John was, by force of habit and tradition, the member of his family who understood music least, even though he had spent long years at his studies — but only to learn that a man's place is in his work; and this led him to the inferiority complex that denied him the blessing of success in the field of music. And how his disappointment grew whenever his teachers discovered his new inclination toward light, entertaining music.
John's — or Father's — development was slow, but it reached a turning point that entitled him to take part with complete freedom in giving opinions about music, and sometimes in playing as well. This step came of his suppressing his mockery of himself, and of his conviction that only the few are capable of innovating and laying down the modern rules in any branch of culture, especially the universal ones such as music.
And so Father began to regain his confidence in himself and his sincere enthusiasm for the thing he had so long loved in secret — though he had thought he had given it up. And today he will not be daunted, even if his wife and his accomplished children fight him.
Father's musical education began by way of records and the radio. Often the effect of popular music with its marked rhythm, and of light songs, found an echo within him. He discovered that every daily happening can be found paraded in the classical works of the past, and nimbly he made of
himself a musical adventurer. He still laughs at himself whenever he recalls the hours he spent among the great musical pieces; and so the word 'classic,' and everything classical, lost its awe in his mind. He found himself listening not to Tchaikovsky alone, but to other world musicians — Grieg, Chopin, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Shostakovich — and he found in their music something of modernity.
One day Father found himself arguing with enthusiasm at one of the gatherings at the club; after listening to the various opinions clashing over Wagner and Brahms, he entered the discussion in praise of Toscanini.
The discovery of Father's gift of voice is a long story. He does not
shrink from joining in the singing of military marches and popular songs, and he may even manage to sing alone — but only under the shower in the bathroom. He saw no particular fault in his voice, especially when the other voices drowned it out.
Singing in the bathroom had long been the family joke. Mother once said that if Father and the bathtub were carried off to some theater, he could very creditably give a concert for everyone in town!! Among the things that inspired him to trust his voice were its artificial echo and his solitude.
With the coming of the children, Father was gradually transformed
from a private singer into a singer for the public, for Mother insisted that music be a part of their lives
