Imaginary

Fictional Narratives

This passage from Hugo’s Les Misérables illustrates the power of the human craving to care:

As birds make nests out of everything, so children make a doll out of anything which comes to hand. While Éponine and Azelma were bundling up the cat, Cosette, on her side, had dressed up her sword. That done, she laid it in her arms, and sang to it softly, to lull it to sleep.  The doll is one of the most imperious needs and, at the same time, one of the most charming instincts of feminine childhood. To care for, to clothe, to deck, to dress, to undress, to redress, to teach, scold a little, to rock, to dandle, to lull to sleep, to imagine that something is some one,--therein lies the whole woman's future. While dreaming and chattering, making tiny outfits, and baby clothes, while sewing little gowns, and corsages and bodices, the child grows into a young girl, the young girl into a big girl, the big girl into a woman. The first child is the continuation of the last doll.  A little girl without a doll is almost as unhappy, and quite as impossible, as a woman without children.  So Cosette had made herself a doll out of the sword. [Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (1862), Volume II – Cosette; Book Third – Accomplishment of a Promise Made To a Dead Woman, Chapter VIII, “The Unpleasantness of Receiving Into One’s House a Poor Man Who May Be a Rich Man”.]

This passage illustrates compassion:

"Sergeant!" he cried, "don't you see that that jade is walking off! Who bade you let her go?"  "I," said Madeleine.  Fantine trembled at the sound of Javert's voice, and let go of the latch as a thief relinquishes the article which he has stolen. At the sound of Madeleine's voice she turned around, and from that moment forth she uttered no word, nor dared so much as to breathe freely, but her glance strayed from Madeleine to Javert, and from Javert to Madeleine in turn, according to which was speaking. . . . (A heated exchange ensues.) Javert ventured to fix a searching look on the mayor and to say, but in a tone of voice that was still profoundly respectful:--  "I am sorry to oppose Monsieur le Maire; it is for the first time in my life, but he will permit me to remark that I am within the bounds of my authority. I confine myself, since Monsieur le Maire desires it, to the question of the gentleman. I was present. This woman flung herself on Monsieur Bamatabnois, who is an elector and the proprietor of that handsome house with a balcony, which forms the corner of the esplanade, three stories high and entirely of cut stone. Such things as there are in the world! In any case, Monsieur le Maire, this is a question of police regulations in the streets, and concerns me, and I shall detain this woman Fantine."  Then M. Madeleine folded his arms, and said in a severe voice which no one in the town had heard hitherto:--  "The matter to which you refer is one connected with the municipal police. According to the terms of articles nine, eleven, fifteen, and sixty-six of the code of criminal examination, I am the judge. I order that this woman shall be set at liberty."  (Javert departs.) M. Madeleine turned to (Fantine) and said to her in a deliberate voice, like a serious man who does not wish to weep and who finds some difficulty in speaking:--  "I have heard you. I knew nothing about what you have mentioned. I believe that it is true, and I feel that it is true. I was even ignorant of the fact that you had left my shop. Why did you not apply to me? But here; I will pay your debts, I will send for your child, or you shall go to her. You shall live here, in Paris, or where you please. I undertake the care of your child and yourself. You shall not work any longer if you do not like. I will give all the money you require. You shall be honest and happy once more. And listen! I declare to you that if all is as you say,--and I do not doubt it,--you have never ceased to be virtuous and holy in the sight of God. Oh! poor woman." [Victor Hugo,  Les Misérables (1862), Volume I – Fantine; Book Fifth – The Descent Begins, Chapter XIII, “ The Solution of Some Questions in Connection with the Municipal Police”.]

