suffering brings joy?

 

My dog Charlie has become a father for the 4th time, 8 kids 29 Children he has now. This is wonderful news.

Still today, it is past midnight, it is (for the West) Good Friday.

So I thought let us talk about departure. As I have had to say goodbye to so many good people.

Today I was talking to the Pharmacy’s son about the lost of our parents and most recently for him his Dad. Notice that I called the son the ‘Pharmacy’s son. It is a theme for me, departure and being alive and what to do with it.

Being born, All the time in between…, Where do you spent your time on? What and who do you believe?

What is the influence of believing, what that of knowing? Why is experience, empiric always different than one says?

Why is it rare that 2 minds understand the same… Mean whilst 80.000 sing along with same tears in a concert?

What are the most iconic moments in history where we can almost embrace death and life itself as bing one of the same …..?

As. I am not planning on doing much research now, I come with things more at random,

emotional one might say

The Johannes passion was for the first time performed on Good Friday 7. April 1724, in The Leipziger Nikolaikirche . The Mattheus came some what later (1727).The Mattues by Richter and where Diskau sings … made the 3 cold hours in a cold church almost eduring.

 

But here the master ( Bach himself, Where would? God or Christianity be without the Matheus and Johannes Passion?
Althought we have the Good Friday to contemplate over death and life. It often is a theological theme. As strange is it might be… it Is the introduction of discussion. A. lot of wrong or right, good or bad comes around the corner. Even between what ‘Passion’ is better…. Sure is in abstract we are involved with life and death.

It was much earlier that the poem Stabat mater dolorosa came to its conclusion. 1207

Beautiful but also the theme suffering. Beautiful performed by Pergolesi (and many others)

Round and about the same time, as the Passions, 1736 Pergolesi gave tone to the Stabat mater. There in this singing you can feel the grief from a mother who lost her child.. that underway becomes THE LORD a saviour leaves the beautiful music bring you in a state of joyful humbull

The most famous of all is The Pieta’ is that one from Da Vinci (1517, Da Vinci was 24 years)

 

I went to Padova to see the fresco of Giotto (made in 1305) A Pieta but called Lamentations.

 

Lamentation of Christ (1305) by Giotto is almost more human, where da Vinci is secret
It brought me to Rembrandt who ‘hangs’ in Leiden

 

1630 rembrandt hangs in Leiden, Lakenhal

It fascinated me more and more. The Question is ‘what is the sufferering’ and ‘About what’. Clearly it had all to do with sorrow and feelings of guild.

Of course it is clear. But the music and paintings, and fresco’ s have grown to become things that we seek or remember also when we grief ourself. So the real meaning is not that important… perhaps-

From Lamentations van Rembrandt I came to The barok, from Dresden Jan Dimas Zelenka with his Lamentations of Jeremiah steps towards the human aspect.

You feel and hear the individual weeping and whining about what all went wrong. what HE did wrong.

with all respect the reference is clear, we might see a human reflecting on his own mistakes (according to…) but it is always in the light of Jesus, God or Maria.

At a lot of ceremonies you can hear Requiem von Mozart or Faure supposing lighter, than Zelenka, Stabat Mater or Bach. Still in all these themes Jesus is the main Focus.

In 1833 and 1834 Friedrich Rückert overcome what we now would like to address to as one can overcome. Loosing a child.

Mahler hat lost 7 brothers and in 1907 a daughter. I have to take up the german text, because of the emotions within it.

kindertotenlieder

Oft denk’ ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen!

Oft denk’ ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen!
Bald werden sie wieder nach Hause gelangen! Der Tag ist schön! O sei nicht bang!
Sie machen nur einen weiten Gang!

Jawohl, sie sind nur ausgegangen
Und werden jetzt nach Hause gelangen! O, sei nicht bang, der Tag is schön!
Sie machen nur den Gang zu jenen Höh’n!

Sie sind uns nur vorausgegangen
Und werden nicht wieder nach Hause gelangen! Wir holen sie ein auf jenen Höh’n
Im Sonnenschein!
Der Tag is schön auf jenen Höh’n!

In diesem Wetter, in diesem Braus

In diesem Wetter, in diesem Braus,
Nie hätt’ ich gesendet die Kinder hinaus; Man hat sie getragen hinaus,
Ich durfte nichts dazu sagen!

In diesem Wetter, in diesem Saus,
Nie hätt’ ich gelassen die Kinder hinaus, Ich fürchtete sie erkranken;
Das sind nun eitle Gedanken.

In diesem Wetter, in diesem Graus,
Nie hätt’ ich gelassen die Kinder hinaus; Ich sorgte, sie stürben morgen,
Das ist nun nicht zu besorgen.

In diesem Wetter, in diesem Saus, in diesem Braus, Sie ruh’n als wie in der Mutter Haus,
Von keinem Sturm erschrecket,
Von Gottes Hand bedecket.

 

Gustav und Alma Mahler | Bildquelle: Moritz Nahr

Mahler ist zu diesem Zeitpunkt noch ledig. Doch bald darauf lernt er Alma kennen. Die beiden heiraten, wenige Monate später kommt die erste Tochter Maria Anna zur Welt, zwei Jahre später Anna Justine. Die Arbeit an den “Kindertotenliedern” ruht. Dann aber nimmt Mahler sie plötzlich wieder auf. “Ich kann es wohl begreifen, dass man so furchtbare Texte komponiert, wenn man keine Kinder hat, oder wenn man Kinder verloren hat”, reagiert Mahlers Frau Alma gereizt. “Ich kann es aber nicht verstehen, dass man den Tod von Kindern besingen kann, wenn man sie eine halbe Stunde vorher, heiter und gesund, geherzt und geküsst hat. Um Gottes willen, du malst den Teufel an die Wand!”

1907 starb die gemeinsame Tochter Maria-Anna an Scharlach–Diphtherie.

Kindertotenlieder

The the playfulness is gone. It is not arbitrair a reference to jesus but this is about children who did exist. Your own flesh and blood.

There are people say this or that about. And even about Karma.

It now is 01:11 so Friday 10 april Good Friday. A day to remember who are not with us anymore

There are insane situations where people even distant themselves from other whilst still alife.

Life is fragile.

We can, also in our deepest grief, obviously make art, poems, music, that can carry our own tears into a bigger see and makes up wake up to softness. More and more softness in this in creadible myth we call life.

Listen to ‚Kindertotenlieder‘ von Gustav Mahler, Gesungen durch Fischer Diskau. Nach Texten von Friedrich Rückert

In 1985 i was still studying history and life with other students in a house. With one of them, a theoretical Physician, i used to walk, talk about all in life. He gave me the album 78 grammafoon. And we listen to it often, both in tears and still trying to sing.

Still when I hear the 3 and 4 part, I hold my breath and want everybody to listen and grasp this feeling that these 3 men have brought together.

We know there is no answer. Death will come. Still in empathy, softness and loving during the day we will be more connected. And we know, death does not mean out of our hearts and soul.

embrace and create

http://www.gopera.com/lieder/translations/mahler_kindertotenlieder.pdf