Imaginary

Fictional Narratives

On the following morning, at daybreak, Jean Valjean was still by Cosette's bedside; he watched there motionless, waiting for her to wake.  Some new thing had come into his soul.  Jean Valjean had never loved anything; for twenty-five years he had been alone in the world. He had never been father, lover, husband, friend. In the prison he had been vicious, gloomy, chaste, ignorant, and shy. The heart of that ex-convict was full of virginity. His sister and his sister's children had left him only a vague and far-off memory which had finally almost completely vanished; he had made every effort to find them, and not having been able to find them, he had forgotten them. Human nature is made thus; the other tender emotions of his youth, if he had ever had any, had fallen into an abyss.  When he saw Cosette, when he had taken possession of her, carried her off, and delivered her, he felt his heart moved within him.  All the passion and affection within him awoke, and rushed towards that child. He approached the bed, where she lay sleeping, and trembled with joy. He suffered all the pangs of a mother, and he knew not what it meant; for that great and singular movement of a heart which begins to love is a very obscure and a very sweet thing.  Poor old man, with a perfectly new heart!  Only, as he was five and fifty, and Cosette eight years of age, all that might have been love in the whole course of his life flowed together into a sort of ineffable light.  It was the second white apparition which he had encountered. The Bishop had caused the dawn of virtue to rise on his horizon; Cosette caused the dawn of love to rise. [Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (1862), Volume II – Cosette; Book Fourth – The Gorbeau Hovel, Chapter III, “Two Misfortunes Make One Piece of Good Fortune”.]

I do not believe that there is anything sweeter in the world than the ideas which awake in a mother’s heart at the sight of her child’s tiny shoe; especially if it is a shoe for festivals, for Sunday, for baptism, the shoe embroidered to the very sole, a shoe in which the infant has not yet taken a step. That shoe has so much grace and daintiness, it is so impossible for it to walk, that it seems to the mother as though she saw her child. She smiles upon it, she kisses it, she talks to it; she asks herself whether there can actually be a foot so tiny; and if the child be absent, the pretty shoe suffices to place the sweet and fragile creature before her eyes. She thinks she sees it, she does see it, complete, living, joyous, with its delicate hands, its round head, its pure lips, its serene eyes whose white is blue. If it is in winter, it is yonder, crawling on the carpet, it is laboriously climbing upon an ottoman, and the mother trembles lest it should approach the fire. If it is summer time, it crawls about the yard, in the garden, plucks up the grass between the paving-stones, gazes innocently at the big dogs, the big horses, without fear, plays with the shells, with the flowers, and makes the gardener grumble because he finds sand in the flower-beds and earth in the paths. Everything laughs, and shines and plays around it, like it, even the breath of air and the ray of sun which vie with each other in disporting among the silky ringlets of its hair. The shoe shows all this to the mother, and makes her heart melt as fire melts wax.  But when the child is lost, these thousand images of joy, of charms, of tenderness, which throng around the little shoe, become so many horrible things. The pretty broidered shoe is no longer anything but an instrument of torture which eternally crushes the heart of the mother. It is always the same fibre which vibrates, the tenderest and most sensitive; but instead of an angel caressing it, it is a demon who is wrenching at it. [Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris, or, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831), Volume II, Book Eighth, Chapter V, “The Mother”.]

Novels and stories:

• Walter Dean Myers, What They Found: Love on 145th Street (Walter Lamb Books, 2007).
• Eileen Chang, Love in a Fallen City (NYRB Classics, 2006).
• Susan Palwick, The Necessary Beggar (Tor Books, 2005).
• Thich Nhat Hanh, The Novice: A Story of True Love (HarperOne, 2011): a young woman follows her calling by secretly becoming a monk, which is forbidden to women, but then is challenged when another woman accuses her of fathering a child.
• Adam Levin, Hot Pink (McSweeney’s Rectangulars, 2012): nine stories “about how love – family love, romantic love, love between friends – turns us into people we never thought we’d become.”
• Kate Walbert, She Was Like That: New and Selected Stories (Simon & Schuster, 2019): “Here is a map of a land of mothers: mothers before the babies come; mothers in the throes of infant love; mothers minding children; mothers losing children; mothers losing themselves.”
• Claire Lombardo, The Most Fun We Ever Had: A Novel (Doubleday, 2019): “. . . the novel’s central mystery: How do you love?”
• Cleyvis Natera, Neruda on the Park: A Novel (Ballantine Books, 2022): “. . . this is also a love story, and love — profound, mundane, imperfect — so warmly suffuses the book its pages practically glow with it. ‘You’re not alone,’ Vladimir assures the unmoored Luz, echoing the solidarity around José García. 'We take care of each other.'”
• Katie Runde, The Shore: A Novel (Scribner, 2022): “How do you find patience for a loved one who bears no resemblance to his former self? How can you long for relief when that relief means the person you love will die? . . . . Anyone who has lost someone by inches will recognize the struggle to push through despair and affirm the dogged endurance of love.”

