Replying to LO27521 --
Dear At and dear learners,
I quoted,
" It takes spiritual [geistigen] rhythm to grasp music in its essence....all
genuine musical invention is moral progress.
To submit to its inscrutable laws, and by the virtue of these laws, to
overcome and controlones own mind, so it shall set forth the revelation;
that is the isolating principle of (all) art..."
> What a beautiful and thought provoking quote! Let me warn
> .you that the translator probably translated "moralisch" into
> "moral". Beethoven's parents moved from Belgium to Austria
> In the Lowlands region (Belgium, Netherlands and north
> Germany) the word moral ("moralish", "moreel") had two
> distinctively different meanings -- the typical meaning of
> rightful conduct with all its variations and also the meaning of
> innate or intrinsic forming ("innerliche Bildung"). (Winfried
> can help us out if German in general has this second meaning.)
> Moral in English does not have this second meaning.
>
> Which meaning had Beethoven in mind -- rightful conduct or
> innate forming? I personally think he had the second one in
> mind. Thus I would have translated the sentence as
> "...all genuine musical invention is progress in innate forming"
Thank you At for this 'fine' ;-) distinction. It reminds me of the
Confucian emphasis on suggesting connections between inner and outer
qualities. I will try and find some examples from Confucianism. It's a
long time since we used to write about confusionism ;-). This (below)
might interest some people about the connectionism between outside and
inside for artists in any culture...what I think this artist refers to is
what some see as the 'commanding form' in art, the 'strange attractor'
perhaps of aesthetics... All matter is formed of accumulated force. Thus
even the undulations of hilltops and every rock and tree are possessed by
a life force inherent in them. They are multifarious, yet orderly, perhaps
they exist in small numbers, but they are never dried and dead. Each has
its own shape, and together they have a related unity. All things differ
in shape and manner, yet all are governed by this life force and possess
the beauty of life. This is called shih, force of movement. When people,
speaking of the 'six techniques' lay down the first lifelike tone and
atmosphere they mean exactly this. When we speak of the force of the brush
pi-shih, we mean that the life movement of the brush brings out the body
posture of the different objects. Only so can the work be called a
painting. When one prepares to put ink on paper, one should feel in one's
wrist a power like the universe creating life. It flows out from one
generously and freely, without obstruction and without deliberation. One
puts a dot here and a dash there and the objects take form; anything is
possible for one to pick up and carry along. This is the creative moment
when hand and mind, brush and ink co-operate. Seize it; capture it at
once before it vanishes, for speed is essential to catch that force of
movement. Some say 'take ten days to paint a stream, five to paint a
rock', but the artist really means that it cannot be forced or done under
pressure by a fixed date. When the inspiration comes it cannot be stopped,
so insistently is the demand for expression. -This is an example of
achieving force of movement by speedy execution. The forms of hills and
forests come from the life force sheng-ch'i of the universe, and the ink
marks and tracings of the brush come from the spiritual force of the
artist's hand and mind, So where the life force is, the force of the
movement is also. The life force makes the force of the movement, and the
force of the movement carries the life-movement. The force of the movement
shih can be seen, but the life force ch'i itself cannot. Therefore it is
necessary to have a force of movement to bring out the life of things.
When life force circulates, the force of movement goes in harmony with it.
So this life force and force of movement come from the same source. Let it
pour out and it will flow naturally and in graceful movements. There is no
need to work carefully and yet it all fits in beautifully. -Just pour it
out. The insight of a moment may thus be committed to eternity, and the
artist need not be ashamed of his work. An artist who builds up his
structures cannot know such a pleasure. Like an arrow from a bowstring it
cannot be stopped; it is unfathomable, like rumbling thunder coming from
the earth. It cannot be repeated by doubled effort, it simply eludes it.
For the effort to recapture that is borne of man and not heaven. Only
those with a natural expansive spirit know such moments. They can shut
out the mental effort and let themselves go soaring in freedom to wherever
the spirit may carry them. There is a co-operation of natural skill and
natural gift."
Shen Tsung-ch'ien fl 1781
I recently exchanged a few words with an artist (Barabara Bash) who lives
near New York, she tells of when Chogyam Trungpa Rimpoche said, " It is
possible to make a brushstroke that expresses one's whole life." In the
bigger, the richer picture, that is fitting;-) and as in all great
paintings, each part supports the whole.
You know, I walked down a lane that was like a tunnel earlier this
morning, on the floor were scattered all manner of leaves, all were tones
of yellow and orange, I tried to find chaos in the arrangements, in the
haphazardnesses of it all but I couldn't. It was like a Persian carpet,
but for free;-) I was 'flying' by the end of the tunnel;-) There is a very
great design under appearances isn't there At?
Love,
Andrew
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