Article June 9, 2003 Issue

'Your audience always includes God'

A portrait of flutist Frances Blaisdell Williams

By Kim Shippey Senior Writer

One of Frances Blaisdell's pupils, Bob Singer of Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, loved Bach and wanted to play his sonatas as often as possible. He worked really hard on them. But one day as he played a particularly difficult part with great accuracy and pride, Miss Blaisdell stopped him.

"No," said his teacher, "it's not good enough just to play the notes. Anyone can do that. You must understand that Bach wrote everything for the greater glory of God. Play with that in mind. Your audience always includes God."

"I played it again," recalls Singer, "this time with feeling—with love, with my heart filled with the sanctity of it all. And this time I got it right."

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