The word symphony has its origins in the words "agreement" and "concord."
It also holds the idea of combining elements and colors in harmony.
When composers write symphonies, they take into account the characteristics of each instrument's voice and how each voice sounds in harmony with others.
After just three months here, I played in my first orchestra concert in the Berlin Philharmonic. This is something that I would never have been able to do on my own. Even if I were the most virtuosic clarinetist in the world, there is little chance that I would have played an entire concert without the aid of anyone else.
It also holds the idea of combining elements and colors in harmony.
When composers write symphonies, they take into account the characteristics of each instrument's voice and how each voice sounds in harmony with others.
After just three months here, I played in my first orchestra concert in the Berlin Philharmonic. This is something that I would never have been able to do on my own. Even if I were the most virtuosic clarinetist in the world, there is little chance that I would have played an entire concert without the aid of anyone else.
Did I have an individual part to play? Most certainly.
But my lines don't amount to much without being in concert with all the other lines written in the score.
My part was not written in isolation. It was written to be a part of something greater. It was created for both unity and harmony.
A skilled composer knows how to write stunning, intricate harmonies. A skilled conductor takes what a great composer has written and brings it to life, realizing the intended interplay, silently marking beats with his baton and expressions with his hand, cuing and holding the players together.
But my lines don't amount to much without being in concert with all the other lines written in the score.
My part was not written in isolation. It was written to be a part of something greater. It was created for both unity and harmony.
A skilled composer knows how to write stunning, intricate harmonies. A skilled conductor takes what a great composer has written and brings it to life, realizing the intended interplay, silently marking beats with his baton and expressions with his hand, cuing and holding the players together.
It is hard to listen to a symphony and not be convinced that we are interdependent. What one musician does or doesn't play affects the other musicians. A few missed notes can bring down an entire performance. A beautiful solo is not nearly as captivating without the support and warmth of the sustained lines underneath.
We must take responsibility for our individual part. We must also maintain a constant awareness of the music around us. We must listen to the interplay. We must be willing to adjust and yield, assuring the melody can still be heard, staying in tune, especially in moments of unison. We must watch the conductor and feel the rhythm internally.
It is beautifully complicated. But it is worth it.
When we create something together that we could never create alone, something in us changes. We realize we each have a voice, and we need and even want to hear our voices interact, to be woven together. We listen to each other and create harmony.
And once we have experienced this beauty, there is no going back. We are forever connected, forever a part of something larger.
We must take responsibility for our individual part. We must also maintain a constant awareness of the music around us. We must listen to the interplay. We must be willing to adjust and yield, assuring the melody can still be heard, staying in tune, especially in moments of unison. We must watch the conductor and feel the rhythm internally.
It is beautifully complicated. But it is worth it.
When we create something together that we could never create alone, something in us changes. We realize we each have a voice, and we need and even want to hear our voices interact, to be woven together. We listen to each other and create harmony.
And once we have experienced this beauty, there is no going back. We are forever connected, forever a part of something larger.
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