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On the utility of art, a thread! https://t.co/eFTdavp52n
In 1940, French composer Oliver Messiaen was captured by the Germans and imprisoned in Stalag VIII-A - a concentration camp. There, in horrific conditions, he met 3 fellow musicians - and he wrote and performed Quartet For The End Of Time https://t.co/NHyh3VSiEa
Messiaen wasn’t the only one - there is a wealth of art created by humans struggling and suffering in some of the worst imaginable circumstances humanity has ever concocted. Art is about the survival of the psyche, one of the ways we say “I am alive, and my life has meaning.”
According to Karl Paulnack of the Boston Conservatory, the first organized activity after September 11 was singing. People sang “We Shall Overcome” and “America The Beautiful”, and that was the beginning of a sense that life might go on after such senseless tragedy
Paulnack, who has played at Carnegie Hall, and for heads of states, shared a story about the most important concert of his life: playing at a nursing home. He played Aaron Copland’s Sonata, written during WW2 and dedicated to Copland’s friend - a pilot who was shot down.
“I have not thought about this for many years, but when you were playing, the memory returned so vividly that I was though I was reliving it.” (He hadn’t known prior that the music was written to commemorate a downed pilot.)
Paulnack tells his students, you are not mere entertainers. You are therapists. Spiritual chiropractors, paramedics - realigning minds that are confused, hearts that are overwhelmed, souls that are weary. You are the catalyst of smiles and tears, at weddings and funerals.
I’ve been listening to Silent Night on repeat while writing this, and focusing on music because that’s something that’s a big part of my life - but here are some non-musical examples of art that challenges and provokes https://t.co/IPZy0BLXDE
As Christmas approaches, I'm reminded of my favorite pieces of art of all time: José y Maria by Everett Patterson. If I could I'd commission modern updates to all the parables. Eg the Good Samaritan is supposed to be some detestable person from the outgroup (see eg w/ black man) https://t.co/YUq5ef59AE
How beautifully this man grieves for his friend in the language they shared; it makes my heart ache https://t.co/AODeamy1Sd
Music allows me to feel warmth and ties of kinship with people I’ve never met https://t.co/QnOO99ZlJO
Simply reflecting on the vast tradition of artists over millennia, making art as a service to the world, is sometimes what tears me up and persuades me to keep going https://t.co/n0DjDz6Vjc
Art doesn’t need to be about lofty ideals in order to be moving. I get emotional watching grown adults make a stunning video of a nerf gun war https://t.co/3arbsZSTo1
Nerf John Wick [3:19] is one of my favorite bits of film-making of all time. You can see how much love was put into it. So much attention to detail. Honestly this is beautiful and I can work myself up to get emotional about this if I want to https://t.co/oyaGmGDLvF
The best art is almost always borne out of love. In a world mutilated by violence and seized with fear, art is *absolutely* necessary. We need more of it. We are all weary and hungry and aching for more connection, more love, more light. How could you think otherwise