There’s an orchestra out there that’s been playing the same song for nearly 160 years, some say even longer. The song? It’s a live interpretation of George Gershwin’s I’ve Got Rhythm – Variations on a Theme, so even though it changes over time, the same motif still comes through! The conductor died long ago, the sheet music was misplaced, but every player grandfathered in a replacement or two. They learned the song by ear and they kept playing. They’ve added their own crescendos and harmonies. They’ve tried interpretations that reference Alkan’s dissonance, Lachenman’s musique concrète instrumentale. Even whole sections of instruments come and go, leaving and rejoining the orchestra as decades pass. Sometimes there’s a choir, other times a brass band.
I wanted to ask them to change their song; that’s against the rules. There was no conductor, no sheet music. Even if I managed to get a few players to stop, the rest would call them traitors. They told me they’d play the same song through anything.
I found myself mocking them. “Da-na na na…” when I saw someone getting arrested. “Da na na-na.” when I got rear-ended. When my dog rolled over, and when I saw an ad that made me cringe. Eventually I yawned dananana and sneezed it too, but my parody underestimated their dedication. They played “Da na na na da-da-da na na-na-na naa!” when I couldn’t even think to open my mouth.
I never really expected them to stop, but I never stopped wishing they would. Here’s to the orchestra. They’ve surpassed all my expectations.
Bravissimo!
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