Greetings, my fellow port swillers!
Sitting out on the Port Swiller Manor porch as dusk fell at the end of a lovely day last evening, Ol’ Robbo got an unexpected little treat: The high school senior next door decided to come out on his back porch to practice his viola. I say practice, but it was really more of a rehearsal, as instead of scales and arpeggios, and the like, he went right the way through a piece, into which he’d evidently put in considerable prior work. Given the time of year, I supposed his school’s spring concert is coming up very shortly.
Although I didn’t recognize the piece, it was evident to me that it was not a solo, nor was it likely symphonic. Based on the way it seemed to mark time between bouts of intense engagement, I surmised it was probably some sort of chamber piece. It was obviously from the later Romantic Era, and from some of the figures and cadences, Ol’ Robbo would have been willing to put a fiver on Dvorak as the likely composer. (I didn’t yell across to enquire, as I did not wish to discombobulate the boy. I mean to ask his mother the next time I run into her on the sidewalk.)
The kid was quite good – a bright, confident tone, pretty solid mastery of the more pyrotechnical passages, snappy correction when he began here and there to drift off the note. As I say, you could tell he’d put a lot of work into his performance. Interesting that he chose the viola, as it’s not exactly a high-profile instrument. Mozart was a great champion of it, though, appreciating all the nifty interior parts that it typically covers, and I can certainly see that myself. That said, I believe there’s a whole broad category of musick-nerd jokes devoted specifically to viola players.
All in all, Ol’ Robbo felt great contentment staring out into the gloaming, a glass of wine at his side, and the mellow notes of the viola floating across the way. Much better than the kid who lives farther over in the neighborhood and plays the trumpet. I’ve walked past his house now and again when he was practicing and he (I assume “he” but what do I know?) seems a typical marching band hack. God help his parents and siblings (and neighbors)!
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