political scene has been to my creative spirit, one daily therapy has been to dance. "Everlasting Arms" by busking musicians from a number of countries is one of my recent favorites.

Dancing was the first thing that I noticed once Harris became the Democratic candidate. On TikTok and YouTube she was shown dancing, and more than just some self-conscious performative movement of her feet and hips. She was laughing in joy and rhythmically moving with others to visibly affirm the importance of joy in our lives.

To be expected from the other side came this, as The New Republic reported a few days ago on July 31: "Donald Trump’s campaign just rolled out a new multimillion-dollar ad campaign that blasts Kamala Harris on immigration. Oddly, it does so in part by mocking her dancing." (italics added)

Not odd at all to target and mock dancing since everyone knows that Darkness does not love us to dance and celebrate life.

To my friends I immediately sent out links to videos of Harris dancing because I found them remarkable. She clearly has a musical soul and her body is connected to her brain; no disjointed robot-like separation there. And clearly no threat to expressions of joy in our national politics during a Harris/Walz Presidency!

Visible connection like that to the joy that inheres in music and dancing is nothing short of connection to heretofore "remote" politicians we may never see in person in our lifetimes. Harris' kind of connection joins one person to another, and connects all of us to an upward lift so critical to life, humanity, and creativity.

I sometimes wonder how and why it is that I select a certain piece of music to learn to play on The Duchess? What grabs my ear and spirit? It never seems to do with how easy or difficult the piece may be technically; I often choose well outside the range of my accomplishments to date after only 2.5 years of lessons! At best I might be "categorized" as an early "intermediate" student, more like a "late beginner" - but I'm on the track of "not yet but I'll get there with persistence and effective practice strategies."

Now I know the answer to why I choose certain pieces to learn.

First, last, and foremost this year I choose to learn to play compositions that bring me joy. Before this year I used to choose a lot of pieces that reflected pathos and wistful or sad tenderness. I was particularly attracted to the gorgeous, and to me incomparable, melodies of Tchaikovsky, and likely over time that will remain true. A musical friend aptly calls me "Irish by way of Russia."

But without one doubt, it is pure joy this spring that brought me to choose to learn "Widmung (arr. Liszt)" composed by Schumann. It starts with three bars of cathedral bells joyfully peeling out and then Part A which I'm studying now, ends as the bells peel again, then fade away into a final sweet arpeggiated run up the keyboard to a final blissful note. (Listen to Korean pianist Ji perform it from the start to 1.57 minutes into the video; his is my favorite performance on YouTube principally because it is a tad bit slower and more tender than other interpretations (although I cannot fathom why he appears to be in agony while performing? I will play it more slowly even if I manage to work it up to Ji's chosen tempo).

Schumann wrote it as part of a suite of songs dedicated to and celebrating his love and marriage to Clara Wieck. To my ear "Widmung" is clearly the very happiest of all happy songs, full of joy and celebration as the main themes.

For the three prior months I have been content to start to learn this piece and be coached on it by Tin Yi Chelsea Wong, one of the amazing pianists on the Groupmuse roster of musicians. Chelsea performed it at our home concert on April 28. Her personability and gorgeous interpretation gave me courage to ask if she would coach me on just that piece. We've met three times so far. By now I'm approaching an adequate presentation of Part A and have it 98% memorized just from the practicing of it. I'm looking forward soon enough to take on the more difficult rhythmical and voicing challenges in Part B.

Initially I told Chelsea it did not matter if it took me one year of coaching and practice to get to a fair presentation of this complex, multi-layered piece. Just after I said that, my composer-pianist friend Bruce told me that at seven years of practicing and playing "Widmung" I will still be finding other nuances and new ways to refine, understand, interpret, and play the piece.

Oddly enough, rather than be discouraged by his comment, it gave me a sense of peace and determination to continue. How that worked is still a bit of a mystery, but I think it gave me more compassion for my sometimes feeble efforts and slow progress forward. There is never a "there" to get to, but like the slow opening of a flower's petals, "Widmung" represents a tight bud that portends more, and then more, and even more to look forward to over time.

After all, music lives forever, and life is only for this day if we are lucky enough to get it, and then get on with it. Why set limits to "accomplishment"? Yes, for urgent chores or work-related projects we often must set goals, but when those two things do not call us, why not leave time tables flexible or even leave them entirely behind? Why struggle at all, but rather let go of serious drive that in my early life nearly always characterized my endeavors, and usually ended up exhausting my body and soul.

Joy expressed in the words of and dances by Harris/Walz goes a long, long way in restoring vitality and hope to my life. Thank you from the bottom of my soul to both of you!

NOW MY FRIENDS -

DANCE ON AND INTO THE OVAL OFFICE!

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