Not much time...

...But a superly cool thing happened today!! I signed up to usher for the Santiago Rodriguez piano recital this afternoon, and since I ushered I got to go into an after-party for free!!! Not only did I get to have some free wine (while hanging out with my professors - how weird!?!?! I am so old, haha), BUT I met Santiago Rodriguez and we chatted and he signed my program and he was like..."if you're ever in Miami, give me a call!!!!"

neato!!!!!!!!!!!

He played beautifully, and during one of the explanations of the works he was performing, he made a comment about how Rachmaninoff's performances could never be repeated because they were from "a certain time and century, and played by a certain heart." I thought that was incredibly insightful...you always think about a performer's style and tendencies, and even the emotions they might portray...but not necessarily their HEART in the piece. Maybe ya do. I never thought about it in THAT light before, but I thought there was something magical about it, in a way. Probably because he's right - you can try all you want to recreate a performer's sound, but you'll never have the same heart behind the music.

I thought a lot about what I'd written yesterday - my praises of literature. And I realized that I completely overlooked the other arts - music, actual art art, etc...I talked about the wisdom and depth in the pages of novels, but what about the wisdom captured in lyrics during the short span of a song? Or the emotion portrayed so completely through music? And of course the emotions in a painting or sculpture or sketch?

That's what really separates us into us. Computers can do math problems or create things based on patterns...but they can't create based on heart.

Listening to great musicians do what they do...I must wonder - do we all have those capabilities inside us? Of course I'd like to think we do...but it seems impossible at times. Could I possibly hope to tap into just an ounce of Dave Matthew's ability to write lyrics?? Or Chopin's musical depth? Must we be born with such talent? Or can we find it along the way...