Wednesday, April 7, 2010

ave maria played on a small ebony cello

This is a dream account on finding a beautiful ebony cello that allowed me to magically play the counterpoint portion of Ave Maria.

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This was a long and elaborate dream about rooms, whether or not they were somehow my rooms, an apartment or dwelling that might have been mine. The feeling was generally positive, although now and then it did have some slight anxiety-producing elements to it.

At one point I am looking at some objects I know to be mine. It is as if these items have been in storage and I am now considering whether I should take any of them out to use or display. I spot a smallish cello-like instrument, conventional in its design except for the highly unusual characteristic of being made entirely out of black wood, with all black hardware. As I look at this instrument, several things occur to me almost at once. One, that ebony is what my old clarinet is made out of; two, that the wood reminds me of the painted black pieces of my bedroom set, and; three, that I can decide whether it can be used as a real instrument, or will simply be placed out as a decorative object. Throughout this dream, I clearly hear cello music, the non-melody portion of Ave Maria with its baroque runs and progressions.

Eventually in the dream, I find myself picking up a bow and begin beautifully playing this famous J. S. Bach piece myself, until I notice that the bow isn't made of the usual material, but of fraying clothesline cord.

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