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The war had been over for a few years already yet many remembered a visit to Paris and the following song helped them bring back memories, hopefully, all good ones. Edith Piaf was the darling of Paris then and when she sang that song, there wasn't a dry eye in the house! Won't you join her?
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One of my most cherished memory from those concerts in the park involves our parish choir. Every Montreal's parish in those days had a large choir, composed of dozens of men, women and children. One night, our 80 member St-Marc parish choir joined the 35-piece band in several numbers. The one I remember the most vividly was that fabulous waltz from Strauus... the Blue Danube and, to this day, whenever I hear The Blue Danube, I close my eyes and return to that fantastic night, so many years ago... when 80 voices, forty of which were children's voices floated over the entire area. It went something like this.... (minus those voices which, unfortunately, can only be heard in one's subconscient).
When was the last time you took pen and paper and wrote a note, a letter to a friend? Not a typewritten or e-mailed note but a bona-fide 'hand' written letter? Want to recreate a long-lost experience? What better than to do so while listening to the following number, playing lightly in the background. Try it and you just might want to do so more often... it's habit forming. Don't know just who to write to? No problem; just send 'me' a note describing how nice it feels to once again 'personally' send someone's a letter, one of those gratifying, daily habit we, in the go=go generation seem to have lost so many years ago. The address is John Sauvageau P.O. Box 190 Crofton B.C. Canada V0R 1R0 You write, I reply (promise).
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Granted, the following song did not exist in the forties but we are in cyberspace where all's possible. I'm certain the folks would have liked to sing along with.... On Your Shore.......
The following I believe is one of the nicest songs ever written.... 'I have a dream'. Try singing along....
The music we heard in those days was the music as intended by the band director. There were no 1000 Watt boom boxes throwing the distorted sound to all venues.... Even the singers had to rely on their built-in boom boxes. Which explains why the real music lovers were closely congragated around the bandstand.
Some nights, it was quite windy and the musicians would go chasing their music score all over the stand, and beyond. But there was always a pianoman who would launch into a medley of songs, just to keep the people in the mood... Numbers like these....
Granted... in those days, one would not perform 'Ave Maria' in public. But this one was too good to pass. Thanks to cyberspace magic we can now enjoy Schubert's Ave Maria.
Violin lovers felt the following number, Mendelslsohn's violin concerto No 1 was too short. Violin haters, on the other hand, were gratified to discover it lasted only 55 seconds. Go figure!
Mendelslsohn's Violin concerto No 1
A sweetener...
At one point during the concert the band would launch into a medley of assorted numbers. One never knew for sure what they'd come out with: it could be classical, jazz, bluegrass... one never knew. One thing we knew for sure... there was something for every taste. It went something like this:
Un Canadien Errant
Your Cheating Heart
When the Saints go marching in
The Derry Hornpipe
Sequenced by Barry Taylor
There was a girl back then.... could she sing!. When she sang `I left my heart in San Francisco', all eligible bachelors were ready to move to the city of angels, just in case they could help her find it there! Ah, sweet innocence.
When we heard the first notes of that number, we realized all good things must come to an end. It was an 'Au Revoir'..... till next week!
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BMG: Composers' Index.
Barry Taylor's Homepage.
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Next Concert
or better still...
That's it Folks !!! See you at the next Concert in the Park
