Last night at rehearsal we had our soloists come along and rehearse a new piece with us. They have a duet to the words of DH Lawrence's Piano. The music and the words are stunning and by the end I was fighting back a flood of tears (note: it's the movement preceding Arise My Love - see Sunday, February 5, 2006's post for my thoughts about that one). Anyways, something about it made me feel rather homesick (not quite sure what though, because although we have a large black piano, winter and my mother does have rather little feet, our family sing-songs usually involved my dad and the guitar instead of my mom and the piano...). At any rate...just wanted to share the words with you (and if this gives you the incentive to come to the concert - I think we may be sold out - sorry!)
Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;
Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see
A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings
And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.
In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song
Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong
To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside
And hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide.
So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour
With the great black piano appassionato.
The glamour of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast
Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past.
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