Poetry

Poems:

• Maya Angelou, “Touched by an Angel”
• Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Give All to Love”

From the shadow side:

• Robert Frost, “Fire and Ice”

Music: Composers, artists, and major works

Quintessentially Romantic, Johannes Brahms’ Violin Sonatas sound like someone in love, or like a parent’s Love for a child, or a spiritual master’s Love for all sentient beings. The first sonata is especially violin-heavy but as Brahms matured, he gave the piano more of an equal role. The three have been frequently recorded as a set, most notably by Szeryng & Rubinstein in 1962; Suk & Katchen in 1966; Perlman & Ashkenazy in 1985; Dumay & Pires in 1992 (No. 1; No. 2; No. 3); Mullova & Anderszewski in 1996; Znaider & Bronfman in 2005 (No. 1; No. 2; No. 3); Jackiw & Levinson in 2009; Roth & Gallardo in 2011; Sergey & Lusine Khachatryan in 2012; Tetzlaff & Vogt 2016; Liebeck & Apekisheva in 2010; and Wallin & Pöntinen in 2019 (Sonata No. 1), and in 2020 (Sonata Nos. 2 & 3).

• Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op, 78, “Rain Sonata” (Regensonate) (1879) (approx. 26-30’), features two themes from the songs from his Op. 59, “Regenlied” and “Nachklang”. “Pour, rain, pour down, Awaken again in me those dreams That I dreamt in childhood, When the wetness foamed in the sand!” “When Brahms sent Clara (Schumann) a manuscript copy of this new work, she wrote back, ‘I must send you a line to tell you how excited I am about your Sonata. It came today. Of course I played it through at once, and at the end could not help bursting into tears of joy.' Ten years later, when Clara was seventy years old and in failing health, she still loved the sonata . . .”
• Brahms composed his Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100, “Thun”, or “Meistersinger” (1886) (approx. 20-22’), while summering in Thun, which is in Sweden. “In keeping with the sonata’s predominantly lyrical character, it begins with a song-like theme (Hanslick noted its similarity to the ‘prize song’ from Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) whose genial warmth may remind us of the atmosphere of another radiant A major work Brahms may well have known: Schubert’s piano sonata, D664.” It is “a radiant work with a joyful mood that is never dimmed throughout, reflecting the good spirits of the composer during his vacation”
• Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108 (1888) (approx. 21-28’): “. . . the Third Violin Sonata, Op. 108 in D minor, is the most serious of the three, not so surprising when we recall that the composer’s powerful First Piano Concerto was also set in D minor, the key of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.” “Brahms' Sonata No.3 in D minor Op.108 was composed between 1886 and 1888 and dedicated to the conductor and pianist Hans von Bülow, who was a champion of Brahms' oeuvre. It differs from its predecessors in that it is longer (four movements as opposed to the three-movement structure of the other two), more dramatic and much broader in design; indeed, it is almost symphonic in scale and is particularly remarkable for its wide range of intense emotional feeling.”

In Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot (completed 1926) (approx. 114-132’) (libretto), a princess was killed by a suitor, leading a royal family to cruel practices for suitors of other princesses. A hero appears, and pursues his beloved princess despite the risks. His name remains a secret until the end: it is Love. The opera is about Love as a creative force, and how Love opens the way to trust and Faith. Here are links to complete performances conducted by Previtali, Mehta, Chailly, and Maazel. Top audio-recorded performances are by: Cigna, Merli, Olivero & Neroni (Ghione) in 1938; Borkh, del Monaco, Tebaldi & Zaccaria (Erede) in 1955; Callas, Schwarzkopf, Nessi & Zaccaria (Serafin) in 1957; Nilsson, Tebaldi, Bjorling & Tozzi (Leinsdorf) in 1959; Nilsson, Corelli, Moffo & Giaiotti (Stokowski) in 1961; Nilsson, Corelli, Scotto & Giaiotti (Molinari-Pradelli) in 1965; Sutherland, Caballé, Pavarotti & Ghiaurov (Mehta) in 1972; and Radvanovsky, Kaufman & Jaho (Pappano) in 2022.

Richard Strauss, Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), Op. 65, TrV 234 (1915) (approx. 191-204’), is about a woman who forgoes her shadow existence to marry. The spiritual transformation, and true marriage are complete when she regains her shadow form (video-recorded performance conducted by Gergiev). Top audio-recorded performances are conducted by Kempe in 1954, Böhm in 1977, Sawallisch in 1987, Solti in 1989-1991, Sinopoli in 1996, and Thielemann in 2020.

Claudio Monteverdi, L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppaea), SV 308 (1643) (approx. 165-259’), is an opera about the power of Love to overcome fate; in the opera, it is also more powerful than virtue. Performances are conducted by Christie, Minkowski and Vartolo. Garrido conducted a top recording.

