St Cecilia's Day and the March of the Thumbs
Why am I remembering the 'March of the Thumbs' on St Cecilia's Day? Well, St Cecilia is known as the patron saint of musicians and I am thinking about the significance of music in my life. The 'March of the Thumbs' was a memorable step in my musical development. I can still remember the excitement of my first formal piano lesson when I was about 5 or 6 years old. In that lesson Miss C taught me how to play the first piece in the beginners' piano tutor book - not only how to play it but also how to play while reading the music from the stave. I already had a love for the piano because my mother played it well. The sense of accomplishment at mastering that first lesson and performing it later to family and neighbours set me on a pianistic journey of progress, setbacks, ups and downs. Like life really - sometimes developing gifts and other times neglecting them. The March of the Thumbs only needed the thumbs of each hand, used alternately to perform it. An...