Imagine being in a subway station memorizing the number (and perhaps names) of stops to your destination — an opera house let’s say. After you passed through the sliding train doors and entered the portal of the opera house (a couple of doors really), most likely the brain estimated each time that the usefulness, shelf life, of the information has expired, been proven correct each time and slowly diminished its recall ability. It is apparent that a narrative is easier to remember than a shopping list for the untrained memory.
Master memory is cultivated by mnemonic training — the cultivation of a multi-layered and often emotionally connected retrieval structure. Soloists are capable of remembering a tremendous amount of information based on several, mostly inexplicable and un-researched, mnemonic applications. Concert pianists, for example, can perform a 45 minute piece with 30,000 individual notes, that have to be performed in an absolutely particular order, with rhythmical and dynamic variability, passionately creating an emotional and formal narrative, from memory, live on stage.
“As with all things of value, cultivation and constant practice is key.”
And in a piece such as “Rach 3,” they also have to coordinate with a large body of musicians, also from memory. The research on the doorway effect is quite insightful and relevant for the career musician (concert pianists, for example) and the methodical pedagogue, and can be epitomized as such: The stage and the practice room must become the same room.
As with all things of value, cultivation and constant practice is key. In order to keep all that has been achieved behind the practice room door, one should attempt to create a comfortable and familiar environment in the practice room, gain authority and mastery of the music and the instrument and return to the same enjoyable and intimate environment on the stage. Imagine the door out of the practice room is the door onto the stage Matrix style. The concert performance is the tip of an iceberg — always keep that in mind and in sight.
• 1959 ~ The Battle of New Orleans, by Johnny Horton, started week number four. The song was number one for a total of six weeks. It was Horton’s only number one record and million-seller. He had big hits, however, with movie music: Sink theBismarck and North to Alaska (from the film by the same title, starring John Wayne) — both in 1960. Horton, from Tyler, TX, married Billie Jean Jones, Hank Williams’ widow. Tragically, Johnny Horton was killed in a car crash on November 5, 1960.
• 1963 ~ “Little” Stevie Wonder, 13 years old, released Fingertips. It became Wonder’s first number one single on August 10th. Wonder had 46 hits on the pop and R&B music charts between 1963 and 1987. Eight of those hits made it to number one.
• 1964 ~ Barbra Joan Streisand signed a 10-year contract with CBS-TV worth about $200,000 a year. Both CBS and NBC had been bidding for Streisand’s talents.
• 1968 ~ Herb Alpert used his voice and his trumpet to run to the top of the pop music charts. This Guy’s in Love with You became the most popular song in the nation this day. It would rule the top of the pop music world for four weeks. It was the only vocal by Alpert to make the charts, though his solo instrumentals with The Tijuana Brass scored lots of hits. Alpert performed on 19 charted hits through 1987.
• 1968 ~ Here Come Da Judge by The Buena Vistas peaked at #88
• 1972 ~ “Man of La Mancha” opened at Beaumont Theater New York City for 140 performances
• 1973 ~ Jacques Leon Wolfe, Composer, died at the age of 77
• 1973 ~ George Harrison released Living in the Material World
• 1974 ~ Darius Milhaud, French Composer, died at the age of 81 He was best known for the wide variety of styles in which he composed. His ballet La Creation du Monde” uses jazz themes.
More information about Milhaud
• 1976 ~ “Godspell” opened at Broadhurst Theater New York City for 527 performances
• 1979 ~ Little Richard quit rock & roll for religious pursuit
• 1987 ~ Fred Astaire died at the age of 88. He starred in a large number of stage musicals and films, 10 with dancing partner GingerRogers.
