Illustration-Collage©2010Babetteandfriends
Today "Babette and Friends" is having a musical day at the farm!
Going through my sheet music and trying to find an easy piece to work on I came across an old time favorite : Faure's "Apres Un Reve". In French it means after a dream. The vocal line is quite appropriately a sound that I can best describe as dreamy. A woman's languishing voice between a place of hope and despair. . Accompanying piano is a light, underlying pulse, it carries the song in propulsion., ta ta taa ta.. I simply live this song. I downloaded from Itunes and set at work with my sheet music to refresh my memory.
"In a sleep which your image charmed, I dreamt of happiness, ardent mirage.... You called me, and I left the earth, to flee with you towards the light.... Return, return, radiant" -my translation.
I have neglected my music terribly. I must say though that I believe my animals were quite relieved about that!
Since I am hard of hearing {actually deaf in one ear} I do not hear what I sound like. Poor creatures, what must they endure? But, for years to Babette's dismay I was adamant on keeping to my disciplined practicing. I was getting bolder and bolder, because I was encouraged by my teacher, Peiwen, who kept on insisting: " a musician should notttttt listen to herself, but a musician must feeeeeeeeel her music "
Today, I did work on that most peculiarly expressive Faure song. What a disaster it was. I cleaned the house of all mice...
I thought my hearing aid was going to explode. My doggie girl escaped the moment I hit the high C. She ran out of the room in such a haste that suddenly felt the wind of her tail brushing my leg, but I did not even see her.
Babette loves Debussy's music. Of course, not when I attempt to sing or play it!
I noticed that the moment all my doggies, Babette ,Cooper and Willy hear "Syrinx for unaccompanied flute" they are bewitched. I believe string or wind instruments calm animals.
Equines,Canines,Felines,Primates do definetly have have neurological processes similar to us,Drug trials show that even mice respond to medication that alleviate emotional instability , such as depression in humans. I have read that to test an antidepressant's effectiveness, first mice are made depressed, I don't remember how doctor's accomplish that (but, I am sure through some cruel human "ingenuity")
Well, do you ever wonder, if a mouse can feel depressed, then is it possible for that mice to feel happiness?
Human beings, we feel fear, pain, pleasure, etc and learn from these, hopefully how best to behave to suit us to survive. This biological mechanism is part of our Evolution. This biological mechanism of "learning from behavior to survive "encompasses all species; therefore, my dog learns from her emotions to behave best to survive as well...
Homo sapiens are trying hard to define our own "consciousness" We are not equipped to explain ours yet scientifically nor spiritually, let along another specie's "consciousness". But, one thing is observable, and therefore is true.
My dog feels fear, therefore I assume my dog feels also pleasure. She experiences happiness.
That is my motto.
Well, ta ta for now...
