Singing

Sing: is a verb that means to utter words or sounds in succession with musical modulations of the voice; vocalize melodically. It is a talent to be enjoyed by others, but that not many have. I have been grateful that of my five children, four are very musical. 

I always enjoyed singing. We had a piano that my mother often played while we sang while the canary there in the room warbled along. My father loved to sing, and we had lots of sheet music. Some of the songs my father sang to us were: “Roly Poly, Daddy’s little Fatty,” “Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch,” “Little Purple Pansies,” “Running Bear” (a ballad about Running Bear and Little White Dove, two Indians that loved “with a love that couldn’t die”). Our family favorite was an old cowboy ballad, “Little Joe the Wrangler” about a Texas stray who died in a washout. We would always end up crying when he sang that song. 

I remember when “Your Hit Parade” came on TV. We would all watch it and sing along. I also had my favorite songs that I sang to all the little kids I babysat and my own children years later: Frank Sinatra’s “High Hopes,” and “Swing on a Star,” Doris Day’s “Che sera sera” from the movie, Whatever Will Be, Will Be.  Other silly songs were “Green Door,” and “The Railroad Comes through the Middle of the House” (which we loved because it reminded us of our house which we had to move from to make way from the freeway --we joked that now the freeway ran through the middle of our house).

I also loved musical theater and I had several long-playing

records of them. In fact one of my most memorable Christmases was when my parents gave me an album of the “Carnival” musical Theater recording, which I had wanted, but I didn’t think they knew I wanted. I always sang along with the music, whether I was on tune or not—the records couldn’t tell. 

When I was married and had children, I played music while we cleaned up and we sang and danced to the music while we worked. I don’t recall watching much TV back then, but we played an awfully lot of music because we knew all the music to all of it. When we were in the car, we played cassettes of the music and sang along (otherwise the children would fight—but if the music was playing, they wouldn’t). I think we must have had music on all the time except when we were eating; the only reason we didn’t then because we had a rule, “if you sing at the table, you will cry in bed.”

I insisted they all my children have music lessons (Marlowe had trumpet lessons, the rest had piano lessons), so they would know music.

When I look back at my life, I realize how ironic it is that we played music and sang with it all the time, because I don’t have a good voice, and I can’t carry a tune. But I doubt back then if my children knew that; the music drowned me out. We just enjoyed the music. We had to like country west music—we spent 12 years in Texas. We always loved musicals, but we also liked comedy (The Smothers Brothers and some Hawaii Comedy Music). We even liked “Roll on, Big Mama” one year that we drove a lot; Ed got the music and we watched the truckers. We always liked Primary music (because we always had someone in the Primary). 

Marlowe wanted to sing in the ward choir when he was a teenager and we lived in

Alabama. In fact we lived in the temple district when the Atlanta Temple was dedicated and even though Marlowe was only 16 years old, he was selected to be in the Dedicatory Choir from our stake. When our stake was chosen to be the one to sing for the first session and the ground-laying ceremony, Marlowe was right there.

Athena loved to sing and she was also in the choir as a teenager, but when we moved to Italy, she often had to play the piano because there wasn’t always a pianist available. But by then both Marlowe, Athena and Marc were performing with the Community Theater in Italy and in musicals, as well as singing in choirs. Marc had my voice, so he didn’t sing in choirs or groups, but he loved music. 

Athena had developed her athletic talents all through high school as a gymnastic and dancer; in Italy she won some fame with her gymnastic abilities and after one event, one of the Italian Olympic judges offered to coach her in his local Olympic coaching group at no cost if she was willing to put in the time—every afternoon after school until late and every Saturday. She did it for a while, but she decided she wanted to be an American high school student more than an Olympic hopeful and gave it up. Then she could do her singing and dancing in the Community Theater Productions, and be Studentbody Secretary, and date and do all the fun things she wanted. 

Marlowe in "Christmas Carol"

When Marlowe went to college, his schedule was so tight that he couldn’t take any band, jazz band, or music classes as he had in high school, but he was always in the Institute Choir—he wouldn’t give that up. But during the summers, he would come back to Centerville and perform in theater productions, especially musicals. After he graduated from college and was working and earning money, he performed in many theatrical performances all over the Wasatch front, from Rodgers Memorial Theater, Grand Theater, Hunt Mysteries Dinner Theater, to Hale Theater (with Diana). 