Novels:

• Piero Chiara, The Bishop’s Bedroom: A Novel (New Vessel Press, 2019): “. . . Chiara explores the disaffected, essentially corrupt world that allows her murder to happen, a world in which complacent, middle-class men and women are returning to their prosperous lives after the (to them) superficial interruption of Mussolini.”
• Ashleigh Bell Pedersen, The Crocodile Bride: A Novel (Hub City, 2022): “Pedersen does well to temper the accumulative dread with the care and camaraderie of Sunshine’s nearby relatives.”
• Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, or, The Parish Boy’s Progress (1839): “The novel follows the journey of the titular character, Oliver Twist. Oliver, an orphan since birth, spends much of his childhood at a “child farm” (orphanage) with too many children and too little food.”
• Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or, Life Among the Lowly (1852): “Uncle Tom’s Cabin tells the story of Uncle Tom, an enslaved person, depicted as saintly and dignified, noble and steadfast in his beliefs. While being transported by boat to auction in New Orleans, Tom saves the life of Little Eva, an angelic and forgiving young girl, whose grateful father then purchases Tom. Eva and Tom soon become great friends. Always frail, Eva’s health begins to decline rapidly, and on her deathbed she asks her father to free all his enslaved people. He makes plans to do so but is then killed, and the brutal Simon Legree, Tom’s new owner, has Tom whipped to death after he refuses to divulge the whereabouts of certain escaped slaves.”
• Daniel Magariel, One of the Boys: A Novel (Scribner, 2017): “Magariel’s gripping and heartfelt debut is a blunt reminder that the boldest assertion of manhood is not violence stemming from fear. It is tenderness stemming from compassion.”
• Colum McCann, Apeirogon: A Novel (Random House, 2020): “This novel, divided into 1,001 fragmentary chapters — a number alluding to 'The Thousand and One Arabian Nights' — reflects the infinite complications that underlie the girls’ deaths, and the unending grief that follows.”
• Sanaë Lemoine, The Margot Affair: A Novel (Hogarth, 2020): “Though the book seems to be about an absent father, it’s more about a tricky mother, and about motherhood in general.” The 17-year-old protagonist is confused but the author treats her with compassion.
• Samar Yazbek, Planet of Clay (World Editions, 2021): “The young, mute narrator of this compassionate novel by the author of The Crossing becomes a poignant emblem of the Syrian women confined by war”.
• Aamina Ahmad, The Return of Faraz Ali: A Novel (Riverhead Books, 2022): “Ahmad’s compassion and deep care for the psychological and emotional nuances of her characters never wavers, no matter how monstrous or self-interested or defeated they become.”
• Frances Hardinge, Unraveller: A Novel (Harry N. Abrams, 2023): “Kellen is an Unraveller — someone who can undo curses. Nettle is a girl who was cursed to be a heron until Kellen unraveled her back into her human form. . .  The . . . novel’s power springs from the wilderness in its heart: intuitive and compassionate, as intricate as knot work.”
• Sebastian Barry, Old God’s Time: A Novel (Viking, 2023): “Raised in an orphanage by the Christian Brothers congregation, Kettle was also abused by them. His wife was similarly harmed, and the cruelty of religion in Ireland is a central concern of the novel, though one that sadly shocks us less than it would have once. Barry writes about this with compassion and quiet rage.”

From the dark side:

The trader was not shocked nor amazed; because, as we said before, he was used to a great many things that you are not used to. Even the awful presence of Death struck no solemn chill upon him. He had seen Death many times, — met him in the way of trade, and got acquainted with him,—and he only thought of him as a hard customer, that embarrassed his property operations very unfairly; and so he only swore that the gal was a baggage, and that he was devilish unlucky, and that, if things went on in this way, he should not make a cent on the trip. In short, he seemed to consider himself an ill-used man, decidedly; but there was no help for it, as the woman had escaped into a state which never will give up a fugitive,—not even at the demand of the whole glorious Union. The trader, therefore, sat discontentedly down, with his little account-book, and put down the missing body and soul under the head of losses! [Harriett Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or Life Among the Lowly (1852), Volume 1, Chapter XII, “Select Incident of Lawful Trade”.]

