Mozart and Rain

By Chris Link

I love waking to the sound of water, the gentle murmur of rain falling onto the roof above, the whisper of it rolling down the pines, the hollow notes of the gutters, and the staccato plinks of drops falling from the eaves into unknown puddles below. Most days I must jump up to the business of life, but there are those days when I can linger with the softness of my wife and the comforter, listening to one of nature's best songs. On those days the rain's performance has a rapt audience of at least one.

The sounds of nature are often musical to my ears. They are wild and vibrant, riding the fine edge between chaos and organization. My mind tantalizingly searches for the stable patterns of rythmn and changing pitches, all the while exciting at each new, dynamic sound. I close my eyes and listen for the individual 'instruments', identifying each one in turn before letting their merging harmony flow through me.

Conventional music that enthuses me most has this character. I was listening to one of Mozart's Divertimenti o ne night, comparing it to a previous selection by another classical composer. Mozart's themes are so complex as to almost seem chaotic at times. Just when you begin to feel lost, he brings you full circle, landing, providing a place to stand before flying off again to dizzying heights. The previous piece had seemed to be just an endless variety of repetitious explorations of a boring theme.

Mozart took the risk of leaving the known, the posed, the rehearsed. And in doing so he expanded the boundaries, making music larger than it had been. Every musician and composer who thrills me does this. They make the trip beyong the accepted boundaries and bring back something special. It is a real gift that they give us because the experience is the culmination of hours of rehearsal, practice, and learning the known until it becomes second nature. When the technique finally comes without thought, the doors sometimes open to that place. We get to ride along with minimal effort.

The sounds of rain are more chaotic, not the product of conscious effort. And yet the listener can become the composer, tuning the sounds with awareness, delighting at randomness and surprise. These are sounds to satisfy my thirsty soul; Mozart and the rain.

Talkback: Post Reply | View replies (1)