"What if..." Fridays

If you could suddenly possess an extraordinary talent in one of the arts, what would it be?

Of course I could say the culinary arts, but whether cooking is an art or a craft that is a debate for another day. Besides food, one of my other passions is classical music, especially the huge symphonic pieces such Beethoven's Symphony no. 9, Berlioz' Symphony Fantastique and Smetana's Moldau.

The ability to write a symphony with layers upon layers of instruments amazes me. I mean who can write a piece of music that will be played and loved 200 years from now. Anyone from American Idol? Ummm not a chance. Elvis or The Beatles? Maybe, but I think most of the kids nowadays would ask "who?" since the culture nowadays is what is the latest and greatest.

Back to the original question.

I would like to write something like Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. The first four notes are probably the most widely known, even if you do not know the name of the piece.

"da da da dah"

Something that touches the hearts of men, a musical piece that hits you hard in the beginning, and then dissipates. It builds and builds and builds and comes crashing down around you at the end leaving you breathless.

That is the kind of piece of music I would like to compose.