Duo - June 27 2025

 

Duo

June 27 2025

It’s true, I am high strung.

Like a violin’s upper string,

stretched

until I ping

when lightly plucked,

my thin treble note

a little shrill and piercing.

But tighten too much

and I might snap.

Or would "neurotic" be better,

its detached clinical tone

and aura of science

sound less strident

to sensitive ears?

Or you might say touchy, temperamental

tuned too tight.

Which, despite the overtone of weakness

beats callous and unfeeling.

I come by it honestly.

I’d say my mother was neurotic;

but then

she’s not here to defend herself

if defensiveness is needed.

My father was much sturdier;

a bassoon’s deep woody tone

to her high-pitched violin.

Or maybe a brass, like B-flat tuba.

A good match

if you believe in opposites;

two instruments

that complement each other.

I have yet to find mine.

Although with age

I’ve become less violin

and more viola;

more robust

with a lower, more soothing tone.

I can only hope for cello.

Yo Yo Ma

playing Bach

unaccompanied.

I’m thinking, of course, of Bach’s Cello Suite No 1 in G Major. A well-loved piece, beautifully played.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1prweT95Mo0&authuser=0