The Messiah

Tom read an email that my Mom wrote. He introduced it as follows:

This is an e-mail from Carol sent early Christmas morning 2004. She wrote her family and friends many daily e-mails about her encounters. There are 100s and 100s of them. They capture her energetic and enthusiastic engagement with life. I call this one "cracked me up" because it cracked us all up and that's what Carol would say. It captures the humor and joy Carol and Lowell shared , their shared musical life, and how she could elicit and tell a story.

And then read the email:

The Messiah's on again. I know Lowell doesn't like to play trumpet in it because it's soooo long and there's sooo much waiting involved for the trumpet, so I asked him if he likes to listen to it when he doesn't have to play it. He said Once in a blue moon. I said I can take it as many times as they throw it at me. He said he thinks of how the trumpet player is sitting there depressed, knowing he's going to have to play a solo after a long time of silence, not warmed up, and everyone will say Oh look there's a trumpet player in it I wonder how he plays, and he's supposed to play like a genius and by the time the solo comes he will have forgotten how to play. And his butt is getting sore and he's trying to occupy his mind, by planning his retirement or whatever. I said How does it work out after that long time of silence, playing the solo - does it work out ok? He said Not for everybody. Some people leave the business. I said really? And he said Yeah, it's the kind of situation that can push a person over the edge. But I, not having gone through all that like he has, can go on enjoying it ad infinitum. He said sometimes you can talk the conductor into letting the trumpets be offstage, telling them it's more dramatic etc. That makes it easier.

Love, Mom