{"id":534,"date":"2011-08-23T16:39:12","date_gmt":"2011-08-23T21:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/?p=534"},"modified":"2011-08-23T16:41:51","modified_gmt":"2011-08-23T21:41:51","slug":"embarkation-excitement-and-soaring-siegfried-corzoos-european-adventure-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/?p=534","title":{"rendered":"Embarkation Excitement and Soaring Siegfried: Corzoo’s European Adventure Continues"},"content":{"rendered":"

The day dawned bright and clear \u2013 the complete opposite of the previous day\u2019s sturm und drang<\/em>, as the budding young musician Corzoo would call it.\u00a0 Then he would quote the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians definition for me, just in case I had forgotten about that dramatic, stormy period in German literature and music.\u00a0 I went about my morning routine with the added tasks associated with packing for a substantial trip, but when I hadn\u2019t heard a single peep from the young lad Corzoo, I thought I had better investigate.<\/p>\n

There he was, tucked in bed looking quite peaked.<\/p>\n

\u201cCorzoo!\u00a0 What is wrong, my little friend?\u00a0 You look positively green!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t sleep a wink and my valve section feels funny,” he moaned.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do believe I can identify with that.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t sleep half the night, and I have a bit of a rumbly in my tumbly as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally \u2013 you too?\u201d he perked up a little.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, indeed!\u00a0 What I mean to say is, I can\u2019t be certain, but it just might be a very natural phenomenon that occurs when one is about to go on a great adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is natural?\u201d he asked in disbelief.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, quite!\u00a0 Many people call it \u2018travel-day jitters\u2019 but I’ll bet you can come up with a better term for it, being the energetic wordsmith that you are.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know!\u201d He now sat up straight and his eyes looked a little brighter. \u00a0“It can be called nothing less than embarkation excitement<\/em>!”<\/p>\n

\u201cBravo! That is an excellent description. And how would the protagonist of a great expedition go about the morning of his embarkation?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would start his day as he does every other day, with a scrumptious breakfast, his daily exercises, and then he would follow the packing and to-do list that he prepared the day before, I have no doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell then, there is no time to lose!\u201d<\/p>\n

He had regained some of his color, and after \u201cbreaking fast\u201d as he liked to call the act of having breakfast, and going through his routine, his brazen copper-colored shine had returned, eradicating his former green hue.<\/p>\n

Before we knew it, we were on the orchestra bus on the way to the airport.\u00a0 Corzoo was safely stowed away in my purse.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cPsssttt, psssssssssttttt!\u201d\u00a0 He peeked out of my bag.\u00a0 \u201cAre we there yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCorzoo! So soon?\u201d<\/p>\n

My husband Dave leaned over and whispered to him, \u201cF\u00fcnfzehn minuten!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDanke sch\u00f6n, Herr Bilger!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBitte sch\u00f6n!\u201d Dave said.<\/p>\n

Corzoo, proud of his first successful exchange in the German language and apparently satisfied with Dave’s answer, slipped back into my purse.\u00a0 \u201cFifteen minutes?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it works every time.\u00a0 That\u2019s a trick of J. C.’s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?” I thought to myself. \u00a0Had I missed a commandment to the disciples? “Hmmm,” I thought, scanning my New Testament knowledge for something relating to the time period of fifteen minutes. \u00a0Then I realized – different J.C.!<\/p>\n

The associate principal trumpet player in the orchestra Jeff Curnow has two very cute and, I\u2019m sure, very inquiring girls. \u00a0They probably ask him a million times a car ride if they are there yet.<\/p>\n

Then came the check-in line, the security line, the boarding-the-plane line, the line of planes for take-off.\u00a0 Aside from the expected lines upon lines, everything was going quite smoothly and soon we were up in the air.\u00a0 Our eyes were heavy from the bustle of activity during the previous days, and in short order we were snoozing.<\/p>\n

Suddenly my stomach did a flip.\u00a0 Turbulence!\u00a0 A murmur went through the plane. I heard a distant and somewhat kazoo-like voice coming from my purse.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoly Mahler!!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

After my stomach came back to its normal place in my torso, I reached down towards my purse.<\/p>\n

\u201cCorzoo, I heard your exclamations.\u00a0 Are you alright?\u00a0 That was quite a bump wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026” he faltered, trying to regain his composure. “No, not at all.\u00a0 No big deal!\u00a0 But, can you tell me, does this happen often on planes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid so, and I must say I don\u2019t like it one bit,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould you say it scares the Schumann out of you?\u201d he said with a sly grin, waiting for my reaction.<\/p>\n

I suppressed an involuntary snicker and reprimanded, \u201cCorzoo!!!<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 Perhaps I uttered his name a bit too emphatically because the very polite oboist behind me called out, \u201cBless you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAhem.<\/em> Oh, thank you, Peter.\u00a0 I must be allergic to something on this aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n

I turned back to my young companion. \u00a0\u201cCorzoo,\u201d I continued, this time quietly.\u00a0 \u201cYou must be careful about the way you say things.\u00a0 Someone might think you were about to say words very unbecoming to a proper and cultured young man such as yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHaha! Let them! It gives me pleasure to keep people guessing,” he said with a mischievous grin.<\/p>\n

I saw that despite the precociousness of my friend, he did possess some of the normal qualities of a young boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, be that as it may\u2026\u201d I responded, keeping up a fa\u00e7ade of indignation.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack to my original line of questioning,\u201d he continued, \u201cnot that I have any use to ask this for myself, of course, but I am thinking of one day writing a great treatise on how various musicians cope with turbulence as they are flying to and fro, all around the world.\u00a0 And I think now is as good a time as any to start compiling my research. \u00a0May I begin with you?”<\/p>\n

