I have dwelled for the past week in the classical era of european art music and have been a part of the lives of the Mozart family.
I am not being delusional or schizophrenic but my introduction to the Mozarts comes through a book by Nancy Moser called as "Mozart's sister". Reading about the book in one of the other blogs had piqued my interest a long time ago but then I finally got around to getting and reading the book only recently.
Through this work of historical fiction the author traces the life of Nannerl Mozart, the sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a composer whose name will not be forgotten from the history of music for eons to come. But then why this focus on the life of his sister and not on the maestro himself ?
Well, Nannerl was an equally gifted musician, if not as prodigious as Mozart. However, despite the talent and the ability, the world sang paeans to Mozart and his musical gifts, while the name of Nannerl Mozart was gradually erased from the sands of time. She was a dutiful daughter and a sister in addition to being an accomplished musician but her gender and the social mores of her time bound her talent and kept them captive to the demands of domesticity. While I empathized with her and her limitations, i also thought that she lacked a certain spirit and will which are essential for people, especially women to survive in a society dominated by men. The book is written through the character of Nannerl and does a fairly good job of giving you an understanding of her circumstances. One can feel her pain as she sees opportunities snatched from her and handed over to her brother. She is tormented by her desire for fame and opportunity along with a sense of jealousy for her brother. She battles with these emotions till much later into her life and the book does justice to her sentiments.
But what really caught my mind was the simple, one lined, question on the dust jacket - "Is the recognition she longs for the truest measure of her gifts ?"
It is a question that comes up every now and then. We are all social creatures and the opinions of the society do have a grip on us. I have often attempted to wrest myself free of this "need/desire" for appreciation and approval and after many years, i find myself much better off. But, i still do value the opinions of a few dear to me.
Why do we crave for this sense of appreciation realizing fully well that it does not in any way, shape or form truly reflect our ability or potential ? A society's perception of good and bad is determined by many factors and they are based on components other than the objective truth. Yet we crave for approval. For fame. For appreciation. For recognition.
Why ?
I guess, I want to be sure of my evaluation of myself and my work and perhaps i also want to be more objective of what I do and think ! I often worry that I am perhaps more human than I realize and give myself a lot more leeway than is rightfully deserved. At such points I like to hear the honest opinion of a trusted few to know that I have indeed done the right thing in the right way.
Being able to be immune to the words of others is a quality that serves as a double edged sword. On the one hand, it leads me to imagine characters such as Howard Roark who work for the sheer joy it brings and not for the appreciation or the rewards that it may entail. These are people who are extremely egoistic (in the truest sense of the word) and are beyond caring for the opinions of other people. On the other extreme are also the self centered people who are unable to think beyond themselves and their needs. They work to further their interests without any concern for anyone else but their concerns are usually dependent on the existence of others... the prestige, the honor, the pleasure - all in the eyes of the others ! These are a class of selfish parasites who have been ably dealt with by Ayn Rand in her books. But in between these two extremes, lies perhaps, the majority of mankind !! We are all not egositic enough to be beyond the need for the approval and praise of the society... But then, neither are we willing to live a life of complete selfishness.
We still crave for approval and appreciation even as we try and pursue our dreams.
But, is it worth it ?
"Is the recognition we long for the truest measure of our gifts ?"
I am not being delusional or schizophrenic but my introduction to the Mozarts comes through a book by Nancy Moser called as "Mozart's sister". Reading about the book in one of the other blogs had piqued my interest a long time ago but then I finally got around to getting and reading the book only recently.
Through this work of historical fiction the author traces the life of Nannerl Mozart, the sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a composer whose name will not be forgotten from the history of music for eons to come. But then why this focus on the life of his sister and not on the maestro himself ?
Well, Nannerl was an equally gifted musician, if not as prodigious as Mozart. However, despite the talent and the ability, the world sang paeans to Mozart and his musical gifts, while the name of Nannerl Mozart was gradually erased from the sands of time. She was a dutiful daughter and a sister in addition to being an accomplished musician but her gender and the social mores of her time bound her talent and kept them captive to the demands of domesticity. While I empathized with her and her limitations, i also thought that she lacked a certain spirit and will which are essential for people, especially women to survive in a society dominated by men. The book is written through the character of Nannerl and does a fairly good job of giving you an understanding of her circumstances. One can feel her pain as she sees opportunities snatched from her and handed over to her brother. She is tormented by her desire for fame and opportunity along with a sense of jealousy for her brother. She battles with these emotions till much later into her life and the book does justice to her sentiments.
But what really caught my mind was the simple, one lined, question on the dust jacket - "Is the recognition she longs for the truest measure of her gifts ?"
It is a question that comes up every now and then. We are all social creatures and the opinions of the society do have a grip on us. I have often attempted to wrest myself free of this "need/desire" for appreciation and approval and after many years, i find myself much better off. But, i still do value the opinions of a few dear to me.
Why do we crave for this sense of appreciation realizing fully well that it does not in any way, shape or form truly reflect our ability or potential ? A society's perception of good and bad is determined by many factors and they are based on components other than the objective truth. Yet we crave for approval. For fame. For appreciation. For recognition.
Why ?
I guess, I want to be sure of my evaluation of myself and my work and perhaps i also want to be more objective of what I do and think ! I often worry that I am perhaps more human than I realize and give myself a lot more leeway than is rightfully deserved. At such points I like to hear the honest opinion of a trusted few to know that I have indeed done the right thing in the right way.
Being able to be immune to the words of others is a quality that serves as a double edged sword. On the one hand, it leads me to imagine characters such as Howard Roark who work for the sheer joy it brings and not for the appreciation or the rewards that it may entail. These are people who are extremely egoistic (in the truest sense of the word) and are beyond caring for the opinions of other people. On the other extreme are also the self centered people who are unable to think beyond themselves and their needs. They work to further their interests without any concern for anyone else but their concerns are usually dependent on the existence of others... the prestige, the honor, the pleasure - all in the eyes of the others ! These are a class of selfish parasites who have been ably dealt with by Ayn Rand in her books. But in between these two extremes, lies perhaps, the majority of mankind !! We are all not egositic enough to be beyond the need for the approval and praise of the society... But then, neither are we willing to live a life of complete selfishness.
We still crave for approval and appreciation even as we try and pursue our dreams.
But, is it worth it ?
"Is the recognition we long for the truest measure of our gifts ?"
2 comments:
This reminds me of the age-old question, "If a tree falls in the middle of the forest with no one around, does it make a sound?"
Deciding something is a 'gift' is itself a comparative evaluation based on societal norms, isn't it? Though it is difficult (and often unfair to the talented women in the past who could never explore their gifts), I think public opinion validates talent for most of us- and objective critical opinion is a tool more than anything personal.
Well, I differ with you on this account. If a tree falls in the middle of a forest with no one around, it does make a sound... we just don't hear it.
Some things are objective like science but some things are very subjective such as arts and music. Objective critical opinion is needed in a lot of places but for such areas it is not a necessity and cannot be. Some people are ahead of their time and if they seek public opinion and rely on it, we wouldn't make any progress. And more often than not, people end up looking for appreciation and not necessarily a critical opinion. But as i said, i do agree that we do need sounding boards and people to be honest with us...
Post a Comment