Mozart

"my home's in Alabama, no matter where I lay my head...."*
I started packing yesterday - a record for early packing - for our trip to see family for Thanksgiving. I'm excited - road trip with R, Starbucks stops, listening to NeedtoBreathe. And horrified - Squirms likes to move 99% of the time she is awake now and is cutting a tooth, therefore the car seat for 12-14 hours will not be welcome.

I know driving down County Line will be worth the hours it takes to get there. R is optimistic about having fun on our road trip, so I am trying to be too.

Then I became, let's say distracted instead of obsessed, from packing because I'm trying to remember the name and author of a song.

Years ago (six and a half) in a land far, far away (Wales) my sisters and I stayed with our great aunt and uncle for a week, or two. And one of the many pearls of wisdom I took away from that trip was a piece of music by Mozart. Uncle R said he liked to listen to this song after work, while sitting in the conservatory (I would say sun room, but I thought conservatory would be best since the cottage (see how I used cottage instead of house) is in Wales) and sipping tea, or some other relaxing beverage.

I loved that trip, their cottage on the hillside, how aunt M made us hot cocoa every night, hiking and picnicking with my sisters, and exploring castles. I loved the idea of unwinding after work in the conservatory with Mozart. I returned home (like a kid after church camp) with aspirations of gardening, walking more, cooking more, cleaning my kitchen every night like a real adult (sorry dad, I don't always clean my kitchen every night), and listening to Mozart.

My memory is telling me that Uncle R said my favorite specific piece of music was by Mozart and included the words "No. 5" and "adagio".

Imagine my surprise today when I was listening to what I thought was the song that I loved from my Wales trip (that I've had on a playlist for six years) and noticed the composer was Beethoven and the title was Moonlight Sonata in adagio.

I attempted online research. And discovered Mozart wrote over six hundred pieces of music. I searched itunes. And Beethoven kept popping up from my criteria. Squirms took a long afternoon nap during which I tried learning about the Köchel catalogue - a catalogue of all of Mozart's compositions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6chel_catalogue).

After my research I'm really just more confused. Have I completely forgotten what the original piece of music that so moved me sounds like? Is my memory telling me Mozart when it was always Beethoven? Did Uncle R tell me the correct name of the work? Do I want to learn to play the piano instead of the violin?

I sat down tonight to see if I could gain clarity and only came away with three, no, four points:
-I really enjoy Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven.
-Adagio means to be played slowly.
-I should listen to both Mozart and Beethoven works more.
-I will need to make sure my Alabama playlists are on my phone for the road trip.

"I'm in the heart of Dixie, Dixie's in the heart of me...."* tomorrow.


*Alabama. My taste in this group I get from my mother.