My Guitar, My Music and My God
OCTOBER 30, 1963, was a very special day for me. At 7:30 p.m. I was to be the guitar soloist at a two-hour classical music program, to be held in Montevideo’s principal theater. Much publicity had been given to this event, which was also to be broadcast throughout Uruguay.
That morning I awakened with much nervous tension due to the prospect of facing a large and demanding audience. As the hours seemed to drag on much slower than usual, this nervous strain kept building up. But once I was in front of the audience I would need complete control of my nerves in order to concentrate clearly on the intricate finger-work. Many prospective concert musicians have failed, victims of their own nerves. In some cases mental blackouts occur or even slight cases of amnesia. Besides that, the concert guitar is a very ungrateful instrument. It gives you away immediately. The slightest error in the transmittal of delicate tones is easily perceived even by the most inexperienced ear.
The Concert Ordeal
About 6:30 p.m. the audience begins to arrive. Included are professional musicians, many guitar enthusiasts, professors and teachers of music, music students and fans, as well as the general public. All have one thing in common—the desire to enjoy a delightful musical concert. They also expect a high standard of musicianship. It is good to see that there are still many people who appreciate soft melodious harmony in contrast to strident cacophonous rock music.
It is now 7:20 p.m. Suddenly someone knocks on the dressing-room door and reminds me that in five minutes I must appear on stage. This is the first of three notices. The next one comes at three minutes, and the third when there is only one minute before curtain time. Why this nerve-racking countdown? Well, since local radio stations are to transmit the concert throughout most of the country on a chain network, logically the “On the Air” signal must be perfectly synchronized with the actual starting time.
One minute to go! By this time nervous tension has built up tremendously. The lights in the main part of the auditorium are turned off. Now only the stage is totally illuminated. I hear a voice calling out my name and saying: “You may go on stage now.”
This is the crucial moment. My heart throbs violently as if trying to leap out of my chest. I walk quickly to the center of the stage behind the closed curtain. The curtain opens, I step forward, and as is customary, the audience receives me with warm applause. This allows me to begin to relax and release some of the nervous tension. Audience communication becomes easier.
The Moment of Truth
Before starting I make a quick trial run over the strings for a final check on the fine-tuning of the instrument. Now I slowly begin to play the first part. During these first few bars my hands shake and tremble. Little by little they become steady and gradually come under full control. The musical tones are becoming sharper, clearer, neater and more exact. By the time I get to the second piece the insecure feeling and shakiness have almost entirely faded away.
I sense that the phrasing of short passages, the many different delicate tones, the dynamic force, and also the general fullness or body of sound volume have improved remarkably. The attentive crowd seems to strain in complete silence to catch every note. Their enthusiastic final applause assures me that I have passed the test.
The plaudits and cheers might appear to crown my efforts. But what was it that compelled me to continue facing the public? Was it the applause, plaudits and autograph hunters that moved me to repeat this procedure many times? Could it be only a matter of selfish ego or personal vanity?
How I Became a Concert Guitarist
When I was just a child an invisible force seemed to grip me. It was my inner drive to be a musician. My musical vocation became apparent at the early age of five. I was always wanting to play the guitar. My parents did not pay much attention to this. They thought it was just some whim or passing fancy. Five more years passed before they took me more seriously. So I began formal guitar studies at the age of ten.
When I was 15 years old I began to make public appearances. Then in 1959 I won my first contest, coming off in first place in the annual show put on by a Belgian international organization. In the year 1961 I again took first place in a competitive show organized by the three principal musical institutions of Uruguay. Public appearances became frequent.
In 1964 I traveled to the United States along with a pianist. There we presented a series of concerts in Washington, D.C. On returning home in 1965 I continued to develop my musical career. I was constantly fulfilling engagements on a variety of radio and television stations. I became well known and was recognized almost everywhere I went in Uruguay.
Spiritism Failed to Satisfy
Prior to this time I practiced a spiritist religion. I even served as a medium and healer. However, my greatest interest and sincere desire was to get to know God better. But when I received obviously contradictory “communications” from the occult world, this raised some serious doubts and undermined my faith in spiritism. The chaos that reigned during these spiritist meetings made it clear to me that the true God could not approve of such practices. So I quit spiritism without renouncing my search for the truth.
In 1965 I had an offer to travel throughout Europe making personal appearances in many principal cities, something that I had always wanted to do. However, about that time I cultivated a close friendship with a guitar teacher. This friendship led to great changes in my career and my relationship with our Creator.
Harmony in the Bible?
My ideas about God and the Bible were vague and confused. But when my guitar-teacher friend visited me things began to change. We developed the custom of regularly meeting together to play music and chat about current events. Subjects for discussion included religion and politics. Although he had been an atheist, he decided to study the Scriptures. For that reason he had accepted a weekly home Bible study with two young missionaries of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Knowing of my keen interest in learning about God, he invited me to attend. Gladly I accepted.