Jean-Baptiste Lully, Psyché, LWV 56 (1678) (approx. 143-173’), is an opera about the mythical figure Psyché, drawn from a play by Molière. It illustrates Love as a creative force, overcoming jealousy (personified by the character Venus). Psyché and Cupid succeed, through their Love for each other. Though decidedly a product of an earlier century, this opera and its core story illustrate the point. Top recorded performances are conducted by O’Dette in 2008, and Rousset in 2023.

Other major works:

• Franz Schubert, String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 125/1, D 87 (1813) (approx. 21-25’), “was clearly written for home consumption – in Europe it sometimes called ‘The Household Quartet.’ The work is melodious, easy to play, and with three of the four movements in clearly organized sonata form . . .”
• Schubert, String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, Op. 29, D 804, “Rosamunde” (1824) (approx. 31-37’): “The first movement is the most intense. A wistful melody with an underlying rhythmic urgency sets a mood that is trademark Schubert: hopeful yearning surrounded by despair. . . The middle movements are much more subtle. . . (A) kinder spirit pervades the finale . . .”
• Gabriel Fauré, Dolly, Op. 56 (1896) (approx. 17-18’): “The pieces were written for the daughter of his mistress . . .”
•  Francesco Geminiani, Violin Sonatas, Op. 4 (1739) (approx. 109’)

Beethoven’s nine symphonies represent many spiritual qualities but under George Szell’s direction, with the Cleveland Orchestra of the late 1950s, they sound like Love. He brings a tenderness to the performances not heard under any other conductor.

• Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21 (1800)
• Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36 (1802)
• Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55, "Eroica" (1804)
• Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 60 (1808)
• Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (1808)
• Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, "Pastoral" (1808)
• Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 (1812)
• Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93 (1812)
• Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, "Choral" (1824)

Other works:

• Raga Hindol is a Hindustani classical raag for after midnight or around dawn. It is associated with spring, and embodies Kama, the god of love, or Krishna. Performances are by Kishori Amonkar, Bhimsen Joshi and Kishori Amonkar.
• Raag Jhinjhoti is a Hindustani classical raag, usually performed in late evening, and commonly heard at Hindu weddings. Performances are by Ali Akbar Khan, Buddhadev Dasgupta, Vilayat Khan, Shivkumar Sharma/Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shahid Parvez, and Kishori Amonkar.

Albums and tracks:

• David Murray, “Lovers” (1987) (49’)
• Imee Ooi, The Divine Mantra of Boddhisatva Avalokitesvara (11’)
• Shivkumar Sharma & Hariprasad Chaurasia, “The Valley Recalls” album: “Love” (2000) (24’)
• Alabaster de Plume, “Gold: Go Forward in the Courage of Your Love” (2022) (48’): “. . . he applies self-love like an exfoliant, scraping off the old skin of cynicism and exposing the clean and vulnerable surface below.”
• Dave Stryker, “As We Are” (2022) (56’): a guitarist and a string quartet, backed by piano, bass and drums, create sounds of love and thoughts of loved ones. Stryker explains: “I always wanted to do something where strings would really be integrated into the music, not a coloring or sweetening that comes later.”
• George Telek, “Kambek – I Lilikun Mulai” (2022) (40’): love practically drips from his voice.
• Bex Burch, “There is Only Love and Fear” (2023) (39’) “lands decidedly on the side of love . . .” “Over 12 dream-like instrumental incantations Burch creates a delicate and elegiac atmosphere. The fluid sonic whole is woven together by the physical and spiritual resonance of her xylophone, and the autobiographical sounds she recorded in her journeys between.”

Music: songs and other short pieces

• George Frideric Händel (composer), Largo, from the opera Xerxes, orchestral transcription: Hear an autumn afternoon, a winter day by the fire, a spring morning, a summer evening, the day your children were born - any dream you ever had that was connected to someone else.
• Paul Simon, “Father and Daughter” (lyrics)
• Lonestar, “Amazed” (lyrics)
• Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud” (lyrics)
• Alison Krauss, “I Will” (lyrics) (The problem here is that if the loved one would ask for that, he/she does not love the lover.)
• The Beatles, “I Will”
• Sérgio Assad, Clarice Assad & Third Coast Percussion, “The Lover”
• Nawang Khechog, “Universal Love”
• Nawang Khechog, “Loving Even One’s Enemy”
• Nawang Khechog, “Infinite Love”
• Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou (composer), “Mother’s Love”
• L. Viola Kinney (composer), “Mother’s Sacrifice”
• Franz Schubert (composer), Lied der Liebe (Song of Love), D. 109 (1814) (lyrics)
• Franz Schubert (composer), Die Liebe (Love), D. 522 (1817) (lyrics)

Visual Arts

• Alphonse Mucha, Age of Love (1936-38)
• Egon Schiele, Young Mother (1914)

Film and Stage

• Lili: the gentle, asexual, non-possessive love of a teenager helps a puppeteer break through the obstacles to Love
• Love Affair: what begins in passion ends in commitment and sacrifice
• Warrior: “. . . for all its mayhem, it is a movie about love”
• Beauty and the Beast (2017 version): on Love’s creative power