Beethoven’s 6th symphony the Pastoral, is such a great example of an artist expressing and connecting to their love of Nature. Beethoven was known to take long walks in the country and each one of the 5 movements, which was certainly a ‘deviation’ of the normal 4 movements of a classical symphony, has a specific title about an aspect of Nature and ending with a shepherd’s song of thankfulness in the 5th movement. As I mentioned in video 1, my introduction to symphonic music was the William Tell Overture and I was floored by the storm scene and the peacefulness afterwards. It’s interesting and curious that the first piece I ever played with a very good youth orchestra, the St. Paul Philharmonic Youth Orchestra under the direction of Leopold Sipe in 1966, was Beethoven’s 6th Symphony. I have a very special place in my heart for this piece and was fortunate to play it many times in my orchestral career.
Many composers and artists of all kinds have been inspired by Nature with feelings of joy, reverence, respect, beauty, awe, humility and many other qualities. One of the powerful things that happened to me many years ago but is always with me now, is the profound sense of everything in nature being intelligent. Nothing is there without purpose and nothing is wasted. The human being, because of its power of free will, can go against the laws of Nature and create incredible havoc. On the other hand, the human being, like our Native People of America, had extraordinary respect and gratitude for our Mother Earth and respected all Her offspring whether plant, animal, mineral, water, air and so forth. They were wonderful custodians of Nature. I am thankful for all the people that are helping to restore balance to our beloved Mother Earth.
My hope for this series, is to encourage more connection with Nature. Think of how our music making, dancing, painting, cooking, cleaning, helping others, sculpting, building and all that we do, can express aspects of our life. Who/what is the great artist, that created all the Art that Nature is?? That thought alone is AWESOME and deeply moving.
Take your Nature walks and TUNE yourself to Nature’s music using your hearing, touch (be careful where you touch), smell, taste (be careful but use your sense of taste without actually tasting), sight and feelings. Let yourself be in it and at the same time be simple and hear the rhythms, phrasing of the landscapes, notice the colors and timbres and pitches that are present everywhere as you listen. Listen = Silent.
More specific exercises will becoming. But first, open up and move beyond the 'box' of indoor living quarters and feel the outdoors. :-) LInk to Video 1:
https://youtu.be/3MwDMUzBknM
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