Then in 2002 when I proceeded to Starehe Boys' Centre for my high school education, I had an opportunity to pursue music as a subject. During music classes at Starehe, I learnt about the lives of great classical composers and the periods in which they lived. I also had opportunities to listen to live performances of the Nairobi Orchestra.
Of all the great classical music composers whose music I listened to during my days at Starehe, the one I came to like most was Handel. I found his music very tuneful and pleasing to the ear. In November 2005 as my high school years were coming to an end, I'd coax a music teacher named Matthew Brooks to let me listen to Handel. And wow! I'd become so animated after listening to Handel.
Later on in the 2000s after I had acquired a working knowledge of classical music, I recall Fr. Nyamiti telling us that Bach was the greatest classical music composer that ever lived. That surprised me because I had thought Beethoven was the greatest among the greats.
I still love classical music. And Handel remains my favorite. Over the past few years, I have downloaded into my laptop a collection of classical music which I listen to when I come from my one-hour walks in the evening.
Sometimes when I reflect on my fledgling career as a music composer, I wonder how the likes of Bach, Handel and Beethoven managed to compose hundreds of music pieces long before electronic sound-recording devices were invented. Imagine there have been times I have come up with a tuneful melody in my mind, only to forget it later - and there were Bach, Handel and Beethoven coming up with hundreds of music pieces that still inspire people to this day. Weren't they brilliant?
I once mentioned to Imbugi Luvai, an organist at All Saints' Cathedral in Nairobi, about how brilliant the likes of Bach, Handel and Beethoven were. Imbugi agreed they were brilliant and then he opined that if they were alive today, they would be working for NASA, the American space agency. Like me, Imbugi seemed to think that composing classical music is as difficult as rocket science.
Recently, I have been reflecting on the lives of great classical music composers. And from my reflections, I have been able to distil the following traits that contributed to their rise to greatness:
- Faith in God: Bach was an intensely religious man. He used to finish his compositions by signing them with the initials S.D.G., representing the Latin sola Deo Gloria ("to God alone be glory"). I am sure his abiding faith in God worked miracles in his music career.
- Passion for music: All the great classical music composers were passionate about music. Beethoven continued composing symphonies even after he turned completely deaf at the age of 44.
- Practice: Someone once told me that the great classical music composers could practise a music instrument for seven hours at a stretch. Little wonder that they became budding composers.
- A thorough knowledge of the Bible: The likes of Handel not only understood the rudiments of music theory, they also had an in-depth knowledge of the Scriptures.
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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed this story on emulating great music composers, you might also enjoy another one I wrote a few years ago on "An Inspiring Correspondence ". Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.
