Recently, my wife
and I watched a documentary on Salzburg, a beautiful city in Austria
where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756. Despite its many
other charms, Salzburg lives on with Mozart events and memorabilia as
its major economic driver. Mozart’s musical legacy is alive and
well throughout the world.
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| Viennese Monk by Robert De Graaf, based on Schubert at the Piano by Gustav Klimt |
Thelonious Sphere
Monk was born on this date, October 10th, 101 years ago in
Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Last year there were many celebrations
marking the centennial of his birth. I am now listening to his
music, courtesy of Brian Delp and WBGO in Newark, and at this week’s
Acqualoreto Happy Hour this evening, I will be toasting his memory.
I hope that more than two and a half centuries after his birth, as
with Mozart, Monk’s music will still be heard and appreciated. At
1.01 C along, I’m trying to do my part.
By the time he was
five years old, Mozart was taken on an extended performing tour of
major European cities by his father. By the time he was five, Monk
had been taken by his mother from Rocky Mount to New York City, where
he remained for the rest of his life. NYC has honored his presence
by renaming a portion of West 63rd St. where he lived, as
Thelonious Monk Circle. We doubt that Monk’s birth has had as much
of an impact on Rocky Mount as Mozart’s has had on Salzburg, but
it’s never too late.
All places go
through ups and downs. Salzburg became the performance home for many
of the favored musicians of the Third Reich after WWII but by now
most of those people have faded from the scene and Salzburg,
unsullied, thrives on its Mozart and chocolate.
Despite its history
as the birthplace of aviation, as well as its being the site of many
fine universities, North Carolina is currently known as the most
gerrymandered state in the Union and at the forefront of voter
suppression. Those evils must be eradicated but maybe Rocky Mount
could take the lead in restoring some decency to the state’s
reputation by establishing a Monk Festival in honor of one of
America’s greatest native musical geniuses. There is a Monk
Foundation, gathering funds for a life sized statue of Monk for Rocky
Mount, but NC needs to do more to clean up its act and this is an
opportunity.
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