A melancholy Schubert

…doesn’t help much, filling the room as it does with the sad sweet melody of a single piano, in its beauty practically demanding one weep, and while I’m on the subject, weeping and the accompanying gnashing of teeth, why is it beauty should make one cry rather than leap ecstatically about with a big smile splashed across your cake hole?

Music in particular of the arts can do that. You can look all day at a Corot landscape – see above - and appreciate it in all its magnificent splendor and are not moved to tears but rarely, whereas any number of pieces of music can leave you a sobbing pile of rags in the corner, gasping for air…(He’s really out in space this guy don’t you think Dear? Look at this huh? Now he’s a crybaby over in the corner…criminy…why do we waste our hard-earned money on this stuff?)…and reveling in the lugubrious bittersweet sorrow one can only experience when alone with Bach, Telleman, Vivaldi or Handel.

But it is not only the Baroque which bring tears cascading, for instance have you ever heard Emmy Lou Harris and Waylon Jennings sing ‘Together Again’ – you’ll be calling your ex-spouse filled with remorse before the song’s over, but remember before you do that he/she is not sitting at home listening to Emmy Lou and waiting for your call, but might be watching the tube or something else might be afoot or abed, and your soulful revelations and confession will be an intrusion so don’t be gulled into doing it for real, and put that beer down, you don’t need it…

(…and cripes, he can’t maintain one subject for two complete paragraphs, off he goes into the ozone…here, you take it, I just can’t handle it anymore, buncha drunken babble I guess, here - hand over that Union-Leader, and pass me some toast please…)