Photos by Morgan Gwenwald and Marianne Barcellona, captions from my memory so forgive the inaccurate quotes.
Melody from Orpheus and Eurydice by Gluck
"...cousin Florence...four-hand piano duets..."
"
...the most generous person..."
"... and one morning she left a dozen eggs left at my doorstep.... 
...the next day an egg beater."
"...because of that I started performing again... the world's greatest piano teacher but I didn't say that in front of her..."
"...taught me confidence..."
"Interlude #1 (1993), by Hugh Sams, dedicated to Florence"
"...she enjoyed her whiskey and one night..."
"...I realized she never left a message but was using the phone answering machine as an form to create..."
"...we were not the demographics the new yuppie places on Avenue C catered to and they let us know it...her intrepid spirit about aging..."
"...learned that making mistakes were opportunities..."
"...visit our five-story walk up on 6th Street..."
"...could play anything from 16th century to 20th century..."
"...she was a sexy woman..."
...somehow she convinced Medicaid that she didn't need help...so I had to go back and make a miracle happen..."
"...even with the dementia I really loved visiting her..."
"...she liked the foxtrot...I liked Strauss waltzes..."
...my first piano teacher... and she looked at me and I realized this was serious business..."
"Florence's pride that she, unlike Godowsky and Mannes (sic), could teach her children music...the failure of Otto Klemperer's son who became an actor on TV - 'See what happens when you don't practice your violin!'"
"...BUTTON UP YOUR OVERCOAT WHEN THE WIND IS FREE TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF YOU BELONG TO ME..."
"...Florence's refusal to feel fear...where I get my courage..."
"...my time of day is the dark time of day...And the streetlamp light...fills the gutter with gold...that's my time of day...and you're the only doll I've ever wanted to share it with me."
Sancho incantation
"...and then we had lunch..." (punch line to an old Yiddishkeit joke)
**********************
On Florence's 65th Birthday in November, 1982, Louise and Joshua took Florence to Conesy Island where Florence went swimming. We ask you to on some birthday do something equally daring.
*****
The day would not have happened without the ferocious efforts of:
Rose Ortiz and her incredible staff at the Henry Street Abrons Arts Center
Henrystreet.org
Marianne Barcellona
Adrian Garcia
Morgan Gwenwald
Jennifer Romine
Elizabeth Smith
*****
To make donations in Florence's name:
WNYC RADIO, PO BOX 1550, NY, NY 10116-1550
SAGE (Senior Action in a Gay Environment), 305 7th Avenue, 6th Floor, NY, NY 10001
LHEF (Lesbian herstory Archives), Inc., P.O. Box 1258, NY, NY 10116
*****
For the on-line memorials for Florence, including IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, go to the sidebar of this blog listing the months on the right and click October:
TONIGHT I CAN WRITE THE SADDEST LINE
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS
LOUISE IS THE SMART AND GOOD ONE
****
The definitions of FEAR.
False Evidence Appearing Real
Face Everything And Recover
F*#&ck Everything And Run
5 comments:
the most amazing memorial documentary ever...to get a glimpse of all the emotions, love and music, my goodness! thank you so much for documenting with such care.
This brings me back to words, feelings, heartfelt and honest. I didn't know Florence, but felt I came to know a little of her.
Truly showed my what humanity is, and life is...
Oh and by the way. Claire, I get you now, I really get you.
Your pictures and comments evoked all the emotions of being there and of really getting to know what it was like to be around Florence. I hold you, Louise and Florence in my heart for all three of you are great Muses who bring the joy of freedom and play to the world. For me, Florence is not dead, but moved on to teach life and how to live it fully to another waiting world.
what a beautiful collage of people, sounds, sentences, and love! beautiful
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