Here Comes Treble: Ugly Is Beautiful?
Why, after playing in a large youth symphony orchestra for many years, did Isabel Bradley turn her back on the chance to become a professional musician? Her poem explains all.
Given the fact that I spent many years in the heart of a large youth symphony orchestra, making music and touring the world with teenagers who shared my passion, many people wonder why I decided not to become a working musician.
Apart from the fact that an orchestral musician’s hours are terribly family-unfriendly, and I wanted to find Mr Right and raise a couple of children, well – this poem explains the rest!
Ugly Is Beautiful?
I boggled and gaped
at the paper in front of me -
At blotches all higgeldy-piggeldy
filling the staves.
"I can't play this -
you've got to be joking!"
"Just try," begged the conductor,
Preparing his baton
for coming contortions -
"When you hear it you'll like it!"
The Strings started yowling
to no form or shape,
The Clarinets wailed,
The Oboeist shrieked.
And inside I withered and cringed.
"Music is organised sound" -
Thus say the experts...
"Ugly is beautiful, didn't you know?"
"Music is beautiful" -
Thus say I...
"Not a chaos of pain in the mind!"
"Ah, but that's music today!"
say the experts...
Let them play it who will.
Give me Beethoven and Brahms,
Or Debussy or Bartok –
The Beatles and Elvis
at least knew a tune
and how to write one!
And so I turned
and walked away.
"They're the professionals,"
I said,
"It's their job -
They have to like it...
I'll stick to Lovely is Beautiful -
Any day!"
Thus, when the manager of the local Symphony Orchestra offered me a permanent position as ‘Third Flute and Piccolo’, I said, “Thank you for the honour – but I’m going to earn my living as a secretary!”
But that – as I’ve said before – is another story altogether…
Until next time, ‘here comes Treble!’
The End
By Isabel Bradley copyright reserved ©