Athena continued to be in choirs in college, and always church choirs, but Diana was the

Diana in "Scarlet Pimpernel"

one who surprised us all. We moved to Utah when she was in the 7^th grade and she had a hard time adjusting. In the 8^th grade she took a choir class and enjoyed it and the teacher mentioned she had a nice voice. So she tried out for Jr. High Madrigals and made it. We were impressed and I suggested she take voice lessons to help her self-esteem. We began to realize she had a real talent for music and helped her develop it. 

I worked full time from the time Bryan was three years old, so I never had music playing all the time like I had with the other children. But he was around Diana and her music all the time. Bryan had sometimes performed with the older children in musicals; whenever they were in a show and there was a need for a child, they “kidnapped” Bryan and put him in the show. I was not a stage mom, and insisted if they took him, they were responsible for him; I would never take

Bryan, Diana & other child

him or pick him up or be involved; he was their obligation. Sometimes I think they realized how tired I was and took Bryan to give me a break. 

Although I paid for Bryan’s voice lessons, he was never as committed as Diana to practice. He had the ability, but not the dedication to develop his voice. He was more interested in being an actor, a comedian, and an improv performer. 

Today Diana still sings with “Friends of Harmony,” a group of women in Chicago who sing

Diana in Friends of Harmony

for nursing homes, and other non-profit venues. I am so glad she is still using her talents. 

I am so amazed at the ability all my children have to listen to choirs and musical groups and tell immediately who is on tune and who is not. Whether it is our years of going to choir and band concerts, musicals and lots and lots of shows, but Ed, Diana, Bryan, and Marlowe can tell if anyone is flat or out of tune. It makes me angry because I go to a show to enjoy it, not critique it. I guess it is because I can’t sing at all, and know that if I tried to sing, they would make fun of me. I never try to sing in a choir because I know I am so bad, but I enjoy listening to them.

All of my children (even Bryan) are knowledgeable about many types and genres of music. When we play games, they amaze me at their knowledge of names of music and songs, even old-time songs. Best of all--they love to sing together.

A Piano = A Happy Family

The piano is a musical instrument in which felt-covered hammers, operated from a keyboard, strike the metal strings. It was a variation of the harpsichord and was invented in the 1700s in Italy. Its history is interesting, but to me it exemplifies art, music, literature and grace. It is a symbol of refinement and elegance.

My maternal grandfather Peter Hendrickson was from a well-to-do family in Denmark. He was a talented artist and won a gold watch in an art contest, which displeased his father who felt art was a foolish hobby. However, when Peter joined the Mormon Church, which was very unpopular, that was unforgivable. Peter left Denmark and went to America.

Peter did not make a lot of money in America, although he was attractive and very popular. He writes in his journal:  

Peter Hendrickson

“Now I was in the thirties and for means could marry anytime, when another woman came into my life . . .  As I was in doubt about this woman, if she were the one I had been waiting for to this time, I decided to ask the Lord, and it was shown me in a dream, in such a way that there could be no mistake.  The right one had come.  It was her or no other.  My dream was:  I found myself standing just inside of a large room.  On the opposite wall were two large pictures covering the whole wall from floor to ceiling.  The one picture represented a happy family.  Around a table was seated a mother with seven or eight children, all busy sewing, reading, and conversing.  Looking at the other picture, I saw standing, a lone man, a bachelor, a likeness of which I, a few years previous, had seen in a stage play, ‘Sowing the Wind.’  As I looked from one picture to the other, I noticed a person standing by my side who addressed me saying, ‘Choose for yourself,’ and the dream was over.  I understood the dream. We were married shortly after, [and] I could see I had got the right one.  A number of years after, I could daily see a picture like the one on the wall, a mother and children.” 

In their family life, one of the most important things was a piano. My Aunt Ruth said that in the early years of their marriage, even before they had a piano, they had a cardboard keyboard where they taught their young children how to play the piano. Although as immigrants with ten children and very little money, the arts, including playing the piano, was an essential part of their lives. Their family life surrounded the piano where they played it and sang around it, and it echoed their love of music and their faith.

In my family, the piano played a very central role also. My mother played the piano and we often sang as a family around it. I loved the sheet music that she had that went back to the 1920s and also included current songs such as “That Doggie in the Window,” and “Che Sera Sera.” We also had a canary that warbled when we sang or when we played the piano.

