Cello Notes: Music and the Urgency of Time

by Mavis Himes, Daniel Crack (designer)

After four decades of experience as a psychoanalyst and psychologist, I was approaching the age when my friends and contemporaries were considering retirement and next chapters, and I, too, began to wonder what might replace my professional work. Knowing myself to be someone with a lot of energy and commitment, I knew it would be important to find something stimulating and engaging to replace my full-time profession.
As a first step, and in consideration of my previous interests, I decided to return to music studies. Having played piano as a child but no longer drawn to that particular instrument, I chose to explore a string instrument. For a while, I basked in the fantasy of mastering a lyrical repertoire. However, thoughts about the viability of my learning a string instrument so late in life were quickly swept away as life took hold and pushed me in a different direction for a while.
Some months later, as I once again pondered the image of myself without work, the desire for a musical quest returned and I resolved to take up the cello, more as a way of anticipating and preparing myself for retirement. I then found a teacher who encouraged me to think of my musical studies as a journey, an odyssey into uncharted and unfamiliar physical and mental territories.
As part of my daily ritual, I was persuaded to keep both a lesson journal to record important teachings from my lessons and a practice record to notate my weekly plans, objectives, and progress. In addition, I decided to keep a diary of my musical voyage, including personal thoughts and ideas, concerts attended, and all music-related activities. I wanted to document and archive this new learning for myself, hoping for fresh insights and self-discovery.
While fully prepared for a novel and inspiring adventure, I certainly wasn’t ready for the path upon which I found myself nor the transformative impact it had on me. I could never have foreseen all the shifts and changes, openings and new beginnings, accidents and celebrations, that followed.
So, I decided to share this journey with fellow music learners and peers who were also struggling and navigating new terrain in which their sure-footedness was no longer guaranteed. Recognizing later life is often accompanied by challenges and losses, not least of which is the diminishment of pleasure associated with physical ageing, I felt and continue to feel my cello experience isn’t necessarily unique. I’m convinced of the timelessness of self-discovery and the power of perseverance in the face of challenges. And it’s this awakening of personal desire and the hope to share it with others that inspired the writing of my memoir, Cello Notes: Music and the Urgency of Time.

234 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2024

About the author

I am a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst with a private practice in Toronto, Canada. I have had an interest in the arts and the relationship between various forms of art and psychoanalysis. I have published a number of professional articles on psychoanalysis.

As an writer, I am the author of three books of non-fiction: The Power of Names: Uncovering the Mystery of What We are Called (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and The Sacred Body: A Therapist's Journey (Stoddart, 2002.) and most recently, Cello Notes: Music and The Urgency of Time, a memoir about taking up the study of the cello in later life.

I received my doctoral degree in Psychology from the University of Toronto and completed my analytic formation in Lacanian psychoanalysis at Apres-Coup Psychoanalytic Association.

Reviews

[Kirk Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cello Notes is a very satisfying read. The physical book itself reflects loving attention to detail - its layout and presentation. Included are Notes and Bibliography for those wishing to further explore the various aspects of music (listening, studying, instrumentation). The writing is clear and lucid, humorous and reflective, interspersed with delightful drawings by Brian Gable. It’s about people (teachers, instrument makers, friends, family, fellow musicians), very personal histories, and the love of music in its many forms. Much fascinating info about string instruments and the people who create, repair and play them. And, of course, the theme of time as it relates to music and living and aging informs the memoir from beginning to end. Highly recommended!

[Beatriz Tabak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cello Notes, Music and the Urgency of Time, by Mavis Himes

What a captivating book!

This is a book about love at a certain age.

It is not about a teenager affair, and not about love-affaires that came and left.

It is about the courtship, the matchmaker, the worries, and the development pace of the author's love with Simone- the Cello.

With pleasant writing, the author details the process of learning to play a Cello, while maturing in life and increasing her patience.

Different from all books I read about love at a “certain age,” and about learning an instrument. I loved it.

Cello Notes, Music and the Urgency of Time is highly recommended.

[John Maxwell]

Cello Notes is indeed a "good read". Himes' easy prose makes for a very accessible and enjoyable tale of a woman in her late sixties facing the challenges of learning to play the cello. Hers was not an easy journey; there were roadblocks, frustrating detours and even a near devastating crash but there were also moments of exhilaration and the recognition that the journey is a joyful end in itself. While this is her story Himes invites you, the reader, to make it your story. Follow her example. Take some risks, overcome disappointments and setbacks, let yourself live your dream.

[Clairette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, and made note of several other books to read, and songs to familiarize myself with. Mavis' story is interesting, and her writing accessible, and thankfully is not all about her and her experience, but she came off a bit high strung for me. Her focus on achieving rather than on the path seemed immature, cautionary I guess. I'm glad she seemed to get closer to appreciating the path for what it was, through balanced persistence. The last 1/3 of the book is an example of resilience and the blessings that can come from personal tragedies. May we all age with such verve.

[Tom Axworthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mavis Hines has written a very interesting short autobiography of her recent past as she ages but still wants to life life to the fullest.Her solution was to take up something completely new- learning to play the cello.She accomplishs this feat despite having a bike accident that hinders her development for many months Her story gives the reader much information about cello- playing and the therapeutic impact of music in enriching our lives.Her story is a testament to how to use our latter years well and how much music lifts our spirit.

[Lucinda Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Cello Notes: Music and the Urgency of Time" is completely uplifting and hopeful. This marvellous memoir is an unwavering tribute to personal character, passion and devotion . Hime's intimate, personal memoir describes her deep commitment to learning to play the cello in her late 60s ,despite the many setbacks that she faced, and gives context to Hime's wide ranging knowledge and love for music and for her cello who she 'endearingly' names "Simone".

[RHona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written book. Mavis' academic and psychoanalytic backgrounds were clearly seen in her organized details and her introspection.
Her determination saw her through an accident and slow healing fracture which might have ended her cello playing but now amazingly well healed.
A sensitive relationship with a well-chosen teacher helped her cello journey and warm affection from her husband supported her ongoing improvement to cello skills.

[Lawlor Rochester · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intimate memoir hits all the high notes: a blend of personal and philosophical, playful and informative. The musical journey of the author is both inspirational and uplifting. The decision to take up the cello in later life and to persist in the face of a serious bike accident is seamlessly interwoven with her cello journey. This book is a gem and a “must read.”

[Nancy Goodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful well-written book, for me, about the author's love affair with her cello and the rich learning experiences of her journey.The physical beauty of the book does justice to its open reflective writing.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful biography built around an inspiring journey of late-life learning in spite of accidents. Personal and very well written. If you like biographies and music, you'll enjoy this one!

[Susan Biggar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for a music lover. The pages moved along easily and it's a good blend of the conversational and serious. It'll inspire any later life musician.