Rula Cordon Lytle

The Music of Our Lives Rula Cordon Lytle

Rula and I were married in 1959. Periodically, during the course of our lives together, I composed music for us as a couple, as well for family situations and events such as weddings and funerals. Rula insisted that I write it all down, pointing out that musical expression opens a window on the soul, while cameras only reflect outward appearances. She created a collage to serve as a cover page for each piece that I wrote down. Recently, as I pondered the lineup of songs and solos we had recorded over the years, it dawned on me that we had at least partially filled the melodic hiatus in the outward soundtrack of our own lives. Even mediocre movies are accompanied by background music, which gives audible expression to what the protagonists are experiencing in their souls. Often I had remarked upon exiting a performance empowered by a musical score, that the lives of ordinary people are anything but ordinary, and that all deserve to be accompanied in their daily lives by the New York Philharmonic. JUST IMAGINE THE LIFT THAT SUCH A BACKUP WOULD LEND TO ONE'S SELF-ESTEEM -- AND THE IMPETUS FOR BEAUTY TO DISPLACE UGLINESS! The chapters of this book discuss the setting or motivation which lead me to express its essence in music. The sheet music itself then rounds out the chapter. The author is not a professional musician, but has hopefully recorded in each case enough for others to perform and expand upon.