We studied the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom.” But I had so many questions that little progress was made in the booklet itself. Nevertheless, I immediately recognized that this was the truth that I had been searching for. Discordant, confused teachings of false religion were replaced with logical harmonious truth. It was like music to my ears. How elated I was to learn about Jehovah, to know what had caused wickedness and that the only workable solution to man’s problems was through God’s Kingdom! I shuddered in horror when I realized how dangerous it had been to work directly with the demons as their medium in the past.—Deuteronomy 18:9-13; Isaiah 8:19.
When I began studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses, Myriam, my fiancée, took up studying with the Adventists. When visiting each other we always exchanged ideas about what we were learning. She was surprised at how much more I had learned about subjects such as the Trinity, hell, resurrection, the Kingdom and others. All she learned during the same time was to “keep the Sabbath.” I found out that the Sabbath law was given exclusively to the Israelites and not to anyone else. (Psalm 147:19, 20) It was fulfilled and ended with Jesus’ death. (Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 2:16, 17) I helped Myriam to understand this point and she decided to quit the Adventists and begin studying with the Witnesses.
We got married in 1967 and both symbolized our dedication to Jehovah by water immersion in 1970. Sadly, my teacher friend who was very instrumental in guiding me to the truth did not continue.
A New Scale of Values
As one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I learned a new scale of values. Within my imperfect limitations I began to see things as Jehovah sees them. This caused me to reconsider my goals in life and to make important adjustments. I analyzed my life’s musical career in the light of my newly formed relationship with Jehovah. I pondered over the great amount of time that was consumed in preparing for concerts, traveling and in my many public appearances. How could this help me fulfill my dedication to my Creator?
My future as a concert guitarist was very promising. But now something had happened to change all of this. All those great prospects now paled into insignificance and lost importance, when I considered Jesus’ words, “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations.” I weighed the matter of which would be more important for my audience—to listen to a guitar concert or to hear the good news of God’s Kingdom? Making the kind of melody that praises Jehovah and brings life to its hearers is far more rewarding to all. My guitar produces a momentary uplift and joy, but what I now have to say and teach from God’s Word can bring permanent benefit.—Matthew 28:19, 20.
My Bible-trained conscience caused me to make a vital decision. I decided it would be better for me to abandon my career as a concert guitarist. I do not regret canceling my contracts, including my theatrical tour of Europe. I did not feel it was right to say: “I’ll serve you Jehovah, but first let me do all these other things I am interested in doing, and when I am through there I’ll come back and then be faithful to you.”—Luke 9:57-62.
As might be expected, this decision brought severe criticism. Most of my relatives, friends and also important personages in the music world felt that my mind was becoming confused. Little did they realize that my mind was just getting straightened out from its former confused condition. They mistakenly concluded that my new religion had prohibited me from continuing with my concerts. It was difficult to get them to see that my decision was a personal one. My conscience moved me to take up the far more urgent work of preaching and other Christian activities. Attending Christian meetings and engaging in the preaching work would be virtually impossible while on a concert tour.
My Music and My Worship
My joy and satisfaction as a Christian since dedicating my life to Jehovah have far surpassed all that I ever experienced during the time when concerts meant everything to me. It has been a real joy and privilege to help many other people come to know the beautiful ‘sound of truth,’ which is far more durable than the ‘sound of music.’ Besides preaching regularly in the homes of interested persons and from the platform, my many duties as an elder in the Christian congregation have kept me occupied and have filled my life with worthwhile activity. In reality, my life’s vocation has undergone a radical change. My musical activity has been put in its proper place in my life, since I am now “seeking first the Kingdom.”—Matthew 6:33.
How did we manage to live without my concert career? For a few years I served as professor on the Faculty in the Arts Institute. In 1977 I was chosen to sit on the board of five judges during an international guitar contest in Pôrto Alegre, Brazil. At the same time I conducted classes in the International Seminary of Music there.
In 1980 we moved to Spain where I now give private guitar lessons. In this manner my guitar helps to maintain my wife and me in our service to Jehovah. From time to time I have made melody to praise Jehovah by forming part of the orchestra used at Christian assemblies. Needless to say, at Christian social gatherings I can limber up my fingers on my ten-stringed guitar, and my friends seem to enjoy it.
In the new system of things, which God will bring soon, there will be more time for developing natural abilities and talents to the rich enjoyment and pleasure of God and man. Physical and mental perfection with eternal life will allow us to reach goals and accomplishments impossible to comprehend or conceive of now. Music in the New Order will serve to praise the Creator, not to glorify the musician or the composer.
I share the sentiments of psalmist and musician-composer David, who said: “Cry out joyfully, O you righteous ones, because of Jehovah. On the part of the upright ones praise is fitting. Give thanks to Jehovah on the harp; on an instrument of ten strings make melody to him. Sing to him a new song; do your best at playing on the strings along with joyful shouting.” (Psalm 33:1-3) I try to do my best to Jehovah’s praise both in preaching and in playing my ten-stringed guitar.—As told by Herman Pizzanelli.
[Pictures on page 18, 19]
I used to perform on TV . . . . . . Now I play for my friends