Imaginary

Fictional Narratives

Novels:

• Tana French, The Searcher: A Novel (Viking, 2020) “. . . the kid needs help and has nowhere else to turn. And Cal badly needs to feel needed . . .” [a retired police officer moves to Ireland, and makes himself useful]

Poetry

There was a good man of religion, too,
A country parson, poor, I warrant you;
But rich he was in holy thought and work.
He was a learned man also, a clerk,
Who Christ's own gospel truly sought to preach;
Devoutly his parishioners would he teach.
Benign he was and wondrous diligent,
Patient in adverse times and well content,
As he was ofttimes proven; always blithe,
He was right loath to curse to get a tithe,
But rather would he give, in case of doubt,
Unto those poor parishioners about,
Part of his income, even of his goods.
Enough with little, coloured all his moods.
Wide was his parish, houses far asunder,
But never did he fail, for rain or thunder,
In sickness, or in sin, or any state,
To visit to the farthest, small and great,
Going afoot, and in his hand, a stave.
This fine example to his flock he gave,
That first he wrought and afterwards he taught;
Out of the gospel then that text he caught,
And this figure he added thereunto-
That, if gold rust, what shall poor iron do?
For if the priest be foul, in whom we trust,
What wonder if a layman yield to lust?
And shame it is, if priest take thought for keep,
A shitty shepherd, shepherding clean sheep.
Well ought a priest example good to give,
By his own cleanness, how his flock should live.
He never let his benefice for hire,
Leaving his flock to flounder in the mire,
And ran to London, up to old Saint Paul's
To get himself a chantry there for souls,
Nor in some brotherhood did he withhold;
But dwelt at home and kept so well the fold
That never wolf could make his plans miscarry;
He was a shepherd and not mercenary.
And holy though he was, and virtuous,
To sinners he was not impiteous,
Nor haughty in his speech, nor too divine,
But in all teaching prudent and benign.
To lead folk into Heaven but by stress
Of good example was his busyness.
But if some sinful one proved obstinate,
Be who it might, of high or low estate,
Him he reproved, and sharply, as I know.
There is nowhere a better priest, I trow.
He had no thirst for pomp or reverence,
Nor made himself a special, spiced conscience,
But Christ's own lore, and His apostles' twelve
He taught, but first he followed it himselve.

[Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (ca. 1389-1400), “The Parson’s Portrait”.]

Other poems:

• Robert Frost, “The Death of the Hired Man” (analysis)
• Edgar Lee Masters, “George Gray”
• John Keats, “Lines Written in the Highlands After a Visit to Burns’ Country”
• Wallace Stevens, “Table Talk”

From the dark side:

• Edgar Lee Masters, “Hildrup Tubbs”

Music: Composers, artists, and major works

Characterized by a powerful solo voice in an orchestral context (think society and nature), the great violin concerti illustrate the elements of the religious life. With its hard-driving attitude throughout (his “inspiration” was a failed marriage), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 (1878) (approx. 31-37’), suggests a life of purpose. The concerto suggests ambition, with several melodic themes. “Despite the difficulties of the solo part, the violin focuses on decorating the theme rather than on presenting purely technical passages.” Top recorded performances are by Erica Morini in 1952, David Oistrakh in 1954, Jascha Heifetz in 1957, Isaac Stern in 1958, Leonid Kogan in 1959, Zino Francescatti in 1965, Itzhak Perlman in 1967, Kyung-Wha Chung in 1970, Nathan Milstein in 1972, Vladimir Spivakov in 1982, Maxim Vengerov in 1990, Maxim Vengerov in 1995, Vadim Repin in 2001, Christian Tetzlaff in 2002, Janine Jansen in 2006, Ray Chen in 2011, Julia Fischer in 2015, Henning Kraggerud in 2018, and Daniel Lozakovich in 2019 ***.

