I began studying musicology midway through my masters degree in piano performance and pedagogy mostly because of her influence, inspiration, and encouragement. It is a strange feeling to know she'll never read my completed thesis - a document covered with her fingerprints on a subject inspired by her passion for both medieval and nineteenth-century French culture and music.
The last time I saw my teacher and adviser we spent a day together at her house eating croissants from her favorite bakery and talking about music, my thesis, life, and books. I was able to give her a letter that day letting her know what she meant to me and I had the opportunity to say goodbye. I'm very grateful for that experience. She told me then that just in case her treatment did not go as planned she had compiled a list of the music she wanted played at her memorial service.
It was harder and more emotional than I had expected to hear that music in a small campus chapel today at a truly beautiful service in her memory. Here is a quote I included in the note I gave her and a piece that was sung today (an excerpt from G. Fauré's Requiem that has long been a favorite of mine).
We are never real historians, but always near poets, and our emotion is perhaps nothing but an expression of a poetry that was lost.”
~ Gaston Bachelard in The Poetics of Space
FAURE: REQUIEM, OP. 48: IV. PIE JESU - PLASSON/TOULOUSE ORCHESTRA
"Merciful Lord Jesus, Grant them rest, rest everlasting."
4 comments:
That's really sad. I'm sorry, Kate. An odd coincidence, but a friend of mine from high school ALSO passed away on 5/24 from cancer. Life is short.
Oh, I'm sad to hear about your friend. It is always really difficult when someone so young passes away.
Miss you and hope your new apartment is great : )
Hi--I was D M-M's TA when at SMU in the late 1990's. I would love to visit with you if you have a chance. I found out about it today and have been googling to see if there was a way to find out more information.
I am shocked. She was also very inspirational to me. She took me on my first trip to Europe--Paris of course. I would be curious to know what happened. You are so lucky you got to say goodbye.
gregwhitmore@gmail.com
i was a year ahead of donna at st. mary college in leavenworth, kansas. i did not know of her death until this year at the college reunion. i felt the air go out of me, and i am still mourning her. we lost touch but only by words and visits. i always felt a bond. donna played the organ for my wedding. i told her that the only improvement i saw she could ever make in her piano playing wss to pull her hair back so the audience could see her face. she laughed at me, but the next time at the piano she did it, and from then on. she was my accompaniest as i was a vocal minor. how lucky can i be! i miss her so very much, and i'm sorry for your loss, too.
nora hutchens drbal. noramdrbal@hotmail.com
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