<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">C4</p><div><br></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">When initially given the score</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">for <i>The Rite of Spring, </i>Pierre </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Monteux’s first chair bassoonist</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">told Stravinsky, “This can’t be played.”</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">The maestro replied, “I wrote it,</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">you will play it.”</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Stravinsky had composed </div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">the first eight bars</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">in such a high register</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">to get a raw, earthy sound,</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">and when the musician</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">succeeded in playing it beautifully,</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Stravinsky wished he’d written</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">his solo a minor third higher.</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Perfection isn’t the answer</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">to great art. The first C4 </div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">note is a flower breaking</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">through the earth and </div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">unfurling into spring.</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">The orchestra as a whole</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">is a prelude to the fear of Nature—</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">the whole earth cracking</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">before the arising of beauty. </div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Life does not have to make</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">normal harmonic sense.</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Break out of what binds you—</div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-indent: -36px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Play the impossible note.</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Steve Trenam</div></div></body></html>