Interesting Audience Members

Several times this summer I've had the opportunity to play the harp at a wedding castle. It's not really a castle, but a huge, stately house out in the country with a sprawling lawn in front. They offer complete wedding packages to meet every detail of a wedding. Pretty amazing and probably pretty pricey. They have these guys with little ear-piece radios running the show as smoothly as clockwork. Valets buzz around parking cars and doing whatever needs to be done. The castle staff tries to meet all the fairytale wishes of the brides, including rides in a flower bedecked, horsedrawn carriage! Sometimes I wonder if grooms feel a little out of place in all the schmaltz!

Anyway, they often have a harpist play for the weddings. I've become a substitute for the usual harpist. The last three or four weddings have been outside. Remember the story of the staring teenager? Well, that's where it happened. I haven't had any more staring adolescents, but I've had a few other interesting incidents. At Friday afternoon's wedding a sweet little Asian lady came up and watched me while I played prelude. She was actually watching the music more, noticing how much it resembled piano music. When she recognized Satie's Gymnopedie No. 1, she started singing along with the melody! Fortunately, I don't think the guests could hear her. I think it was that same wedding when a large dog who lived on the property came and paid me a visit. I don't think he was supposed to be out, but I greeted him with appropriate doggy language and a pat on the back. He walked away and then gravitated back to me (animals do that for some reason). As he sniffed my harp I had a sudden, horrifying vision of him lifting his leg on this strange, decorative tree! I hastily lured him away from the harp and he contentedly flopped beside me, rolling over in expectancy of a tummy rub. I was supposed to be playing, so I returned to my duties while he sat by me on guard. A few guests kind of looked at us strangely as they walked by and I hastily explained that we weren't together. He was called away soon, but I didn't mind his company too much (as long as his leg stayed down).

Then at Saturday evening's wedding, a young girl came up and watched me, talking to me a few times about how beautiful the harp looked and sounded. She reminded me a lot of myself at a young age. I would gravitate toward musical instruments and sit enthralled by the wonders of music. I'd also spend hours listening to classical music, imagining stories in my mind or dancing to it. I couldn't wait to start learning piano, and then later when I caught the "harp bug," I lighted up at the mere mention of the harp. So now I consider it a privilege to foster musical interest in children, even if it's during a wedding prelude! Who knows -- maybe one of them will end up being the next Yo-Yo Ma or Kathleen Battle!