HOME HARMONY

So many big moments in life revolve around music. The soundtrack to our lives, a catalogue of musical memories forms us, comforts and accompanies us. From childhood music lessons to teen band crushes to wedding songs to funeral services, the emotion attached to a piece of music is deep. “Music Music ac acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly clo closed heart opens,” said Maria Augusta von Trapp Trapp. Is there anyone alive who doesn’t know any lyrics from The Sound of Music?

My fath father is a self-taught guitarist with a beautifu beautiful voice. My grandmother and aunt both playe played piano, which I took up at six but regret regrettably dropped in my teens. Early childhood memories peg Dad at the centre of singalong singalongs, Nan sitting at her piano or my aunt’s hands han dancing across the keys. As toddlers w we twirled in tights to Strauss waltzes or vigorou vigorously conducted Peer Gynt’s InThe Hallofthe Hallofthe MountainKing. Hours were spent fossicking through Dad’s vinyl collection before I started d to build my own.

Today our home is still filled with music. There’s no space for a piano but my son is angling to play sax and nothing makes me happier than him asking if he can choose a playlist, often a prelude to a Friday night disco in the living room. Our teenage daughters, meanwhile, are building their own music worlds, earbuds in and Spotify playlists engaged. The CDs went a while ago but our vinyl collection is still in the house and a place for the record player is earmarked when we reconfigure a bedroom this year.

Following on from last month’s sight theme, this issue we are exploring the sense of sound and the influence it has in the home. In doing so, we’ve placed musical instruments at the heart of our decorating feature, and look at the technology that has transformed the way we listen to music. How quickly we’ve moved from vinyl records to cassettes to CDs and portable music devices to homes that are wireless for sound. Travel experiences chosen for their aural impact are also in the line-up. While planning H&G’s 70th birthday event, music was on the agenda early. What better way to unite a crowd or start a conversation than with a quick music quiz? ABC personality Myf Warhurst not only warmed up the guests but also created a charts-led playlist for the event. You can now download Myf’s playlist – Australian Number Ones And Then Some Party Mix – from H&G’s Spotify account, using this link: https://spoti.fi/2HjDtZC.

Hope you enjoy the musical journey through the decades, and the issue.