Pentathlon Of The Muses

I’m a fingerstyle guitar enthusiast! So much so that I volunteer to write the Toronto Fingerstyle Guitar weekly newsletter. I’ll post my articles here for your musical pleasure. Be sure to check us out online at http://www.fingerstyleguitar.ca

When I was little, I dreamed of being an Olympic Athlete.  Year after year, I’d watch the Olympic Ceremonies, trying to decide which sport I wanted to compete in.

Trouble was, my hours were dedicated to music.  Outside of a few team sports (volleyball and basketball) and cross country running, my hours were spent practicing and performing.  My Olympic Dreams took a back seat to my rock star aspirations.

Little did I know that, had I been born a generation earlier, I wouldn’t have had to make that choice.  From 1912 to 1948, the Olympics gave a chance for artists to compete for medals.  The competition was called The Pentathlon Of The Muses.

The founding father of the modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, felt the Games needed to integrate sport and the arts and his zeal led to the creation of competitions in music, sculpture, painting, literature and architecture in 1912.  Winners were awarded medals — gold, silver, bronze — just like their athletic counterparts.  So see - I could have been a contender!

The competition no longer exists but there is no doubt that music and the arts are still an integral part of the Olympic Ceremonies.  Imagine the Olympic Games void of music - the raising of the Olympic flag without the Olympic hymn, the parade of nations in a hushed stadium and synchronized swimming to the sounds of silence.

The Beijing Opening Ceremonies featured the song “We Are Ready” by Jackie Chan (yes THAT Jackie Chan - turns out he’s much more than just a martial artist).  They also included a performance by British Soprano Sarah Brightman.  Previous games have included the last public performance by Luciano Pavarotti at the Torino Winter Games in 2006, Celine Dion at the 1996 Atlanta Games and a performance by a friend of fingerstyleguitar.ca in Sydney in 2000.  There is no doubt that the games wouldn’t be what they are without music.

So I guess I still have a chance to go for the gold as an Olympian — gold coins, rather than gold medals.  I still have my heart set on that gold medal though.