The breath of community

Over the last five years I have had a lot of dreams including these themes of the cello just out of reach, forgotten or separated. This image I found just so strongly epitomizes the essence of those dreams even to the subterranean elements.

Leaving my old home town for another city on another continent, I left a very specific community which helped me understand togetherness or community in a distinctly esoteric manner. There are eight of us in this group, 4 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos, but we aren't an orchestra. This is Schubert's octet where each has their own part to put into the ensemble. No single part is more nor less important than another and this so true that everyone knows when one player is not playing their part either sufficiently fully or excessively. The effect may be that the harmony and balance may be wrong and perhaps even the whole function and meaning of the piece is lost. In fact playing the piece of music (I am not talking of rehearsal here) becomes unsatisfying. Joy and pleasure are lost. I spent over 20 years playing string quartets but it was the quintets and larger that gave me greater pleasure. A chance to play Schubert's octet was always a high point in my year.

The late John Denver aired in a PBS special tonight said Bands are like breathing together. Over the years my music coaches have told us that we should endeavor to breathe together in order to play effectively together. Breath/wind and spirit are overlapping concepts in Biblical language and spirituality. One of the great problems of the 21st century is a lostness and feelings of isolation and loneliness. Yet there are tensions in our identities how to maintain our individuality, what makes us unique and also our collectivity in what we need to feel we belong. If we could learn to breath together, in order to play together in the one purpose, so to create good and enjoyable experiences for those participating then perhaps we are beginning to learn what true community is about.