Mary Baldwin College - Bluestocking Yearbook (Staunton, VA)

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26 The Annual of At a certain turn, all cease to move. A cavalier advances, and, bending low to the lady leading, begs her to accept him as a partner. She accepts, and each man in succession craves the honor of the lady at his rear. Naturally every leadef tries to plan lovelier figures than the former, and his rivalry greatly enhances the beauty of the polonaise. Chopin ' s Berceuse is one of the most beautiful in existence. The mother sits by the cradle in which the hope of her life lies sleeping. She sings a soft lullaby. Her thoughts meanwhile have flown to the future. She dreams of her darling ' s career. All happiness should be his, were she able to bestow it, but, alas, she knows life too well to deem this possible. She knows of the sorrows, of the temptations that will come to him, but fer- vently prays that he may be noble and strong enough to with- stand them. Another of my favorite compositions is a ballad by Perry, entitled, The Lost Island. The scene of the story is one of the most beautiful islands in the Gulf of Mexico. Rare flow- ers, noble trees, and birds of great beauty adorned it. The southern sun shone its warmest and brightest there. Exquis- ite hotels lined its shore, and people from every country throng- ed them. The music begins with a wild rush of sound, in which one hears the great breakers, as they fiercely lash the shore, and the wild sobbing and sighing. There is a lull in the storm and we catch the sound of a waltz of ravishing sweet- ness. Determined to forget the wild night, and their immedi- ate danger, the guests had planned a ball. The contrast is great. Without, is utter darkness, and the howling of the winds and waves ; within, the lights burn brightly, lovely women to whose beauty elegant dress has added a double charm, and chivalrous men were all dancing. To the superficial observer, all is happiness. The smile, however, is forced, the laugh has a hollow ring, the eye is dark with terror; in vain, they try to forget and be merry. A ship is moored The captain as he hears the music exclaims, What, dancing ? If the wind conies round to the South-east, I fear they will dance to another tune. The wind does turn to the South-east. The hotels and every

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The Mary Baldwin Srniinary. 25 ashes. Others, that it is intended to represent the wanderings of spirits npon this earth. Irving has Ijeautifully expressed this belief in souls revisiting the earth after death. What could be more consoling than the idea, that the souls of those whom we once loved were permitted to return and watch over our welfare ? That afifectionate and guardian spirits sat by our pillows when we slept, keeping a vigil over our most helpless hours. Tliat beauty and innocence which had languished into the tomb, yet smiled unseen around us, dreams wherein we we live over again the hours of past endearment ? A deep spirit of patriotism breathes in most of Chopin ' s music. His love for his country was the absorbing, passionate hope of his life. When Warsaw was taken by the Russians, he wrote his great Revolution Etude, so noble in its con- tent. Liszt in speaking of his polonaises says: ' ' We can al- most catch the firm tread way the more than firm, the heavy, resolute tread of men bravely facing all the bitter injustice which the most cruel and relentless destiny can offer, with the manly pride of unflinching courage. The polonaise is characteristic of Poland. We see vividly pictured before us a grand military dance. Perhaps, it is the eve of a battle, when all hearts beat high with hope, or, per- haps, it is the celebration of a great victory. The men are in t heir brilliant uniforms, the silver trimming of which reflect the myriad lights of the ball room. The women of Poland are acknowledged the most beautiful and fascinating ' of the earth, Parisians in their grace and culture. Eastern dancing girls in their languid fire. The dancers form in couples. The host selects the lady of highest social rank, and they take their places at the head of the line. The more intricate the figures through which he leads them, the more beautiful the polonaise. His aim is to present surprises. From one grand saloon to another they go, and at every turn some beautiful work of art delights the eye. What a gorgeous sight it is— that long line of light ! Men, handsome as Apollo, women, beautiful as Hebe, gentle, scintillating, brilhant colors mingling, a living rainbow whose breath and motion lend it an enchantment far exceeding nature ' s own.

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The Mary Baldivin Seminary. 27 vestige of habitation are swept from the island. The wild storm is heard again after the waltz ceases, louder and louder, until, after the island is submerged, the waltz breaks in with the storm motive, making a contrast most wild and effective. Fi- nally, the waltz like the storm dies away. But do not think these are the only pieces in my portfolio. There are Etudes and studies galore, all regarded with varying dea:rees of aversion. Kullak, Cramer, Bach, Raff, dementi ' s Gradus ad Parnassum, and if the difficulties of ascending the lofty height of Parnassus are greater in proportion to that of travelling over the Road — for I presume as is the case with most mountains, the Road only extends to the foot — few of us will possess the energj ' to attempt the narrow ob- structed path beyond. And. those awful octave studies — the banes of my exist- ence. Why, when one ' s hands look enormous, they cannot be made to strike octaves is a problem whose solution I am looking for in the efforts of the future. I have tried in vain to find it here. And, I must not forget my Organ Studies. The Semi- nary organ dates back no later than the early sixties, and every key is out of tune, still, five of us practice an hour on it to the mental anguish of ourselves, and every one else in the build- ing. The poor old blower ! He certainly has my deepest sym- pathy. To listen to one ' s self an hour is annihilating, and how he stands it for five is a wonder. He either possesses no nerves, or they are of iron. How I have longed to be tall, when I have encountered the pedal exercises. I .spend the most of my time pulling myself up from beneath the organ, where I slide in my efforts to reach them. I finally succeed in learning to suspend myself in mid-air, as it were, and play the manuals and the pedals at the .same time. Fairies have been favorite subjects with composers, and Mendelssohn was particularly fond of them. His overture to the Midsummer Night ' s Dream is indelibly impres.sed upon my mind. We played it as a double quartette. Unless you have played one, you know nothing of its horrors. Not only