Antonín Dvořák, Violin Concerto in A Minor, B. 96 / B. 108 (1879) (approx. 36-39’), is a hard-driving work, apparently informed by the composer’s intentions. He said: “I myself have gone to the simple, half-forgotten tunes of the Bohemian peasants for hints in my most serious works.  Only in this way can a musician express the true sentiment of his people.” Top recorded performances are by Martzy & Fricsay in 1953, Suk & Ančerl in 1961, Perlman & Barenboim in 1975, Faust & Bělohlávek in 2008, Julia Fischer & Zinman in 2012, Mutter & Honeck in 2013, Tetzlaff & Storgårds in 2016, and Hahn & Orozco-Estrada in 2022.

Franz Liszt composed two highly regarded piano concerti. The first is his Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, S. 124 (1849) (approx. 17-21’). “A single theme dominates the entire concerto.” “The Concerto’s four sections are connected and share thematic material to such an extent that they form an organic, cyclic whole.” “. . . Liszt wanted this piece to be taken seriously as the highly original composition that it is rather than as a light, virtuoso showpiece that would merely showcase his own talents—it is for this reason that he preferred pianists other than himself to play the work.”  Top recorded performances are by Cziffra in 1956, Bolet in 1960, Richter in 1961 ***, Janis in 1963, Zimerman in 1988, Li in 2005, Barenboim in 2010, and Ullman in 2022.

Liszt, Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Major, S125 (1849) (approx. 19-24’). “The A major Concerto is more subdued in this regard. Its technical demands remain substantial, and Liszt certainly does include passages that convey virtuoso spectacle; but on the whole, one senses the composer’s deep-seated desire to integrate the solo instrument into the symphonic texture rather than highlight is as a vessel of independent display.” “Liszt takes his sweet time developing this exquisitely romantic theme, which gains in intensity as the piano assumes dominance, ending what might be called the first development with a fiery cadenza. The more animated contrasting theme is replaced by yet another, wholly new melodic notion before the ‘unifying’ theme is resumed in a gorgeous cello solo, followed eventually by another thunderous piano cadenza and the martial Allegro deciso rendering of the theme, which is then subjected to a further series of transformations before the slam-bang conclusion.” Top recorded performances are by Richter in 1961 ***, Janis in 1963, Freire in 1979, Zimerman in 1988, Barenboim in 2010, Senyshyn in 2019, and Ullman in 2022.

Other compositions:

• Gustaf Bengtsson, Violin Concerto in B Minor (1941) (approx. 32’): “Bengtsson’s Violin Concerto is unmistakeably Nordic in character and quite pictorial. The opening movement spans nearly eighteen minutes commencing with a strongly rhythmic theme that has tripping/marching figures.”
• Mieczysław Weinberg, Flute Concerto No. 1, Op. 75 (1961) (approx. 15-16’): “The concerto is quite tonal, and simple in structure. But played the right way — as it is in this recording — one can hear the sadness and frustration behind the facade.”
• William Wordsworth, Symphony No. 5 in A Minor, Op. 68 (1960) (approx. 30-35’), is characterized by “purposefulness and eventual optimism”.
• Sergey Taneyev, Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 30 (1911) (approx. 46’): “The crowning glory of Taneyev's chamber works with piano, a work permeated with profound thought and inward pathos.”

Albums:

• Martin Hayes & The Common Ground Ensemble, “Peggy’s Dream” (2023) (44’) by far transcends the mere finding of common ground. These are master musicians, playing together with both technical skill and feeling, evoking Love. “Much of what makes Martin Hayes such a unique musician is his ability to take a familiar tune and arrange it in a uniquely fresh way whilst retaining its very essence, the core of the traditional melody.” “Balance and control are at the heart of this magnificent collection . . .” This is human interaction as a life purpose.

Music: songs and other short pieces

Visual Arts

Shadow side:

• René Magritte, The Lost Jockey (1948)
• René Magritte, The Lost Jockey (1926)

Film and Stage

• Ikiru, about a dying man who finds a sense of purpose through generosity; “a masterwork of burning social conscience and hard-eyed psychological realism”
• Yi Yi: an “intimate epic of a middle-class Taipei family’s everyday struggles”; a “portrait of three generations of a Taiwanese family . . . haunted by lost opportunities and doubts about the purpose of life”
• Deserted Station: an unhappy young wife “reconnects with fundamental human values” after she and her husband are stranded, and she is left in a position to serve others