A little before the sale commenced, a short, broad, muscular man, in a checked shirt considerably open at the bosom, and pantaloons much the worse for dirt and wear, elbowed his way through the crowd, like one who is going actively into a business; and, coming up to the group, began to examine them systematically. From the moment that Tom saw him approaching, he felt an immediate and revolting horror at him, that increased as he came near. He was evidently, though short, of gigantic strength. His round, bullet head, large, light-gray eyes, with their shaggy, sandy eyebrows, and stiff, wiry, sun-burned hair, were rather unprepossessing items, it is to be confessed; his large, coarse mouth was distended with tobacco, the juice of which, from time to time, he ejected from him with great decision and explosive force; his hands were immensely large, hairy, sun-burned, freckled, and very dirty, and garnished with long nails, in a very foul condition. This man proceeded to a very free personal examination of the lot. He seized Tom by the jaw, and pulled open his mouth to inspect his teeth; made him strip up his sleeve, to show his muscle; turned him round, made him jump and spring, to show his paces. “Where was you raised?” he added, briefly, to these investigations. “In Kintuck, Mas’r,” said Tom, looking about, as if for deliverance. “What have you done?” “Had care of Mas’r’s farm,” said Tom. “Likely story!” said the other, shortly, as he passed on. He paused a moment before Dolph; then spitting a discharge of tobacco-juice on his well-blacked boots, and giving a contemptuous umph, he walked on. Again he stopped before Susan and Emmeline. He put out his heavy, dirty hand, and drew the girl towards him; passed it over her neck and bust, felt her arms, looked at her teeth, and then pushed her back against her mother, whose patient face showed the suffering she had been going through at every motion of the hideous stranger. The girl was frightened, and began to cry. “Stop that, you minx!” said the salesman; “no whimpering here,—the sale is going to begin.” And accordingly the sale begun. [Harriett Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Life Among the Lowly (1852), Volume II, Chapter 30, “The Slave Warehouse”.]

Poetry

Music: Composers, artists, and major works

Marin Marais’ pièces de viole reflect an interplay between a Baroque viola da gamba, a harpsichord or other instruments, and the composer’s sensibilities. A forerunner of the modern cello, the viola da gamba also imparts sounds evoking solitude and even loneliness. The 4th livre grew out of the composer’s unending mourning for his deceased wife but even before that, the pairing of instruments and nature of the compositions convey a somber and sometimes mournful feeling. The music sounds more like compassion, for himself perhaps, than mourning. (See also the album by Silvia de Rosso, “Monsieur Sainte-Colombe: Recueil de pièces pour basse de viole seule” (2023) (64’), which is of a similar character.)

• 1st livre (Premier livre des pièces de viole) (1686) (approx. 256’)
• 2nd livre (Deuxième livre des pièces de viole) (1701) (approx. 362’)
• 3rd livre (Troisième livre des pièces de viole) (1711) (approx. 260’)
• 4th livre (Quatrième livre des pièces de viole) (1717) (approx. 230’)
• 5th livre (Cinquième livre des pièces de viole) (1725) (approx. 224-264’)

Orlando de Lassus (Orlando de Lasso), Lagrime di San Pietro (The Tears of St. Peter), LV 1005-1025 (1594) (approx. 51-58’) (the text is taken from a writing by Luigi Tansillo): Lassus was referring to the suffering of others, and his own. “Penitential and pessimistic in tone, the Lagrime are both an emblem of the religious severity of the Counter-Reformation and possibly a reflection ofthe composer’s realisation of his own impending death.” “The infrequently encountered works in seven parts often have a symbolic connotation. The number seven in fact symbolizes the suffering and affliction of the Virgin Mary, ‘Mother of the seven sorrows’. The number seven then became the symbol of suffering in general, and most of the compositions in seven parts, or consisting of seven sections, allude to suffering and mourning. It may be noted, too, that Lassus’ work comprises twenty-one sections, a multiple of seven . . .” Top recorded performances are conducted by Rooley in 1982, Herreweghe in 1983, van Nevel in 1993, and Crouch in 2013. 

Centuries after Marais and Lassus, Mieczysław Weinberg composed an extensive body of works from the perspective of his Jewish-Polish heritage. Violinist Linus Roth, who displays sensibilities that are well-suited to Weinberg’s compositions for violin, has recorded Weinberg’s works for solo violin, and for violin and piano. By album title, they are:

• “Complete Sonatas and Works” (2013) (164’) for violin and piano
• “Solo Sonatas for Violin, Nos. 1-3” (2016) (74’) (hear Gidon Kremer’s performances of the same works)
• “Light in the Darkness” (2022) (63’), including Piano Trio, Op. 24; and Sonata for Two Violins, Op. 69
• “Wartime Consolations” (2015) (55’) (works by Hartmann, Weinberg and Shostakovich)

