Tribute to Leonard Bernstein

 Whenever I want to get away from the ugliness of today's politics, I retreat to my favorite endeavor, which is classical music. Both Brenda and I were trained musicians. She was a church organist for many years, and I played trumpet in several ensembles, in addition to studying piano, violin, viola, voice, and conducting.

Most recently, Brenda and I have been spending many nights with Lenny. I am speaking of Leonard Bernstein. In my list of most respected persons of stature, Bernstein tops the list. We are fortunate to have a treasure trove of concerts he conducted, most with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. His concerts were recently remastered and are available for streaming on the Carnegie Hall+ channel.

What I admired most about Leonard Bernstein was his conducting style and his ability to compose music of multi genres. He was admittedly frustrated during much of his long career, which was a consequence of his genius. Quite often, when he was on conducting tours, he felt he should be composing. Alternately, when he was composing, he felt he should be conducting. He accomplished both endeavors admirably.

In addition to concerts Brenda and I have been watching, there were some of his lectures preserved as well. I wish I could go back in time to urge him to stop smoking, which was evident during his lectures, rehearsals, and while he was composing. It was estimated that he smoked between two and three packs per day. This was a contributing factor to his dying at the relatively young age of 72 in 1990.

Bradley Cooper did an admirable job with his movie, MAESTRO, focusing on the life of Leonard Bernstein. However, it focused more on his personal life than his musical genius. I continue to see Bernstein as a master conductor and composer. In a way, I feel as though he has been resurrected via the restored videos of many of his concerts. I especially enjoyed watching Bernstein conduct all the symphonies of Mahler, Beethoven and Brahms. Bernstein is credited with rediscovering Gustav Mahler's symphonies, and they are now being played by major orchestras around the world.

Many thanks to Leonard Bernstein for his many contributions to the world of music.

Recommended Time Limit for State of the Union Speeches

 I am convinced there should be a time limit on State of the Union speeches. I didn't watch last night's speech. However, I tuned in for the local news at 11:00. Donald Trump had just completed his speech, and I couldn't help noticing that the chamber emptied very quickly. I have no doubt that after two hours, many members of Congress had to make a mad dash to the bathroom.

Concerning a time limit for State of the Union Speeches, I don't think it is unreasonable for the House Speaker to impose a 45-minute time limit.

When I was in college, I took a public speaking course. As part of my theological studies in graduate school, I took a preaching course. Both courses emphasized content over length. In the preaching course, the professor held up a stop watch after ten minutes. The rationale was that if you were unable to stress your important points in the allotted time, the sermon/homily was not worth delivering. The same rule should apply to presidents giving the State of the Union speech. I think a 30-45 minute time slot is reasonable for the speech.

Donald Trump loves to hear himself talk. I wonder if he ever stops to think that if he delivered shorter speeches with more substance, both supporters and detractors might take the time to listen. When he is present at an occasion and another speaker gives a long speech, he falls asleep.

I have no doubt that Trump will falsely boast that last night's speech had the highest ratings ever. I will wait and see what the official ratings are.