Multiple media and synchronicity (or just co-incidence!)

I have never considered myself much of a fan of classical or symphonic music but there have been any number of connections to it, whether I recognised it or appreciated them. I have a cousin who plays French horn (which, I’m told, may be the hardest instrument to master) and has worked, full time, his entire life as a professional symphonic musician (he currently plays for the Sydney Philharmonic and Sydney Ballet Company, I think). My mum and an aunty used to take me to the Proms at the Entertainment Centre (RIP) every year in my youth, which I enjoyed, perhaps more than I told them. (BTW – I really miss the Proms; they disappeared while I was living in Brisbane and it made me quite sad when I realised they were gone.) I listened to a fair amount when I was a kid but mainly because the only records ( for the youngsters out there ‘records’ were an oil-refinery by-product once used for recording audio. Think of oversized, black, CD’s) my parents owned were classical or movie soundtracks like Oliver, Jesus Christ Superstar and West Side Story.  

As I age, however, I’ve noticed that I more often enjoy the musicality of symphonic music as a variety to my usual punk, techno, alternative or Floyd. I still hate opera but I’m learning to appreciate classical and symphonic music enough that ABC classics is one of the pre-sets on my car stereo. It’s probably worth mentioning that I loathe listening to adverts and idiots on the radio; if the music stops I’ll change channels, except if it’s for the news.

I work with staff who’s musical taste covers just about everything and a few of them are mighty talented: one passed all her piano exams right up to the point where she would have been permitted to teach but then gave it up when she had kids and moved up north; another one is a violinist with one of Perth’s local symphony orchestra’s, though she insists she is still an amateur.

One advantage of being surrounded by peers who all have different musical taste is that discussions about music can range far and wide. Last Friday, for example, I was discussing music with some of the other staff and the discussion turned to 80’s and 90’s music. One of the staff, let’s call her Smurfette, mentioned what a fan she was of ‘Depeche Mode’ and we had a bit of chat about the band and her memories of their music. I played one of their tunes called ‘Condemnation’ and told her that it reminded me of the song I had used for my wedding. I don’t know why – the lyrics, tune, melody and rhythm were all different but, for some reason it reminded me of ‘Gorecki’ by a band called Lamb, a powerful and romantic song that so moved my fiancée the first time she heard it that she instantly agreed we would use that as our wedding song, instead of Vast’s ‘Touched’, which had been her preference for years.

Smurfette said she had never heard it or, at least, couldn’t recall it and, as we can’t play YouTube or other music clips here at work I told here I would bring it to work next time she was working here.

On Friday night I was driving home from an excellent dinner with friends at Mahsuri Thai and, as moronic DJ’s and inane advertising would have it, I switched the car stereo to ABC Classics. Now there was someone talking but he wasn’t loud, nor abrasive, nor irritating and, to tell the whole truth, my wife and I were discussing plans for the rest of the weekend, so I was only giving the radio 10% of my attention, because 90% was fully focussed on everything my wife was saying J

Anyway, the ABC DJ was talking about a 20^th century composer who, in terms of his reputation, fell on quite hard times in the 70’s due to a change in his style and it was many years before the impending piece was recognised as an extremely significant work in the minimalist milieu. The work in three movements was about motherhood and the pain of separation through war. Called Symphony number 3 officially it is better known as the ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’ by Henryk Gorecki.  The music started and I was immediately struck by the sparse power of the melody and was thoroughly enjoying it in a very short time. My enjoyment was interrupted, temporarily, by us stopping for petrol. We were gone for some time and when we returned to the car I found that the tenor had started singing and I changed the station, not with any disdain, simply because I don’t like opera.

Today, I was talking to the staff member who plays violin, let’s call her Talented, about music and I mentioned that I had heard this piece by a 20^th century composer who’s name I couldn’t recall, but I really enjoyed at least the start of this work. While we were trying to work out who I was talking about I mentioned that the piece was included laments by mothers bemoaning the loss of their sons during wartime. Talented was sure she could work out what it was and she went off to ask Uncle Google.

Talented very quickly got back to me and told me the name(s) of the piece and the composer: Gorecki.

I replied that there is some irony there because Gorecki had written a piece called a ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’ and I had used a piece called Gorecki as the primary tune during my wedding – “I hope that wasn’t my wife's lament, hahaha” I said.

Talented noted that she, too, had never heard of ‘Gorecki’ by Lamb and I replied “Well, I have it here, I bought it in for Smurfette to listen to” and started rummaging in my bag.

After a while Talented wandered off, tired of waiting for me to find this mysterious tune.

Meanwhile, I was going crazy. I have, normally, three USB drives in my drawer and 6 more USB drives in my bag. I checked each one for this tune, remonstrated with myself and then checked again, and then again. I knew I had bought ‘Gorecki’ into work, I remembered putting it my bag and mentally ticking the task off. It was very frustrating. Eventually I decided there was a chance that one of my USB’s might have been accidentally put in the wrong pocket in my bag and I started to dig through the accumulated detritus. Then I noticed the CD….

“Ah ha!” I cried, pulling the CD out and waving it in the air like a trophy.

I called Talented over, plugged in some headphones and played her track 4 on the album.

I left her to have a listen and she found on note on the album liner that I had never seen, in which the writer explained that ‘Gorecki’ the tune had been written to honour Gorecki the composer after hearing his 3^rd symphony for the first time.

So does all that count as synchronicity or is it all just coincidence?

But that wasn’t my only question…..

I had significant difficulty locating a piece of music I knew was in my possession. Why had it taken so much effort to find?

Because I knew I had planned to play a tune on my work PC my brain had gone straight to “Which USB stick did I send that file to?” and I had spent fruitless minutes checking and rechecking one form of media.

Once I actually started looking for alternatives I finally noticed that CD I had been shoving out of the way.

Now I don’t bring an MP3 player to work, so I knew the file had to be on a PC-compatible media but I find it fascinating that I couldn’t let go of the idea that it was on a USB drive. Even as little as 3 years ago I think I would have looked for a CD first but now it’s all about the portable flash drives.

I played a video for friends this weekend and, once again, the first place I looked for the file was a USB drive. Admittedly I own rather more USB drives than most people but the reality is that USB drives and iPods (or non-fruit equivalents) have usurped CD and DVD as a storage medium in a quiet but pervasive manner. One has to ask if we should bother with the whole BluRay thing at all – maybe  we should just start waiting for movies to be released on USB drives instead.

I’m not sure I quite realised how much I depended on USB drives instead of discs before today.