An ensemble and an old violist

It was the day of the string ensemble practice a couple of days ago. It was held at a public hall 1.5 hours of drive from here. After a few months absence due to the coronavirus epidemic, it has started again a month ago. I was not feeling very good in the morning. I know it is due to a bit acting up sleeping pattern. I could not be fully active in morning hours. I still put cello into my car and headed for the hall as if going for a religious ritual.

An hour before the ensemble started, I had a promise to practice Elegy by Faure with a pianist for the first time. I was getting nervous because I haven't played that piece for years and it was the very first rehearsal with her. Even though it has been a favorite piece for me since student days, it still remains like a high mountain to get through. For the first trial, however, we could make it without any accident, even if the performance was not perfect. I was really pleased and excited at it. She was not a hard hitter nor solistic pianist but would listen to me before expressing herself with piano. Mybe a natural chamber music pianist. I was pleased to hear what she was telling with her piano while doing with my own part. What a joy to communicate in performance!  

It was the 2nd meeting since the last practice in Feb before the coronavirus turmoil had started. We have used the same public hall for the past couple of years. We were sad that we should give it up for a while. It is still problematic to gather for ensemble like we do especially when the epidemic was flaring up again. But our enthusiasm has overwhelmed with the risk. Of course, we have done much for precautions. The conductor was using a small amplifier and a speaker to instruct us not in order to avoid splashing droplets to the others. 

It was located at a quiet place in a suburb of Tokyo. We could see banks of a river through the window. When I entered the room, taking certain distance between them, all the members were sitting around the conductor in a half circle. 

The members were mainly in the middle to old age generation. Being held in the daytime of a plain week day, it had mostly house wives as participants. They were craving for a chance to enjoy ensemble. Six violinists, one violist, sometimes two including one switching her violin to viola, one cellist, that is me. A small, intimate and comfortable air flows in the ensemble.

The violist, the eldest in the group, a retired guy told us he had had hearing dysfunction. He was hesitating to join the group due to his problem.  

He plays it accurately. It sounds mellow and gentle as real viola always does. He told me he had started it in his university days. I don't know what career as a violist he has gone through. No doubt he was an experienced violist. The only problem was that he could hardly hear what the conductor said. It might be overcome if the conductor came close to him and told her instruction to him. Even with such a small trouble, his existence seemed more valuable than his quitting. I believed his presence in the ensemble was important not only to us but also to himself. I have told him that. He complained, having a couple of hearing aids, one for music and the other for conversation, he could not exchange them frequently while practicing in the ensemble. They seemed to be tiny simple models put into an ear canal. He should use a big one with complicated circuit and have it fit to his hearing abnormality. He told me he could hardly hear the pitch of D, which might be a deep dip in his audiogram possibly. He was aware of that and wanted to get a audio pattern of his hearing aids. But nothing was given to him. I told him to consult to an ENT neurologist and to ask him to prepare a better hearing aid to fit his problem. He was first reluctant to go for consultation but later seemed to have made up his mind to do so. I was afraid I had forced him to do so. He was, however, glad to have my advice. 

Hearing problem and regression of motor function are inevitable to us, aged people. But we could resist such aging process if we want to. Of course, we may go downhill little by little. If we have done what we could, we won't regret of our lives. This violist, always smiling, seemed to live that way. Hopefully, I would go after him.

This group might be the last one for me in my life. I would enjoy each practice with them until I have any health issue which prevents me from attending it. Life is short but is always providing us much pleasure.