Here’s an essay from our friend, Maria Popova, aka The Marginalian about that creative maestro, Ludwig van Beethoven and his “Ode to Joy” from his Ninth Symphony.
Popova tells us a tale of Beethoven’s resilience and persistence:
“Day by day I am approaching the goal which I apprehend but cannot describe,” Ludwig van Beethoven (December 16, 1770–March 26, 1827) wrote to his boyhood friend, rallying his own resilience as he began losing his hearing. A year later, shortly after completing his Second Symphony, he sent his brothers a stunning letter about the joy of suffering overcome, in which he resolved:
Ah! how could I possibly quit the world before bringing forth all that I felt it was my vocation to produce?
That year, he began — though he did not yet know it, as we never do — the long gestation of what would become not only his greatest creative and spiritual triumph, not only a turning point in the history of music that revolutionized the symphony and planted the seed of the pop song, but an eternal masterwork of the supreme human art: making meaning out of chaos, beauty out of sorrow.
The goal which I apprehended but cannot describe speaks of the ineffability of that initial creative spark, that we need to articulate through the medium of our cultural calling.
Beethoven’s world sounds a lot like our own, as we try to fashion ‘meaning out of chaos, beauty out of sorrow’. No matter what form the chaos and sorrow you are going through takes, may your urge to create music that stands against, resists that chaos and sighs the sweet sigh of sorrow, be stirred in your hearts and minds. May you articulate the initial ineffability of that creative moment. May you bring us joy!
https://www.themarginalian.org/2022/05/17/beethoven-ode-to-joy/?mc_cid=a...
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Inspiring post, Geoff Hall! "That year, he began — though he did not yet know it..." It's amazing how sometimes when a creative starts something, they don't really know how incredible it'll become. An...
Expand commentInspiring post, Geoff Hall! "That year, he began — though he did not yet know it..." It's amazing how sometimes when a creative starts something, they don't really know how incredible it'll become. And sometimes other people don't really know either. That's one reason creatives shouldn't listen to things like "it's terrible," "no one will watch that," etc.
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Thank you for the share, Geoff Hall! I am obsessed with Beethoven. Once a year, I listen to all 9 symphonies in order over a week or so and it always inspires me. I highly recommend everyone give it a...
Expand commentThank you for the share, Geoff Hall! I am obsessed with Beethoven. Once a year, I listen to all 9 symphonies in order over a week or so and it always inspires me. I highly recommend everyone give it a try. Art does not only entertain or "succeed", it can truly inspire other artists.
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This is a great share, thank you Geoff!