The Kilcathclyde Tales
Mary’s Tale
Once upon a time a string quintet was rehearsing for a performance. They had been together for a very long time. They worked very hard. They sounded very good. The music was glorious, expressive, moving.
Over the course of the rehearsal the cellist decided that she was unhappy with some music that had been chosen for the group by the first violinist, the founder and leader of the group. And so, after the break, she decided what she would do.
When the group began to play, the sound was horrendous, as the cellist played a different piece altogether. The first violinist stopped the rehearsal and made sure the cellist knew what piece they were all playing. The cellist nodded but when the violinist returned to her seat, the same thing happened. A second time, the first violinist stopped the rehearsal to make sure the cellist had the correct piece. When the same thing occurred for a third time, the first violinist rose from her seat and scolded the cellist.
But as the leader returned to her seat, a dark look came over the cellist who smiled nefariously and whispered something to the violist, who was to her right. They both looked in the direction of the first violinist with wicked grins on their faces and then nodded. When the rehearsal recommenced, the violist and cellist now played the same tune while the other three played what was asked of them.
The leader rose again, flustered. She approached both musicians and scolded each, severely. At this, the cellist turned to the double bass player on her left and whispered in her ear. Now, violist, cellist, and bassist grinned maliciously and when the rehearsal started again, all three played the same piece but different from the others.
The first violinist went into conversation with the second violinist who through her gestures made it clear that she had no idea what was going on while the first scratched her head in puzzlement. Meanwhile, the cellist turned to her followers and suggested the next piece they would play. But the violist shook her head and suggested a different one. The cellist rebuked her and pointed to the piece she had chosen but the violist smiled at her darkly.
When the rehearsal began again the first two violinists played the same piece, the cellist and bassist played the same piece but different from the first two musicians and the violist played a third piece of her own choosing. The noise was ugly.
Now the leader rebuked the violist, cellist, and bassist, who in turn rebuked the violist, too. Then the cellist suggested a different piece to the bassist, who disagreed with her, profusely. When the players began again, four different pieces were heard as a dissonant and clashing cacophony, highly offensive to any and all who might have been listening.
Having reached the end of her tether, the first violinist rose from her chair, furious in her disappointment at the group’s strange behavior. She then dismissed the violist, cellist, and bassist. The three stormed out in colossal outrage. The leader went into the wings and returned with three new players. They all shook hands. She signified that they were one and then gave the title of the piece they were to rehearse. They all nodded and began to play. The sound was glorious once more.
Presently, the three dismissed string players returned – looking dejected because they were no longer part of the group. They missed being part of it. The leader rose and consulted with the cellist who indicated that all three wanted to return. The first violinist begged her to wait and then turned to the group. They all nodded that the three former members should be in the group, too.
Then, the leader returned and shook the hands of the three restored members, who were delighted as she motioned for them to acquire seats and take their places. Once all were in place, the first violinist made a large circular gesture and then held up a single finger. They all smiled and nodded, turned to the piece requested and began to play.
The sound was more magnificent than ever, more glorious, stronger, and even more expressive because the group had grown. Everyone came to their performances to hear the now string octet’s incredible sonority.
The moral is: unity is harmony, harmony is unity.
©2011 Steven Gorman. All rights reserved.
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