My mother felt that developing our talents was very important and encouraged us all to play the piano, or if that was not our choice, to dance or paint. My younger sister, Coleen, played the piano, but I chose dancing lessons. We were not well to do, so my mother, who was a gifted artist, traded her paintings for lessons. After my mother died, Coleen made sure that my younger sister, Janet, went to piano lessons and my youngest brother, Will, got tap-dancing lessons. Janet hated piano lessons and often skipped out on them and eventually quit. 

After I had children, having a piano became a priority to me. I wanted to make sure my children could play the piano as my mother and sister had. In 1973 we were living in El Paso and I discovered a neighbor who had a piano for sale. It was an antique upright piano which had once been painted bright pink and resided in a rowdy saloon. The people who were selling it had stripped it, completely redone the wires and transformed it; it was now a sedate rehabilitated brown. We bought it; because it was so large we had to roll it home.

After we purchased this piano, I decided that I was going to learn to play the piano myself. I took piano lessons for a few years and I practiced diligently. I learned to sight-read, but I struggled to learn the rhythm. My great accomplishment was to play “Silent Night.” Finally I realized I did not enjoy playing the piano; I was determined to learn to play it because I “should” be able to play it—to be more like my mother and accompany my family while they sang. At that point I decided to give it up. I am grateful I learned to sight-read music and could help my children with their lessons; but at heart, I still love to dance more than play the piano.

For a long time a part of me felt I had let my family down because I couldn’t play the piano. When Diana or Bryan were competing in vocal competitions, and had to get someone to accompany them, I would sit in the audience thinking, “I should have learned to play the piano so I could accompany her/him.” But in my heart I knew it wasn’t possible! It was an impossible, impractical idea. I wasn’t a pianist and didn’t really want to be—except to fulfill an unrealistic expectation.

Marlowe In Christmas Carol

However, the reformed piano we purchased in El Paso became our friend and companion for over 26 years. We moved it all over the country. In moving to Hawaii a forklift sheared off the top of the pallet and barely missed our piano! Then we had to have a heater installed in it to keep it from molding because of the high humidity in Hilo! It sailed with us to Italy and back without a scratch, but in our 100-year-old house at Ft. Sheridan, they couldn’t get it up the stairs, so it sat in the entryway on the first floor, and whenever the children practiced the piano, the people in the other side of the duplex could hear them. It followed us all over the world and then home to Utah. I don’t know which astonished it the most, our children’s raucous practice or its wandering since it had left its saloon in El Paso.

It enjoyed Athena’s diligent practicing, Marc’s never practicing, Diana’s talented playing and Bryan’s trying to practice. Athena has continued playing the piano. In Italy she played the piano for church; she has played piano for primary and for her own enjoyment. All of her children take piano lessons. 

Although Marlowe never took piano lessons (he played the trumpet, both marching band and jazz band), he can play the piano some. His daughter is taking piano lessons, and I’m sure his children will continue to take lessons and play very well.

That piano has heard more musical theater than any other genre; probably because four of our five children have performed primarily in musical theater. I couldn’t begin to list all the shows they have been in and practiced on that old upright—in Alabama, Italy, Chicago, and in Utah.

Diana

Athena and Diana were always playing while we sang around the piano; when the children were around the piano, it just rang with song--I doubt if it had more of a workout when it was in that old El Paso saloon. Diana taught voice lessons on it, and I loved to hear her sing day and night while she was at home. One of the things I miss the most now she is gone, is listening to her singing.

Diana is the most accomplished pianist in the family. While studying voice at Berkley College of Music she also took piano lessons. Since living in Chicago, Diana has taken organ lessons and has played the organ for church and she now teaches piano lessons.

A few years after we moved into our home in Utah, Ed’s mother gave us her nice new piano (for Diana to use) and we finally sold our old antique upright piano. Although we still use Grandma’s piano, it will eventually go to Diana. However, since Diana teaches piano lessons and sings with a singing group in Chicago, she has purchased a piano.

However, whenever I think of Diana’s talent, I know that she will eventually have a grand piano because her talent is a “grand piano talent.”

A piano is a symbol of refinement and elegance. Even though my grandparents and parents were poor, they felt that a piano was well-worth sacrificing for. They played it and wanted their children to play it. Even though I can’t play the piano, Ed and I felt that it is an essential part of our home, and we wanted our children to have the opportunity to play it. A piano is more than just a musical instrument. To me it was like the picture my grandfather had seen in his vision more than 115 years earlier of a happy family. . . “all busy sewing, reading, and conversing.” . . . and playing the piano. 

“The piano is able to communicate the subtlest universal truths by means of wood, metal and vibrating air.”

~Kenneth Miller