Two years ago, I wrote about a missing French horn ornament. Yesterday, I found it. It's silly to admit that it had apparently slipped off the Christmas tree, and I had no memory of putting it in a box that I labelled, "Christmas ornaments."
I'm glad the tree's musical ensemble is complete once again, but honestly, who would have thought to look for the missing French horn trinket in a box marked "Christmas ornaments?"
Just about everyone, perhaps? Well, yes.
Yes, it's a nice, low-key Christmas tree, with ornaments spanning several decades. It's heartwarming to see the representations of Santa, Snoopy and Woodstock, trains, cats, instruments, and...
...Wait a minute. Where's the French horn ornament? The orchestra is incomplete without it. It wouldn't have nearly the same ring if The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble was called The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble Minus French Horn. Did it fall into a box or behind a piece of furniture?
If necessary, I could order another French horn ornament, but it wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't be the French horn ornament that has traveled from house to house with me since the late '80s. The appearance and the sentimentality I attach to it just wouldn't be the same.
I understand all the more now why musicians are so attached to their violins, cellos, and other chosen instruments. The timbre of various models varies widely. Not just any make and model of an instrument speaks to a person, after all.