“Of course, Corzoo. \u00a0I’d be happy to share one or two of my strategies with you, though you must promise not to laugh too hard.”<\/p>\n

“I treat all of my subjects with great dignity,” he replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it seems to me in times like these, it can often be helpful to employ the imagination.\u00a0 One can trick the body into thinking that something other than turbulence is happening.\u00a0 I would tell you what I imagine as the plane jolts up and down, but, like I said, I’m afraid you will think I am very, very silly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou would be contributing to my future academic prowess,\u201d he said with thinly veiled curiousity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, alright,\u201d and I braced myself for his reaction. \u201cIf it\u2019s really bad, I pretend I am on a magic carpet sailing through the clouds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA magic carpet?\u201d\u00a0 I could see that he was giggling at me inside.\u00a0 \u201cLike Aladdin?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, maybe.\u201d\u00a0 I back-pedaled a bit.\u00a0 \u201cOne could also think of Harry Potter on his quidditch broom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yes.\u00a0 I have heard of this Harry Potter.\u201d\u00a0 Clearly, neither answer was resonating with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Corzoo, what could YOU imagine?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cThe courageous Siegfried!\u00a0 He does not fly around, but did you know<\/em>,\u201d he said with emphasis, \u201cthat Wagner\u2019s Siegfried comes from the Old Norse legend of Sigurd? \u00a0(Which was written, by the way, in Middle High German.) Sigurd, of course, did not have a quidditch broom, but he DID have a cloak of invisibility!\u201d\u00a0 He finished with a flourish.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what would Siegfried do?\u00a0 How would he respond when his stomach flies up to his throat?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would play his call, of course \u2013 and loudly, to make sure everyone knew he wasn\u2019t scared of anything or anyone!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe you are right, Corzoo.\u00a0 That probably is what Siegfried would do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think, perhaps,\u201d he continued tentatively \u201cthat the same idea could be transferred to the stage?\u00a0 In the case of one\u2019s stomach doing somersaults?\u201d\u00a0 He quickly added, \u201cnot that I know what this feels like.\u00a0 As you know, I thrive onstage.\u00a0 I am at my very best in the spotlight!\u00a0 But, you know, if I were to write a treatise one day\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d I replied. “I do believe that connection could be made.\u00a0 Except one wouldn\u2019t be able to respond with Siegfried\u2019s call all the time in that scenario,\u201d I mused.\u00a0 \u201cBut one could still respond in a courageous way.\u00a0 I have heard that strategy called \u2018pushing the courage button.\u2019” I explained a little further.\u00a0 \u201cThe more one pushes his courage button, the more it gets accustomed to being pushed, and pretty soon, in moments of stomach somersaults, one will be all the more conditioned to be courageous – to do what one must do despite what one feels.”<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you, Herr Bilger, was denken Sie?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, what do I think?” he asked, sizing up little Corzoo. \u00a0“Hmmm, well, picture, if you will, your mind as a — well, um, shall we say, a giant commode.\u201d<\/p>\n

Corzoo let out a yelp of surprised delight. \u00a0As my husband had no doubt anticipated, Corzoo did indeed enjoy the same humor that so many young boys delight in.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd anything unhelpful to your cause during the moment you must be courageous is waste.\u00a0 It must be flushed.\u00a0 Just push the lever and\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKwhhoooooooooooosssssshhhhhhhh!<\/em>\u201d Corzoo provided the sound effects.\u00a0 He then caught himself getting a little carried away.\u00a0 \u201cWell, then, if you will allow me to recap the data I have gathered from you that will appear in my pending treatise on dealing with turbulence, whether on a plane, or inside the brain…\u201d<\/p>\n

We listened attentively.<\/p>\n

\u201cTactic one: employ the imagination. \u00a0Meaning, turn the situation around in the mind so that one has a different perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

We nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cTactic two: practice responding with courage, like Siegfried, or like Harry Potter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes \u2013 whoever appeals to you,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTactic three: anything unhelpful that crosses your mind goes \u2018Whoooossshhhhh<\/em>\u2019 down the toilet.\u201d\u00a0 He rattled his valves with particular delight at this one.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcellent summary of the data, Corzoo.\u201d I congratulated him.\u00a0 \u201cYou have much to share with your future readers.\u00a0 You no doubt will discover many other helpful and valid tactics as you do more investigating, but this is a very good place to start.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then, off I go to cogitate,\u201d said Corzoo. \u201cShall I quote Webster\u2019s definition of cogitate<\/em> for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo thank you, Corzoo.\u00a0 I believe we need no reminder that you are a thinking young man!\u201d<\/p>\n

With that he slipped back into my purse.\u00a0 All was quiet in our travels for a while.\u00a0 Towards the end of the flight, however, as we went over some stormy weather and jolted up and down for several minutes, I could have sworn I heard a faint, buzzy voice coming from my purse below the seat in front of me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWoooohoooo!\u00a0 Here I am!\u00a0 Ich bin Siegfried!\u00a0 Here to save the day!\u00a0 Dah Daah d-Dah Dah Dah Dah Dah Dah Daaaaaahhhhhhh!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The day dawned bright and clear \u2013 the complete opposite of the previous day\u2019s sturm und drang, as the budding young musician Corzoo would call it.\u00a0 Then he would quote the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians definition for … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-young-corzoo"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=534"}],"version-history":[{"count":43,"href":"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":578,"href":"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534\/revisions\/578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}