Imaginary

Fictional Narratives

For some people, compassion and service arise out of a sense of duty. In this scene, a priest has witnessed a group of people heartlessly mocking a mis-shapen child – Quasimodo.

For several minutes, a young priest had been listening to the reasoning of the Haudriettes and the sentences of the notary. He had a severe face, with a large brow, a profound glance. He thrust the crowd silently aside, scrutinized the “little magician,” and stretched out his hand upon him. It was high time, for all the devotees were already licking their chops over the “fine, flaming fagot.”    “I adopt this child,” said the priest. He took it in his cassock and carried it off. [Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris, or, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831), Volume I, Book Fourth, Chapter I, “Good Souls”.]

Novels:

• Mary Gordon, Payback: A Novel (Pantheon, 2020) is a complex novel about what we owe to others.
• Avni Doshi, Burnt Sugar: A Novel (Overlook, 2021): a woman cares for her ailing and abusive mother.

Poetry

Music: Composers, artists, and major works

Conductor Seiji Ozawa “was never a natural genius: his success has been the fruit of hard work and continuous study. Those who know him say that he is affable, filled with love for his fellow man, and mindful of duty.” Here are links to his playlists, and of Ozawa conducting live.

Pietro Locatelli’s (1695-1764) L’Arte del Violino, Op. 3 (1733) (approx. 230’), is a set of twelve baroque violin concerti. These are journeyman works, of great beauty all the same. The soloist’s relation to the orchestra and its players is consistently respectful and aware.

• Concerto No. 1 in D Major (approx. 21’)
• Concerto No. 2 in C minor (approx. 22’)
• Concerto No. 3 in F Major (approx. 21’)
• Concerto No. 4 in E Major (approx. 19’)
• Concerto No. 5 in C Major (approx. 16’)
• Concerto No. 6 in G minor (approx. 15’)
• Concerto No. 7 in B-flat Major (approx. 19’)
• Concerto No. 8 in E minor (approx. 19’)
• Concerto No. 9 in G Major (approx. 18’)
• Concerto No. 10 in F Major (approx. 14’)
• Concerto No. 11 in A Major (approx. 17’)
• Concerto No. 12 in D Major, “Il labirinto armónico” (The Harmonious Labyrinth) (approx. 18-22’) 

Equally suited to this value are Locatelli’s Violin Sonatas (1737) (approx. 225’), composed for violin, cello and harpsichord: Op. 6 . . .

• Sonata No. 1 in B-flat Major (approx. 17’)
• Sonata No. 2 in F Major (approx. 18’)
• Sonata No. 3 in B Major (approx. 14’)
• Sonata No. 4 in E Major (approx. 14’)
• Sonata No. 5 in C minor (approx. 41’)
• Sonata No. 6 in D Major (approx. 18’)
• Sonata No. 7 in F minor (approx. 13’)
• Sonata No. 8 in C Major (approx. 16’)
• Sonata No. 9 in B minor (approx. 14’)
• Sonata No. 10 in G Major (approx. 17’)
• Sonata No. 11 in E-flat Major (approx. 14’)
• Sonata No. 12 in D minor (approx. 14’) 

. . . and Op. 8 (1744) (approx. 70’)

• Sonata No. 1 in F Major for violin and continuo (approx. 16’)
• Sonata No. 2 in D Major for violin and continuo (approx. 10’)
• Sonata No. 3 in G minor for violin and continuo (approx. 13’)
• Sonata No. 4 in C Major for violin and continuo (approx. 14’)
• Sonata No. 5 in G Major for violin and continuo (approx. 19’)
• Sonata No. 6 in E-flat Major for violin and continuo (approx. 15’)
• Sonata No. 7 in A Major for 2 violins and continuo (approx. 12’)
• Sonata No. 8 in D Major for 2 violins and continuo (approx. 12’)
• Sonata No. 9 in F minor for 2 violins and continuo (approx. 13’)
• Sonata No. 10 in A Major for 2 violins and continuo (approx. 11’) 

Felix Mendelssohn’s string quartets:

• String Quartet in E-flat Major (1823) (approx. 30’)
• String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 12, MWV R25 (1829) (approx. 23’)
• String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 13, MWV R22 (1827) (approx. 30-34’)
• String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 44, No. 1, MWV R30 (1838) (approx. 30-32’)
• String Quartet No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 44, No. 2, MWV R26 (1827) (approx. 27-28’)
• String Quartet No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 44, No. 3, MWV R28 (1828) (approx. 33-37’)
• String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Op. 80, MWV R37 (1849) (approx. 25-28’) 

Other compositions:

• Raga Gunkali (Goonkali) is a Hindustani classical raag for early morning; “. . . a morning melody associated with the winter and Malkauns raga, intended to evoke a meditative, tranquil mood. It is a serious raga.” Performances are by Salamat Ali and Nazakat Ali Khan, Kishori Amonkar, Uday Bhawalkar, Jasraj, Shivkumar Sharma, and Kedar Bodas.
• Józef Elsner’s kind and unassuming string quartets, Op. 1 (approx. 63’)
• William Bland, Piano Sonata No. 18 in G minor (2010) (approx. 34’)

Music: songs and other short pieces

• Michael Jackson, “Heal the World” (lyrics)

Visual Arts

• Vincent van Gogh, Morning Going to Work (1890)
• Camille Corot, Ville d'Avray, The Heights, Peasants Working in a Field (c. 1865)
• Gustave Courbet, The Wheat Sifters (1854-55)
• Diego Velazquez, An Old Woman Cooking Eggs (1618)

Film and Stage

• High Noon: Most people are unfamiliar with this classic Western’s subplot. The sheriff’s bride-to-be is a pacifist who leaves town when he resolves to stay and defend it.
• Seven Samurai: (Shichinin No Samurai) “Akira Kurosawa's epic tale concerns honor and duty during a time when the old traditional order is breaking down.” Modern viewers will notice how strongly the film’s perspective on ethical duty is tied to the culture of origin.