The Angel's tears in Music

Some people say that classical music is boring. But do you know the reason why popular songs only last for a few months while classical music last forever? Classical music is the fundamental foundation of music. Therefore musicians repeatedly play those old beaufiul pieces and never get tired of them.Without knowing classical music, it is impossible to understand music.
Since I was a little child, I  learned violin at the age of five. I always carry my lovely iPod touch. I listen to different genres and artists. Although I play the violin, I love listening to my favorite cellists. I prefer listening to cellists because they produce the deep, gentle, moving and soothing sound of music. My all time favorite cellist is Jacqueline du Pré. She is one of the greatest cellist ever lived. Jacqueline du Pré is a legend and an angel from heaven.

Jacqueline du Pré was born in Oxford, England on January 26th, 1945. Her mother, Iris du Pré, was a talented pianist who taught at the Royal Academy of Music. At age four, Jacqueline heard the beautiful sound of cello through the radio and asked her mother that she wanted "one of those." She got her first cello at the age of four but the cello was bigger than her tiny body. She loved the sound when she placed the bow on the string. Her mother taught Jacqueline until Jacqueline went to London Violoncello School at age five. She never left music from then and showed her talents through competitions.  

William Pleeth, her "cello daddy", taught her from age ten and helped her ingenious talents to develop although it was at the peak. She was passionate, fortunate and talented enough to study with Casals, Tortelier and Rostropovich. Mstislav Rostropovich, the "king of cello," declared her "the only cellist of the younger generation that could equal and overtake [his] own achievement."

At age 16, she made her formal debut at Wigmore Hall, London in March 1961. She had her concerto debut at the Royal Festival Hall playing Elgar Cello Concerto with BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 1965, she became an international recognition when she recorded the Elgar Concerto for EMI with the London Symphony Orchestra. The critics considered that her recording was the "definitive recording of the Elgar concerto." Here's the link to the ingenious and divine Jacqueline's Elgar concerto that will give you goosebumps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5C99JyP2ns . By her exuberating performance, Rostropovich erased the Elgar concerto from his list.

While performing with the most prestigious orchestras and conductors, she met a Jewish genius pianist and conductor, Daniel Barenboim, on New Year's Eve 1966. They fell in love. After the Six-Day War ended, they flew to Jerusalem, Jacqueline converted to Judaism overnight, and were married on June 15th, 1967, at the Western Wall.

In 1971, she started losing feeling in her fingers and her arms. She was criticized because of her poor performance. She was so scared that she could not talk about it.  Her conditions worsened and ended her music career in February 1973 by performing the Elgar Concerto with Zubin Mehta. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis by October 1973. It mercilessly took her away from her beloved cello, music, physical body, and her husband. She died on October 19th, 1987, at the age of forty two. She is buried in Golders Green Jewish Cemetery. She left us too early, eternally moving people in tears but will always be remembered.