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Welcome to my Blog! Music and God coming together

These regular weekly blogs are giving me an opportunity to share my life-long passion of discoving how the great themes of Music and Theology can come together, and I want to express my deep appreciation of my good friend Dr Paul Kybird for his encouragement, wisdom and deep insight in this adventure.
I have found that the telling of a story by a violin – through its many years of varied experiences – has created a fascinating way of engaging with these ultimate concerns of life.
So here goes –
I am a Violin, with a great story to tell, and on this platform I want to present and play the events of my long life –
By telling about my origins, how I was made, and where I feel my unique sound comes from, engaging with my whole body – mind & heart, violin and bow – in the pursuit of beauty, truth and goodness;
By including the historical soundscapes of the different places I have lived in, and sharing how it feels to be touched and embraced by the rich variety and diversity of musicians who have owned and played me over these many years;
By giving a voice to my emotions at times of suffering, when I was broken, and when I was ‘stolen’, sharing my feelings about the damage inflicted on my body, the permanent blemishes and unexpected ‘growths’;
By sounding out clearly, not supressing or muting, times of rejection, isolation and abuse;
But most importantly, by playing my story for the sheer joy and delight of it, and daring to hope that echoes and whispers of the mystery of God might be caught.
Variations on a Theme – God or Superman?
Whenever I am involved in performances of Edward Elgar’s ‘Dream of Gerontius’ or Frederick Delius’s ‘Mass of Life’ I cannot avoid the question of God. If ever there…
4 min read
1900 onwards – A new century and conflicting rumours
With Charles Woodhouse’s ownership, my life took on yet another dimension. I now enjoyed the experience of being played in The Queen’s Hall Orchestra, in the newly instigated…
4 min read
1899 onwards – into the new century and a change of hands yet again
The next ‘port of call’ for our Barnum & Bailey’s travelling circus was Paris, France, and I know that Haldan Jebe was very excited about this – mainly…
4 min read
1899 – Another Intermezzo with Theme & Variations
Just before setting off for Paris on the Circus’s European Tour, Halfdan received an invitation from Fritz Delius, who was planning a concert of his compositions at St…
4 min read
1897 – Halfdan Jebe and ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’
Our story now leaps ahead 10 years to January 1897, when Fritz Delius returned to America from Europe to settle some outstanding matters at his orange plantation in…
4 min read
1880s – American Adventures begin
Early in 1880, Annabelle had been approached by the conductor Julius Benedict after one of his concerts at the Crystal Palace, and asked if she might be interested…
4 min read