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma uses music to promote compassion and empathy. “Compassion can be fostered across the world through music according to the UN Messenger of Peace, and internationally-renowned cellist, Yo-Yo Ma.” “” “. . . Ma has . . . used his gifts in the service of spreading humanistic values — via cross-cultural musical collaboration, civic engagement and huge amounts of heart . . .” He has said: “To be able to put oneself in another's shoes without prejudgment is an essential skill. Empathy comes when you understand something deeply through arts and literature and can thus make unexpected connections. These parallels bring you closer to things that would otherwise seem far away. Empathy is the ultimate quality that acknowledges our identity as members of one human family.” Here are links to his releases, his playlists, and to live performances.

Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102 (1957) (approx. 17-22’), is uncharacteristically gentle and straightforward for Shostakovich, in the first two movements. “It . . . takes us on a brief, jubilant romp filled with youthful vitality, cheerful and quirky voices, and unabashed humor. It sparkles with a witty Haydnesque classicism. The lushly beautiful second movement moves into a space of dreamy intimacy and warmth.” “The work is cast in a typical three-movement concerto form and orchestrated for a relatively small orchestra. The orchestra’s composition lends clarity and lightness of touch to the work, which is by turns playful, light-hearted, graceful, and undeniably charming.” Shostakovich composed it for his son Maxim, for his graduation from conservatory. Excellent recordings are by Shostakovich & Cluytens, Bronfman & Salonen in 1999, Volkov & Tchistiakov in 1999, Igoshina & Larsen in 2012, Rubackytė & Pitrėnas in 2012, Masleev & Sladkovsky in 2020, Trpčeski & Măcelaru in 2021. 

Richard Wagner, Parsifal, WWW 111 (1882) (approx. 220-250’) (libretto): the leader’s wound can be healed only by an innocent youth made whole through compassion. That youth is Parsifal, who heals Amfortas’ wound in typical melodramatic-operatic fashion just before he dies. “The philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer and the teachings and legends of the Buddha loomed large in Wagner’s thinking during the creation of Parsifal . . . Schopenhauer’s great work, The World as Will and Representation came to Wagner’s attention in 1854 while he was composing Die Walküre. It seemed to him that this book articulated his deepest and, hitherto, barely expressed feelings. Schopenhauer wrote of compassion as the source of morality, of the nothingness of the world of phenomena with its inevitable frustration, suffering and death, and of the act of renunciation as the only authentic act of free will.” The work has been called “Wagner's 'Buddhist piece'”. “The virtues of chastity, compassion (agape), and overcoming the lust to dominate truly govern the movement of the opera.” Performances with video are conducted by Sinopoli, and Stein. Top audio-recorded performances are by Windgassen & Mödl (Knappertsbusch) in 1951; Kónya & Neidlinger (Cluytens) in 1960;  Thomas & London (Knappertsbusch) in 1962; Vickers & Hotter (Knappertsbusch) in 1964; Vickers & Bailey (Goodall) in 1971; Kollo & Fischer-Dieskau (Solti) in 1972; King & Weikl (Kubelik) in 1980 ***; Hofmann & van Dam (Karajan) in 1980; and Lehman & Nitkin (Gergiev) in 2009. 

Other works:

