There was a woman playing the piano while everyone was getting signed in and finding friends and tables, and generally milling around. I believe she was a member of the synagogue sponsoring the luncheon. She was great. After lunch, the entertainment was a barbershop quartet. Anyway, the baritone of the quartet sat down at the piano and started playing duets with the lady. One tune was Elmer's Tune. My! how that took me back. And they were really jiving! I asked her later if they had practiced together, and she said no. I would swear, they were sooooo good together, that they had known each other played together forever. That's talent.
Later, I had a chance to talk with her and complimented her on her playing. She said she was 83 (sure didn't look it!) and had started taking lessons when she was 5. Every bit of music she played today was from memory. No sign of sheet music anywhere. She played music from the 30s, 40s, and some show tunes, and was altogether marvelous!
The quartet's songs brought back so many memories. When they sang Sentimental Journey, I almost cried. I remember at the "Farm" we'd gather around the piano in the evening. I played and sang soprano, Aunt N was alto, Uncle E was baritone, and Arch, the hired man/sharecropper was tenor. We sang all those oldies: Peg O My Heart, My Wild Irish Rose, Sweet Adeline, some hymns--oh, lots of the good old melodic songs.
The music today can't hold a candle to the music of my youth. Noise is what I call it. And Rap! spare me!!! The music I loved was singable and danceable. When we sang, there was a discernable melody and the words were understandable. When we danced we didn't jiggle up and down and gyrate (almost pornographically), we danced. Sometimes cheek-to-cheek. Oh my! I know the parents of my day thought jitterbugging was probably immoral, but it sure was fun! The waltz was glamorous and graceful. The tango was about as sexy as we got.
Oh, yes, and when I lived on the "Farm" we went to town (population 50) to the Grange Hall on Saturday night. Potluck, and how those farm women could cook! Then the fiddlers, a drummer, maybe a trumpet player, a piano player came on and we danced reels, jigs, round dances. Oh, such fun. The boys would slip out for a little "nip" and the girls would giggle and the mothers would frown and the fathers would talk farm business. I always loved dancing with the Grandpas because they knew the steps to all the reels and jigs.
The songs that quartet sang today at the luncheon brought back all those memories. What a wonderful day it was.
Shalom.