Imaginary

Fictional Narratives

Novels:

• Jane Yolen, Raising Yoder's Barn (Little Brown, 1998).
• Roald Dahl, Matilda (Puffin, 2007): a young girl finds that she has the power to fight back against headmistress Trunchbull’s abuse.
• Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring (Flash Point, 2010), "a book about collaboration."

Stories of people not pulling together:

• Lionel Shriver, So Much for That: A Novel (Harper, 2010), a novel about the failure of the health care system in the United States.

Poetry

We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.

We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.

We seek harm to none and harmony for all.

[from Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb”]

. . . while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe, now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?

. . . .

If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright.

[from Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb”]

Music: Composers, artists, and major works

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55, “Eroica” (1803) (approx. 44-52’): initially, Beethoven dedicated this symphony to Napoleon, whom he thought to be a hero because he championed enlightenment values such as democracy. When Napoleon declared himself emperor, Beethoven became enraged, and repurposed the symphony to represent a heroic internal struggle: in the end, he may have dedicated his “heroic” symphony to himself, or to a symbolic internal struggle. However, this is a symphony, with no single dominant voice. I hear the struggle of a people, and their empowerment through community, which makes sense in the context of Beethoven’s composition. Perhaps dissent against the Emperor was a step Beethoven was not willing to take. Top recorded performances were conducted by Wood in 1926, Weingartner in 1933, Toscanini in 1939, Furtwängler in 1944, Erich Kleiber in 1950, Klemperer in 1955, Szell in 1957, Monteux in 1957, Bernstein in 1964, Giulini in 1978, Karajan in 1984, Norrington in 1987, Wand in 1994, Harnoncourt in 1991, Gardiner in 1994, Chailly in 2011, and Savall in 2020.

• First movement (Allegro con brio): the movement begins with a strong affirmation and announcement of a theme, conveying an urgent sense of purpose. Bursts of energy alternate with more sedate passages that suggest regrouping. No single voice leads. Instead, instruments and combinations of instruments advance and champion the theme. Beethoven repeats these ideas throughout the movement, staying on message, with little variation but occasional development. Occasionally, sections offer each other assurance; always mutual support of a common cause.
• Second movement (Marcia funebre – Adagio assai): this movement begins as a mournful dirge, evoking the troubles that ordinary people faced in early 19th-century France. A ray of sunshine appears, suggesting that good will prevail, but then the dirge re-emerges. After awhile, the volume increases, suggesting a gathering of forces. The movement ends with a question, as if to ask, “what next?”
• Third movement (Scherzo – Allegro vivace): though presented as a scherzo, this third movement is playful and affirmative. The forces gather to repeat the theme, which rises to a crescendo, followed by a triumphant statement by the horns. The forces discuss their plans, then rise up together. The movement ends in a statement of great confidence.
• Fourth movement (Finale – Allegro molto – Poco andante – Presto): the final movement begins with a strong statement in a major key. Someone quietly announces an idea; before long, the orchestra adopts and develops it. A harmonious theme emerges, carried and championed in community. This continues, then an earlier theme re-appears, with nostalgic overtones. Earlier ideas are re-stated, then the music sounds triumphant, as though the orchestra spoke as one, saying “I got this”. After a brief expression of doubt, the symphony concludes in glorious triumph.

Most of us can only imagine what it might be like to be a greatly talented jazz musician, to give a live performance with other highly talented musicians, and to have the sense of combined freedom and empowerment that might bring.

• Benny Goodman seems to have had that experience when he performed with his band at Carnegie Hall on January 16, 1938 (101’). The performance was so memorable that he was invited back for, and performed, a forty-year anniversary concert (106’) there.
• Perhaps John Coltrane and his group had a similar experience performing live in Europe in 1965.
• Erroll Garner performed a “Concert by the Sea” (1954) (44’).
• Like many other musicians, John McLaughlin performed live at the Montreux jazz festival.
• Duke Ellington’s performance in Fargo, North Dakota, in 1940 (99’), is widely recognized as among the finest in jazz history.
• Anthony Braxton has performed live in many venues, famously including Willisau, Switzerland, in 1991. His “Paris – Concert” album (53’) also exemplifies empowerment through strong community effort.
• Roy Brooks with Woody Shaw, Carlos Garnett, Harold Mabern & Cecil McBee, “Understanding”: in this 1970 gig, they were on fire.
• Luther Allison, “Live in Chicago” (1995) (132’)
• Judy Garland did not have a great voice, her vibrato was too wide, and she over-dramatized, but she commanded audiences. Here is a recording of her live performance at Carnegie Hall on April 23, 1961 (123’).
• And of course, there was Louis Armstrong, who empowered others.

Compositions:

• Sofia Gubaidulina, The Canticle of the Sun of St Francis of Assisi for cello, chamber choir and percussion (1997) (approx. 44-46’): in this work, the cello represents the sun’s creative, life-giving power.
• Witold Lutosławski, Concerto for Orchestra (1954) (approx. 29-30’): different voices come together to confront many challenges.
• Franz Berwald, Symphony No. 3 in C Major, "Sinfonie Singuliere" (1845) (approx. 25-30’): harmonic community, culminating in triumph
• Raga Gawati (Gavati - Gavti - Gaoti), a late evening raag. Performances are by Nikhil Banerjee, Shahid Parvez Khan, Uday Bhawalkar, Praashekh & Abhishek Borkar, and Shivkumar Sharma.
• Johann Sebastian Bach, Cantata No. 205, “Zerreißet, zersprenget, zertrümmert die Gruft” (Aeolus Placated), BWV 205 (1725) (approx. 38’) (lyrics): “The libretto, by Picander, is a paraphrase of a section of Virgil's aeneid”, in which the winds obtain their freedom to blow.

Albums:

• Stanley Cowell, “Live at Keystone Korner Baltimore” (2020) (72’): “Intent on using every tool in his box, Cowell fires up the set with his flashy piano riff . . .”
• George Colligan, “More Powerful” (2017) (54’) “features numerous melodic hooks while also offering plenty of high-energy blowing, as Colligan lets each of his collaborators cut loose.”
• Tower of Power, “50 Years of Funk & Soul, Live at the Fox Theatre” (2021) (113’), June 2018: as joyous a musical celebration as you’ll hear
• Anoushka Shankar, “Rise” (2005) (62’): after trying to follow in her father Ravi Shankar’s footsteps as a classical sitarist, and perhaps recognizing that she would never match his level of skill in that genre, Anoushka ventured into fusion. This album, consisting of her own compositions, marks her empowerment as an artist.
• Melissa Stylianou, featuring Gene Bertoncini and Ike Sturm “Dream Dancing” (2022) (47’): the singer is billed first but the trio plays together like a band, each performer enhancing the others. “Vocalist Melissa Stylianou, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, and bassist Ike Sturm make for a canorous combination. A working trio elevated by keen conversational rapport and an embrace of spur-of-the-moment suggestions, theirs is quite simply a perfect partnership.”

Music: songs and other short pieces

Personal Empowerment:

• Alicia Keys, “Girl on Fire” (lyrics)

Community Empowerment:

• Queen, “We Will Rock You” (lyrics)

Visual Arts

• Jackson Pollock, Blue Poles (Number 11) (1952)
• Wassily Kandinsky, Dominant Curve (1936)

Film and Stage

• Poetry, “a masterful study (of) subtle empowerment” and the power of imagination and resolve to transform a “small, unremarkable woman”