FREDDIE

Fred Begun

A few blogs ago, during August, I wrote about visiting friends in Georgetown, D.C. and mentioned how I appreciated the contributions those friends had made in the music realm, the literary world, and the social service realm. I talked about Freddie Begun’s fame as a timpanist and composer with the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. and Jane Bonin’s contributions as a playwright, professor, writer, and Peace Corps director in Africa. We enjoyed a delightful get-together, and I came away feeling that I had been in the company of two wonderful, enlightened people I was fortunate to have as friends.

A few weeks later, I received word that my friends had been in a horrific wreck and were in intensive care with multiple fractures. Jane was eventually discharged from the hospital, but Freddie worsened daily, and yesterday, he died. Although my friendship with Jane is a long term relationship of forty years, my acquaintance with Freddie was short-lived, a friendship of three years.

Freddie and Jane had been inseparable for seven years, and they came to The Mountain at Sewanee, Tennessee for a week visit with Jane’s daughter and husband over two years ago. While they were here, we enjoyed many lunches and dinners together, and although I admired Freddie’s musical talents, the most distinctive quality he possessed that impressed me deeply was the way he showed gratitude to his hosts and hostesses. Like people in Cajun country, Freddie regarded meals as celebrations, and whoever put on a dinner or took him to lunch received the equivalent of a standing ovation for having taken care of him. Following a meal, he’d stand up and ask for quiet, then deliver a long toast, an “after blessing” that acknowledged the efforts of those who had served him, those who had prepared for him, and those whose company he shared at the table.  He was not a toast master; his thank yous were bountiful and genuine.

In an age and society where I think gratitude is not so openly acknowledged anymore, Freddie was a rare person. He was a Jew, and I think that he exemplified the conscientious Jew who had been taught the theology and practice of gratitude from childhood. It was obvious that one of the overriding ideas in Jewish thought is that of acknowledging the blessings which are a part of your life -- a good Jew takes time to recognize and celebrate the life he has been given. Taken to the extreme, one of the most moving stories I’ve read about Jews showing gratitude to God for their lives is that of Holocaust victims reciting the Shema on their way to being exterminated by the Nazis.

I have copies of the Talmud and Torah among my books, and this morning I found a note about gratitude, referenced as Berachot 58a, which highlights expressing gratitude:

“What does a good guest say? How much trouble my host has taken for me! How much meat he set before me! How much wine he set before me! How many cakes he has set before me! And all the trouble he has taken was only for my sake!” I could hear Freddie echoing those words and inviting applause for his host or hostess afterward. That reading from the Talmud must have been engraved on Freddie’s heart because he expressed simple gratitude for those celebrations each time we were together.

I’m sure many accolades and tributes will be delivered in Freddie’s honor during the next few days, but I never got a chance to tell him how much I appreciated seeing him stand up and unabashedly confess the gratitude he felt for his blessings. I think that Freddie lived a fulfilled life and might have written one of the aphorisms from the Pirke Abot: “Who is rich? Those who rejoice in their own portion!”

I rejoice in having known someone who felt so grateful for the blessings of his life, which included the many friends whose lives he touched with kindness and a grateful heart. Mazel tov, Freddie! 

AMONG GEORGETOWN'S GREATS

Georgetown is a charming area in northwest Washington, D.C. that gives the word "diversity" full meaning. Its unique architecture includes old stone houses, Georgian brick residences, and early Federal and Classic Revival homes interspersed with numerous attractive row houses. I'd define the cuisine in Georgetown as "global," ranging from Belgian and Asian dishes to classy French menus offered at numerous excellent eating places. The population includes Salvadorans, Asians, Hawaiians, African Americans, and many other ethnic groups who add to the colorful diversity of the area.

Among those notables who live in Georgetown and contribute to its diversity are two of my favorite friends, Jane Bonin and Fred (Freddie) Begun. We lunched with them this week at the Raku Restaurant on Q Street in Georgetown. The previous evening at Jane's apartment on Q Street, Freddie had read aloud an entire food review in the Washington Post, interjecting wry remarks about the touted menu items and the elite prose describing those items. He was doing one of his favorite activities – performing!

Fred Begun, master
timpani performer

For 48 years, Freddie performed as the major timpanist of the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. under the batons of some of the greats in the music world: Copland, Rostropovich, Stravinsky, Slatkin… and his performances often equaled the dramatic renditions of these renowned conductors, especially the performances of the ultimate conductor (who was Freddie's favorite), Leonard Bernstein.

"I was noted for my 'balletic style'," Freddie said, explaining that he often leaped about while playing the timpani. He executed this style while premiering five timpani concerti and while touring the world to perform in such places as the former Soviet Union where he played in a historic series of musical performances.

This Spring, George Mason University, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and the School of Music presented a Percussion Celebration to honor the "Extraordinary Musical Career of Fred Begun." The University has established Fred Begun Percussion Scholarships and given the percussion studio at George Mason his name. In appreciation, Freddie donated to the George Mason Fenwick Library his entire library of timpani parts and scores, many of which are autographed by famous conductors and composers and containing Freddie's original markings. Freddie also made a personal financial contribution to help maintain the collection.

Freddie Begun began studying percussion instruments when he was 11, playing the snare drum throughout high school, then entered Juilliard School from which he graduated. He taught at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland and mentored many distinguished timpanists who're performing in the music world today. He also authored 21 Etudes for Timpani, pieces designed to teach students how to enhance their technical and musical skills. "Some of the musicians today are technically proficient," Freddie said, "but they aren't actually involved with the passion of music. This seems to happen because some of their teachers feel that way. They think the older generation is too schmaltzy."

Nowadays, Freddie continues to mentor timpanists and has just completed his manuscript entitled Playing Outside the Box, a memoir devoted to reminiscences about playing beyond the written score – "performances for which I was infamous," he said.

Freddie and Jane at Raku's
in Georgetown

Freddie's companion, Jane Bonin, is a long-time friend of ours, a former professor in the English Department of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she was honored as Distinguished Professor during her tenure there.

Jane was one of the founders of the Eavesdrop Theatre in Lafayette and "Open Space," a showcase for student playwrights. She authored a play produced Off-Off Broadway and wrote a definitive biography of playwright Mario Fratti, as well as Prize Winning American Drama and Major Themes in Prize Winning American Drama. Jane and Freddie share a love of drama and music, and Jane studied voice in Washington for years after returning stateside from Africa.

She's now working on a memoir of Africa, excerpts of which have appeared in her blog entitled "The Color of a Lion's Eye." She served two stints with the Peace Corps – as a Country Director in Niger and as a Deputy Director in Malawi. "I'm proud of my work there," she said. "Hilary Clinton just today singled out the Peace Corps as having the model program that will heal HIV-AIDS. One third of the population was infected with this disease when I was there. I loved Africa, but it was my first experience with extreme poverty, and it was overwhelming to someone who had formerly been a cloistered academician." During the 80's, Jane actively promoted The Hunger Project, a global organization committed to the end of world hunger.

Both Freddie and Jane deprecatingly refer to themselves as less than notable, but we think they're two of our most interesting and attractive friends who have contributed to the Washington/Georgetown community and to the world at large. We left them reluctantly, via the notorious I-95 before traffic began to snarl, to return to Williamsburg, VA where we're vacationing, but we're still talking about the wonderful visit with these two notables and plan to return for another celebration of our friendship next year.