Sunday 7 October 2012

Her Precious





For about a year, she's been in love with 4 strings. Personally, I blame Janosch. I can't be sure though what initiated her infatuation. As any parent of a 4 year old would have thought, we were sure it was a fleeting idea. Just that it stayed, and grew stronger by the month. Her wish so important that for her, it was meant to be a Santa wish. When she finally got a chance to hold a violin and a bow, she touched it with a seriousness and serenity on her face that blew me away. She listened intently to the violinist explaining how to make it sing and then just did it. I'm still pretty much in awe as she got more music out of it than me.

So we entered the quaint and wonderous world of the Glasgow Violin Shop. Out came a girl with such excitement and pride that it made my heart jump. Her precious is kept hidden from little toddler hands and it is brought out with gentleness a few times a day. Her most prized possession is announced to everyone, carried around and she'll even pose for a photo with it (posing for a photo? Unheard of these days). Nobody is allowed to touch it because she is "the boss of the violin". As soon as she holds it in her hands, her face is pure seriousness.

Admittedly, I'm a little bit massively jealous.

3 comments:

Annicles said...

I so understand her. I wished and yarned for a violin and had to wait until I was seven. I played the piano in the meantime but it wasn't the same. I got my hands on my violin and, just as your daughter did, made it sing. I remember it so clearly. It was as if I was able to sing myself for the first time. I ended up doing a music degree and post-grad performance course and still, 30 years later, I turn to my violin every day for something that I cannot get anywhere else. Something that I cannot put into words. I only know that my soul soars, even just playing scales!!!

cartside said...

Just what I needed to hear! When I was about her age, it was all about the flute. My parents signed me up for recorder classes and if I showed any talent, I could have moved on to learning the flute. It never happened because a)I never liked playing the recorder and b)the teacher didn't like me/didn't think I had any talent (which was probably true but it wasn't about talent but about wanting to play an instrument). So my view was always that if my kids really and truly want something, we'll go for the real thing. Plus, the violin? could there be a better instrument?

sustainablemum said...

I started playing the violin at the same age. I learnt to read music before the written word. I still play occassionally now but not as much as I would like. I hope it gives her joy for many years to come.

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