Today, I heard “Air
on a G String” on the radio. Even on
this bright winter morning with the sun reflecting off the snow, I was
instantly transported to Meme and Papa’s living room in the 1950’s. It would have been 7:00 PM. I know this because this Bach piece was the
theme song of the classical music broadcast from the Washington State College
radio station in Pullman. Uncle Bud
always turned it on, probably not just for the classical music but also to
remind him of his days at WSC.
He and I might be
sitting at the grandparents’ round oak table engaged in a game of Chinese
checkers. The subdued light from the
table lamp illuminated the board just enough to distinguish the blue marbles
from the green ones. Papa would be
sitting in his chair by the fire reading the latest Saturday Evening Post while
Meme bustled in the kitchen, tidying up after dinner and fixing each of us a
cup of Nestles hot chocolate made rich with canned condensed milk. This classical music coming from the Hallicrafters Sky Buddy was new to me (Mom preferred the country sounds of Eddie Arnold or Red Foley), but the soft classical instrumental pieces captured my heart and influenced my musical tastes for the rest of my life.
Now, whenever I
hear this wonderful Bach Air I experience again the warmth and love that always
enfolded me in that tiny log cabin when, in the company of Uncle Bud and Meme
and Papa, I knew that no harm could ever befall me.