• John Foulds, Vocal Concerto, "Lyra Celtica", Op. 50 (1920s) (approx. 16’)
• Boris Tchaikovsky, Cello Concerto (1964) (approx. 34-37’) – the sound of concern
• Arthur Bliss, Music for Strings, Op. 54, F123 (1935) (approx. 22-25’)
• Mieczysław Weinberg, Chamber Symphony No. 3 for string orchestra, Op. 151 (1990) (approx. 31-33’)
• Robert Fuchs, 6 Phantasiestücke (Fantasy Pieces) for viola and piano, Op. 117 (approx. 22’)
• Robert Fuchs, Sonata in D minor for viola and piano, Op. 86 (1899) (approx. 19’)
• Pavel Vranický, Symphony in D Major, Op. 36 (approx. 22’)
• George Enescu, Piano Trio in A Minor (1916) (approx. 21’)
• Carl Reinecke, Piano Trio No. 1 in D Major, Op. 38 (1853) (approx. 30’)
• Ferdinand Hiller, Piano Quintet in G Major, Op. 156 (1873) (approx. 39’)
• José F. Vásquez, Complete Impresiones for Piano (1922-1927) (approx. 64’) are “fifteen predominantly slow, introspective miniatures – reveal a debt to French Impressionism, Debussy in particular, with occasional nods to Schumann, Liszt and Brahms, and some harmonies that suggest Wagner.”
• Michele Esposito, Violin Sonatas: No. 1 in G Major, Op. 32; (1904) (approx. 20’); No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 46 (1907) (approx. 18’); in A Major, Op. 67 (1913) (approx. 22’).
• Kalevi Aho, Symphony No. 2 (1970, rev. 1995) (approx. 22’)
• Malcolm Arnold, Symphony No. 9, Op. 128 (1986) (approx. 51’): Malcolm explained that the work reflected the “five years of hell” he spent before composing it.
• Mieczysław Weinberg, String Quartet No. 14, Op. 122 (1978) (approx. 22’) “leaves an overwhelming impression of sadness, despite some liveliness in patches, and is consciously a lament for Shostakovich, whose famous motif appears more than once in the final movement.”
• Weinberg, Symphony No. 21, Op. 152, "Kaddish" (1991) (approx. 54’55’) “expresses the composer’s thoughts and feelings about the horrors of his life, from the Holocaust through the Stalinist era. It draws on his Polish roots with quotations from Chopin and his Jewish heritage with passages featuring a solo clarinet playing in klezmer style. It also includes numerous quotations from Weinberg’s own works and from Mahler.”
• Hayden Wayne, String Quartet No. 8 (approx. 26’)
• Elliott Carter, Pocahontas (1939) (approx. 31’) “captures the adventuresome spirit of the settlers arriving in unknown lands and the compassion of the original Americans”. 

Albums:

• Ludovico Einaudi, “Music of Care” (2023) (49’)
• Julie Campiche Quartet, “You Matter” (2022) (57’). Campiche observes: “Things related to community and how we live our lives inform my vision of the world. . . . your dreams matter. Because our dreams are the key to tomorrow.”
• Jon Balke, “Siwan – Hafla” (2022) (45’) is a haunting album about an urban oasis in Egypt, called Siwa.
• Wadada Leo Smith & Adam Rudolph, “Compassion” (2006) (47’): “Compassion is again a spiritual journey, starting with lonely and voiceless stuttering by the trumpet, soon joined by slight percussion, like the sounds of the night. The second piece brings us dawn, and as the sun breaks through we get the long notes of Smith's trumpet, supported by Tibetan bells and gongs of Rudolph.” The music evokes the suffering part of compassion.
• Vijay Iyer Trio, “Compassion” (2024) (66’) “flows with the smooth, pathfinding quality of shallow water in a rocky stream. The 52-year-old’s fingers worry over melody: He reconsiders, restates, and repeats phrases as though he hasn’t quite made himself clear. What does Iyer need to tell us so urgently? Motion itself is the message, how life barrels forth during periods of unimaginable struggle.”

Music: songs and other short pieces

• Peter Kater & Nawang Khechog, “Call of Compassion”
• Nawang Khechog, “A Call of Compassion to Humanity”
• Yungchen Lhamo, “Perfect Compassion”
• This Adagio movement is generally attributed to Tomasso Albinoni but probably was composed in the 20th century, perhaps based on an Albinoni fragment. No matter; in the linked performance by the cellist Hauser, it evokes loving compassion and the pain of separation.
• Steve Lacy and the Riccardo Fassi Trio, “Compassion”
• Imee Ooi, “Great Compassion Mantra”
• Adele, “Make You Feel My Love” (lyrics)
• Bob Dylan, “Make You Feel My Love” (lyrics)
• Phil Collins, “You’ll Be in My Heart” (lyrics)
• Franz Joseph Haydn (composer), “Pleasing Pain”, Hob. XXVIa:29 (lyrics)

Visual Arts

Film and Stage