Happy Birthday to P.D.Q. Bach who was born on this day in 1742. He was the 21st of J.S. Bach's 20 children. Like his illustrious father, PDQ died at the age of 65. I had hoped to make an in-house recording of his "O.K. Chorale" from the “Toot” Suite for calliope, four hands, S. 212. Short one calliope, (always an unfair disadvantage!), I momentarily thought about attempting his Art of the Ground Round for three baritones and discontinuo, S. 1.19/lb ~ which, of course, doesn't require a calliope ~ but what self-respecting vegan would make such a choice? I certainly considered a rendition I've been working up of PDQ's wonderfully woody Lip my Reeds (Prelude and Fugue for Four Bassoons), but it reminded me a tad too much of Bush the Elder. That realization, though, pointed me to the obvious choice: a few moments of silence and a bit of lull. Happy April 1st!



Twenty-nine years ago, I was working at l'Arche in Trosly-Breuil, (about 90 km north of Paris), a community founded by Jean Vanier and Père Thomas Philippe. There in France, I discovered that, instead of April Fool's Day, they celebrated Poisson d'avril (April Fish!) by coloring paper fish and attempting to unobtrusively affixe them with Scotch tape to the backs of unsuspecting "victims," who walk about the village modeling these fine fish ~ and wondering why people were snickering. I had become friendly with an elderly Catholic bishop who had chosen to hang his mitre at l'Arche and retire in the village. Some people in the community may have felt I wasn't appropriately respectful. After all, I shook his hand rather than kissing his ring, I never used the formal vous form (which I hadn't learned, yet) and I sometimes even touched his arm when we were talking. He was a really lovely guy and because he was so newly arrived, I was no longer the new kid on the block. I made him a special fish, hoping it would make him feel more a part of the l'Arche community in Trosly. The bishop's fish said: "archevêque" (archbishop). I was really shooting for "l'Evêque de l'Arche" (the Bishop of l'Arche...oops!). When I slapped it on his back, my l'Arche friends were properly scandalized, but the bishop thought it hilarious.

Those were gentle, beautiful days. It was there that I first met my dear friend, Armel. Jean-Baptiste taught me the subtleties of le jeu de boules, I joined the local choir, walked for hours in the forests along the Oise River and explored the little town of Creil, the city of Compiègne (where Joan of Arc had been imprisonned), and Senlis (where the 1966 classic King of Hearts, starring Alan Bates as Private Charles Plumpick was filmed). I also played piano in a trio with a flutist and an oboist. Where does the time go? It all passes pretty darn quick(ly)! Like P.D.Q. Bach, though, I am more alive today than ever before, even if I'm still coughing up my lungs! Well, Geoff suggests pineapple juice for peak pulmonary performance. So, I'm off on a quest for some jus d'ananas.

Tags: pdq bach
Current Mood: sore in a pulmonary sorta way
Current Music: Matt Maher