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MT. ST. HELENS
I had seen it several times before when visiting Jack and Marcia Johnston. Jack had been next-door neighbor to the Hovhaness/Chakmakjian family on Arlington's Blossom Street and had received the signed manuscript page from Hovhaness' Mt. St. Helens Symphony as a personal gift from the composer.
The power conveyed through Hovhaness' own handwriting was always overwhelming. On this visit I was to spend several days practicing the piano over which it had been displayed. Words would fail me were I to attempt to explain the grandeur of the experience.
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PHOTOS BELOW:
1: Autographed manuscript page from Mt. St. Helens Symphony. A gift from Hovhaness to Jack Johnston, the framed page hangs just over the Johnstons' piano.
2: May 18, 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. (Photo by Austin Post.)
