A Haines Home Companion: Padawan Music
There’s Rebel Fanfare, Leia’s Theme, Binary Sunset, The Imperial March, or the Death Star Motif, all themes called leitmotifs, “a musical term (though occasionally used in theatre or literature), referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea.”
Pieces of music come in and out of a score to ground the viewer to a particular motif, give it certain connotations.
One day, I’ll hear John Williams’ amazing trumpet blares, the bassoon, french horn, and the piercing flute, and it will not take me to the scenes of Princess Leia conjuring tension in Han Solo. I won’t look back and think ominous Death Star, Boba Fett, or the Forest Moon of Endor.
Though I will think Father and son. I’ll think of what we pass down to the next generation, what the generation after that will do better.
Sometimes I hate Star Wars. It’s my boys’ waking thought. It will never go away.
But I know that with age comes a loneliness, a chance to have the esteem corrected away from the children we worked so hard to raise. One day, I’ll be alone, rocking maybe, working hard in my spirit to live intimately hand-in-hand with Invisible GOD, and then, the thought of it, the sound, will unlatch from the secret recesses of gray matter, and I’ll start humming.
The Star Wars Music.
And I’ll rock and remember. Maybe smile.
They used to run around in their underwear and sit in my lap while I typed. They would wrestle on the couch until someone cried, and then they would do it again two minutes later. They would use their light sabers to wack the neighbor kid across the face for not including all the brothers.
Maybe they’ll come see me wherever I am, and maybe they won’t. But our theme music has already nestled into my bones. You never know when the music will come out, take us back to our themes.
This morning, we all grew horns and butted heads over Star Wars, and I won, put the toys up in a box and declared a week without. Here’s to the leitmotifs of boyhood, how a mother can take away Han Solo, but NEVER the Rebel Fanfare.
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- April 15, 2011
- 25 Comments
- 0
- motherhood
Kelly Sauer
April 15, 2011*giggle* a thoughtfully fun post. i think i will not miss "old macdonald" or "the three blind mice." and my kids don't really notice that they're gone for now. but i think your story is better.
Amber
April 15, 2011Kelly, I'm so serious when I say that it's an obsession. We've literally called Star Wars a "high place" and had to knock it down a few times.
After a while, they'll chill out and then we'll give it back. It's their most fun. And my most noise!
deb
April 15, 2011exactly, yes.
shelly
April 15, 2011Too funny! I am a few years ahead of you on the boy scale...our 3 still live and breath Star Wars. I have to stop them when my girl nerves can't take one more minute of debate over star fighters and villains vs good guys. They'll move on to other things, sometimes for quite awhile...but they always are humming the songs and eventually they return to their first love! Sword fights, legos, drawings upon drawings---you might as well settle in :)
Amber
April 15, 2011Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Elizabeth @claritychaos
April 15, 2011Kindred spirit. :)
Amber
April 15, 2011I know it, Elizabeth. Bless our hearts, huh?
Southern Gal
April 15, 2011Love this! I've struggled with this a little with my now 9-year-old. He was only introduced to it at 7 with the Lego's Star Wars Wii game and only recently watched all the movies. (I had to read the books to him first. Mama rule.) We've had two birthday parties for him with the Star Wars theme. (His 19-year-old brother was Darth Vader for the last one.) We've had to take the implements away at times and give it a rest. The music...I have the album and I will always remember my boy carefully placing the record on the turntable to listen to the wonderful strains of John William's music while sitting with the cover just soaking it in. The strains of his childhood (which used to be David and Goliath and Robin Hood).
kendal
April 15, 2011we have
all.
six.
movies.
thank you, nana.
Amber
April 15, 2011Yeah, we do, too. After they heard Anakin yell to Obi Wan, "I hate you!" we had to ban that one. THey started yelling it everywhere they went. It was awesome.
hamster
April 15, 2011"Hey, who you calling scruffy?"
Amber
April 15, 2011You're scarred, aren't you?
hamster
April 15, 2011Say, that Oh Land video, "Rainbow", in your Peonies & Peomas section is fresher than brand new brussel sprouts before the steam. I'm a sucker for hand-claps and finger-snaps in a song. Adele's new record features some hand-clapping, and it argues my Southern Baptist roots out into the aisles and on my toes.
Amber
April 15, 2011I know, right? Adele makes me all kinds of happy, too.
Joy
April 15, 2011I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that John Williams is one of my favorite stations on Pandora, because of the many memories in the music I associate with my dad. It was from him I recieved my Star Trek: TNG propensities... Neither he nor I were never much for Star Wars, but we both dearly enjoy John's music.
I enjoyed this post so much...it's made me think about the soundtrack of our days here, in the house on the hill.
Amber
April 15, 2011Don't you be embarrassed, Joy. I hung out with people like you in high school and in college both. I didn't grow up watching these movies, but there's something about especially the girls who were into such things (like, I WAY LOVE SciFi (Molder and Scully Forever)) that said "we don't want to be like the rest!"
Erika
April 15, 2011You are not alone. I have a one-liner always on repeat in my brain, "THEY are NOT like ME. THEY are NOT like ME. THEY are NOT like ME." I say this while deep-breathing through the incessant battle noises.
Amber
April 15, 2011Yeah. I'm neverendingly amazed at how odd boys are. I've always had a thing for them, though.
stacey neal
April 15, 2011oh will the pregnancy hormones never cease? that totally made me BAWL. as i have been at the end of my rope w/ the wrestling, yelling, whacking, and yes...at times....the laughing. terrible. focusing on getting things ready for midwives. longing for peace and quiet. meaningless. meaningless. thanks for reeling me back in. now i can't wait for them to get home from grandma's and soak in the ruckus! :)
Amber
April 15, 2011Oh my goodness, when do we get to be neighbors? We love y'all so much
It's the week you're due, right?
I can't wait to see if you get another little redhead.
Seth (your husband)
April 15, 2011"Kkkksssshhhhh, kkkkkkrrrrrrrr, vwummmmmm, vwummmmmmmm, beeeeyyyuuu...
huh HUM, huh huh huh HUH hum, huh huh huh HUH hum, huh hub huh hummmmm."
These are the sounds always in our house. Their insolence cannot be tolerated any longer.
Amber
April 15, 2011Really the best part is the story you told last night at the dinner table about the Death Star Cafeteria and the food mistake that gave Darth Vader a sick tummy, which had a whole lot to do with the true story behind Obi Wan's death.
Only you, Seth. Only you.
Danelle Townsend
April 16, 2011My older son learned to play the theme music on the piano. It seemed endless. Ok, it still is.
And yet in quiet moments, without my two boys (who are 9&7) jumping on beds and having light saber duels, I fear how very much our days are numbered.
Thank you for this sweet post.
Amanda
April 16, 2011I had never seen the movies until I met my (now) husband. When we got married and they opened the doors for my dad and me, I really wanted the Imperial March to start as a joke for my husband (and his siblings), but it ended up not happening and it still makes me sad. Oh, well.
hamster
April 16, 2011for seth, who has certainly seen this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5iEK-IEzw