Harpsichord Hero (A.k.a. Dr. Hildebrand the Music Man!)
Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire (Jerry Lee Lewis)! Oklahoma students and teachers had a rare opportunity this week to listen and learn from colonial music expert Dr. David Hildebrand. The George Washington’s Mount Vernon Ladies Association and the Kirkpatrick Foundation brought David to Tulsa and Oklahoma City for performances and a teacher workshop. He gave three performances in the Connor’s Cove Auditorium located at the Hardesty Library of Tulsa. Later that afternoon we took The Long and Winding Road (Beatles) to Oklahoma City. All the Leaves were Brown and the Sky was Gray (Mamas and Papas, paraphrased) early Tuesday morning when we got into the car to head to the Oklahoma History Center for another round of presentations. With the shadow of the Oklahoma State Capitol dome behind him, Dr. Hildebrand gave a show-stopping concert that caused Good Vibrations (Beach Boys) throughout the audience.
Teach Your Children Well (Crosby Stills & Nash). Dr. Hildebrand certainly did teach the children and educators about the music of Washington’s period. He explained that the General “could not lift a note” but loved to listen (and dance) to music. Keep on Dancin’, Yeah (Bee Gees)! The Colonial expert explained that General James Wolfe, the British officer who died while taking Quebec, was the early American hero. As the Revolution broke out, Washington slowly took over the role as the great American Idol. Washington was well aware of the importance of music in civic moments—Born in the USA (Bruce Springsteen).
Everything old is new again (Peter Allen). One major theme that ran through all of David’s seminars was how the colonials took old tunes and wrote new words. Since, throughout the period, Americans had a fairly low literacy rate “music and lyrics gained power and meaning through repetition and recycling.” I Believe in Yesterday (The Beatles).
I’d Rather be a Hammer than a Quill (Simon and Garfunkel, paraphrased). As Dr. Hildebrand created his melodious magic on the harpsichord, he enlightened the audience about the inner workings of the instrument. Whereas a piano uses hammers, a harpsichord plucks quills. The harpsichord that George Washington bought his stepdaughter, Patsy, had louvers on the lid to help make sounds soft and loud (trying to compete with the new piano). The louvers were activated by foot pedals. This unique feature plus the harpsichord double manual was the instrument’s last gasp in the battle of the ivories. Dr. Hildebrand also demonstrated the English Flute, the German Flute, and he Could Play the Guitar Like Ringing a Bell (Chuck Berry).
Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey Goodbye (Dave Clark Five). After two days of multiple performances and one workshop at the History Center, my thoughts were, “I Fe-e-e-el Good, I Knew that I Would (James Brown)!” We returned David to the airport because he was Homeward Bound (Simon and Garfunkel)—Ain’t that a Shame (Fats Domino)!
Thanks for the Memories (Shep Fields, Bob Hope’s theme song). Mount Vernon and the Kirkpatrick Foundation deserve a BIG thank you for bringing this educational and entertaining musical adventure to Oklahoma. It can be best summed up by George Jellinek, “The history of a people is found in its songs.”
