1-2-3

My first exposure to a waltz was in the animated Disney movie "Sleeping Beauty."  My mother explained to me that in a waltz you counted to 3 over and over again.

I know you.  I

walked with you 

once upon a dream.

I may have been 6 or 7 when my mother, my sister, and I performed this waltz as a trio at a recital given by students of The Conservatory of Central Illinois: my mother on piano, my sister on flute, and me on the snare drum and high-hat symbol.  Sounds crazy, but my mother had bought me fan brushes for the occasion  and I had been taught how to sweep them over the drum head to create a beat out of swishing sounds.  I thought those fan brushes were pretty cool.

I've got this song in my head: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgCukvmi_4g

A waltz in a minor key: sad and mournful.  I know it's obvious that a song titled "the Sad Waltz" would make someone feel this way, but the more I think about it, the more appropriate it seems.

In high school when I first saw my band director conduct a 3/4 time piece as a single beat and in struck me how a waltz is a truly a repetition.  Yes, in 4/4, 4 leads back to 1, but there are 2 down beats.  In a waltz, 2 and 3 just lead back to 1 and that's it.  One of the most depressing parts of life is when you are in stuck in a rut: the lack of change leads to a depressed feeling and it seems like nothing will break you out of it.  1 causes 2 - 3, but then there's nowhere to go but back to 1.

There can be safety and familiarity in repetition.  A calmness.  I suppose it's best though if the safety and familiarity is leading to to something new.  In life you've got to hope there's a movement with the words "allegrissimo con brio" just up ahead.