On the Trail: Less is More
Since the end of June I have been in almost continuous motion. I attended the International Association of Catholic Bioethicists Conference on Ile St. Bernard outside of Montreal at the end of June, the Ontario Provincial Catholic Women's League Convention in Niagara Falls in July, the National Catholic Women's League Convention in Vancouver in August and I had the joy of visiting family in France in September. I also managed some holiday time in British Columbia along with the convention.
In fact, during that holiday it was a great experience to be brought by one of my great friends to the ranch country of British Columbia. Aside from the chance of being pursued by bears and cougars, the mountains were stunning and two of the great joys came in the evening. No light pollution! And wonderful quiet. With my window slightly askew going to bed I could hear a mountain stream gurgling.
In the 1800's the arts moved into a very naturalist and romantic phase. Music composers looked to folk music and the landscape itself as an inspiration. Collecting folk music melodies and then orchestrating them became widespread in Europe. Eventually romanticism became too syrupy, not reflecting the realities of people's lives.
Romanticism is far from dead. Much of pop music still plays to it and the nostalgia for the music of our youth is certainly romanticizing music.
The beautiful clear nights and fresh air and stream showed me something very elemental that I am missing in my urban life. There is too much noise around to hear the sounds that literally bring one back to earth.
I still love much 19th century romantic music, because:
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| In the Chilcotin ranch country in August 2015 |
In the 1800's the arts moved into a very naturalist and romantic phase. Music composers looked to folk music and the landscape itself as an inspiration. Collecting folk music melodies and then orchestrating them became widespread in Europe. Eventually romanticism became too syrupy, not reflecting the realities of people's lives.
Romanticism is far from dead. Much of pop music still plays to it and the nostalgia for the music of our youth is certainly romanticizing music.
The beautiful clear nights and fresh air and stream showed me something very elemental that I am missing in my urban life. There is too much noise around to hear the sounds that literally bring one back to earth.
I still love much 19th century romantic music, because:
- It's beautiful! Smetena's Moldau, the second movement of Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto, Faure's, Cantique de Jean Racine. They all draw something elemental out of me.
- It does preserve something of the connection of people to the land that we are better off for being reminded of.
- It tells a tonal story. A Beethoven symphony is like a journey through the emotional life. No matter what I am doing or where I am, there is a narrative connected to me, one that I hope is articulate and meaningful. This music helps me to experience that.
