SHIFT on Friday, May 24th 2013: Lets get married... or not.
Welcome to Shift, where Tom Allen takes you on a daily musical journey from the stalwarts of Classical music to the cutting edge of Contemporary tunes. Join us here on CBC music for a round-up of the stories of the day, some videos of music (or maybe just videos interesting to music fans) and a place to speak your voice.
Audio
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As we approach the traditional season of matrimony, we at Shift want you to make sure you're making a decision you can live, and so, on this blissful Friday we bring you music to help facilitate that process.
Step 1) Don't say I Do if you Don't
Here's a cautionary tale brought to you from the Classical Music Hall of Marriage Horrors.
Peter Tchaikovsky was engaged once and dumped, but later married a former student who threatened to kill herself unless he sidy "I do" even though he didn't. Tchaikovsky was gay, and was so miserable it wasn't long before he was throwing himself into very cold water to get out of it.
No surprise then, that the most meaningful relationship he had with a woman was conducted entirely by correspondence, and on the condition that the two parties never meet.
Her name was Nadezhda von Meck. She regularly wrote him long, intimate and emotional letters than always included a substantial cheque and she was fine with that. She, it turned out, became insanely wealthy after coaching her civil servant husband to quit his day job and start up a railway concern just as Russia was in the throes of the biggest train line expansion in history. All was bliss until he discovered she was having an affair and collapsed dead on the spot. She kept the millions, and a somewhat exaggerated need for solitude.
Here's Tchaikovsky's mighty 4th Symphony, written after his disastrous marriage and dedicated to Nadezhda von Meck.
Step 2) There's nothing wrong with staying single.
Marriage is a legal contract, don't forget. The great Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley have not even a reasonable doubt between them.
Step 3) Talk to your parents.
Corb Lund reminds us that no matter what you think of him or her, things are an awful lot easier if the folks agree.
Step 4) It's not only about you.
Lastly, Jim Cuddy reminds us that every wedding is, to a certain extent, a public event shared by all - and that every wedding fills even the most cynical among us with a small flicker of hope, and some weddings even more.
You can contact us at SHIFT with your ideas, questions, or anything else by sending us a message on our Facebook page. Through email, you can reach show producers Alison Howard ( alison.howard@cbc.ca ) or Alex Redekop ( alex.redekop@cbc.ca ) or Pete Morey ( peter.morey@cbc.ca )