Kisses

10 Oct, 2019

MUSIC Information:

• Music and Life
• Bb Major/G Minor
• 36 Measures
• Cello and Piano
• 2:53 min
• 4 Pages

"I didn't want to kiss you goodbye — that was the trouble — I wanted to kiss you good night — and there's a lot of difference." — Ernest Hemingway

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION

The need to connect to another human being is vital to our well being. Kissing allow us to draw close to one another, yet, because it is such a common act, we often overlook its meaning, unless of course, we pause to pay close attention.

The activity of kissing carries different meanings depending on the situation. It grant us license to express many things. A kiss, for example, might say: I am delighted to be here with you, or thank you for everything you have done. Some kisses could seal a lasting friendship between two lonely souls. In this way, a kiss becomes a substitute for words, a silent language through which we communicate our intentions and emotions.

Love
Passion
Affection
Respect
Greetings
Friendship
Peace

RECORDS SHOW

Kissing is one of the most versatile human gestures. It can reveal the positive qualities of our intentions, yet at times it also exposes the negative. Acts of hypocrisy and betrayal are not uncommon, as shown in the most infamous kiss recorded in the Bible, a powerful example of duplicity.

Records show, that kissing can be political or even controversial, depending on the era and the method use to document it. Nevertheless, nobody knows exactly how humans first began using kisses as a form of communication. While studies have explored the topic, their conclusions remain uncertain.

GIVE AND TAKE

It doesn't matter whether kissing is a learned behavior, an instinctive act, or perhaps both. To our senses, the mystery is completely irrelevant, in fact, a kiss can be extended to the animal kingdom, thus, our pets too, can benefit from a warm, gentle, or even effusive kiss that expresses how deeply we love them.

I wrote this piece while living in Springville, CA. during a time when my life had undergone a major changed and I was feeling vulnerable. The pandemic was in its peak, yet I found inspiration in the courage people displayed. Many times over, I witnessed young and old alike blowing kisses through the air to their loved ones. That simple gesture sufficed to boost their confidence to keep going.

After finishing the piece, I realized - much to my surprise - that I had been thinking only of the kisses I had received, and not once of the kisses I had given. The insight stopped me cold. Shame on me, I thought. Life works best when giving and receiving flow proportionally_ a balance that sustains even the mysterious chemistry of a kiss.

ACCEPTING THE FACTS

After pondering the matter, my surprise grew when I realized that, over the curse of my life, I've had the opportunity of extending my intentions through many kind of kisses. Affectionate, effusive, romantic. I have blown kisses into the air, and sadly, I have also, given the kiss of death. For this, I take no delight; in fact, I'm mortified to admit it. Yet I must accept the truth: At times I have not been able to carry my humanity with grace.

I wanted to create a gentle sound, a tender sound that tells a story -perhaps of two people caring for and reassuring each other's feelings with a kind but long kiss. It is a possible that the music will tell the story of a mother kissing tenderly her baby. For all I know, it could just as easily evoke two friends kissing after a long absence. I dare say, it could also be a last kiss.