The Art of Storytelling

April 13, 2015 / ginnyburges / Leave a comment

“If a story is in you, it has got to come out.” ~ William Faulkner

Once upon a time there was a riveting story waiting to be told; a tale so compelling that it would change multitudinous lives forever. That story could be your story. There is a story in all of us. It’s the telling of it that makes the difference.

Will it be a page turner, will it suck them in to your world and spit them out at the end thinking about it for weeks, or maybe even years to come?

I love it when authors write books that do that to me. More often than not, it’s the writers with extensive life experience that can encapsulate universal emotions on the pages of their books.

The title of this blog post is suggestive of a broad and in-depth subject, and I feel that perhaps I have bitten off more than I can chew. It will be tough to do justice to in around a thousand words, so forgive me if I exceed my usual post length. Here go the basics!

Just like painting, drawing and composing music, writing is an art form. Crafting a compelling story takes time and skill. When writers have ideas, they work to express and articulate them in a way which will draw readers into their imagination using their own unique voice. They have to craft their story into something that will take their readers on a journey, and nothing less than transformation will do…

Why is it certain stories are considered classics, being read and retold through the ages?

There’s a reason Shakespeare has endured for 392 years since the first folios of his plays were published. They have captured our collective imagination in some measure because their themes hold as true today as they did in the Tudor period. Love, hate, jealousy, passion, ambition, religion and power struggles are every bit as evident in the world we now live in. Just watch the news.

The human family may have broadly evolved a bit since then – or maybe not – but there’s nothing interesting about a perfect family. Give us a contentious, dysfunctional family and you have the basis for a story. A querulous quarrel kicks off a family feud and hey presto, a story is underway…

What makes a good story?

Conflict is one of the key ingredients. So is a quest of some kind, such as defeating the nefarious wizard that murdered your parents when you were a baby, or indeed any kind of pathos and unfulfilled desire. Desire and resistance push and pull at us all, shaping our experience of life, unless we are enlightened enough to practise the Buddhist ethos of detachment. But detachment doesn’t work in fiction. Engagement does.

The full answer to this question is probably going to be different for each of us, depending on our personal preferences, but here is a list of what works for me:

An interesting or unusual opening with a hook to draw me in early on, but nothing too gimmicky. Novelty stimulates the brain.
A likeable, relatable protagonist to care about, facing a disaster or an unavoidable calling and orientation into his/her environment to place me at the heart of the action. Their unmet desire (either for their situation to return to normal, or for their situation to be different from the one they find themselves in is the platform for the choices they will make and the changes they will go through.
A mixture of three main types of struggle and conflict: internal, external and interpersonal.
Interesting characters that behave in accordance with their history and their unique personality traits, not acting in an incongruous manner just for the sake of a pre-determined plot.
A plot that is believable and makes sense (genre withstanding), where the scenes follow on logically and give me, as a reader what I want: both the familiar and the unexpected.
Enough tension and escalation to keep me interested in what happens next. That is not necessarily more action, but ramping up the tension in the form of not getting what they want and raising the stakes.
Well thought out descriptions to enhance the sense of place, not too much that will take me away from the story, but enough for me to visualise the scene and or the characters.
Pacing that naturally flows with the tension and action of the story, giving passages of intense action and also moments of perceived relief, building up to the climax of the story.
‘Show don’t tell’ epitomised by Anton Chekhov’s quote: “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
A theme that makes me question what I think I know; a quandary or moral dilemma that engages me and puts me in the characters’ shoes. I want to learn something about another world or about myself.
Clear language and a consistent voice that lacks verbosity but contains enough words to convey the story in a way that flows naturally. Words that are beautiful when read aloud, that perfectly fit the genre and story. It annoys me if a writer is using a daedalean word or phrase as if they are attempting to show how clever they are. I’m not averse to looking in the dictionary – in fact I spend much of my time there and chez Thesaurus – but misused vocabulary is amaroidal in the extreme!

Once you come up with the premise there is a certain amount of planning to do, however; I believe a writer’s imagination and creativity can be stifled by too much detailed outlining and deciding how it will end before you begin writing. Planning to the nth degree will kill off whole areas of undiscovered story because you are blinkered by following a set path.

I like to meander a bit. A trail that branches off from the main walkway can lead you to all sorts of terrain and unexpected views, ones that you wouldn’t have set eyes on had you not strayed a little. Maybe it’s because I’m quite a spontaneous person. New characters suddenly come to life, different settings appear, sub plots and possible outcomes fill your mind. The story emerges rather than suffocates.

Storytelling should be an organic activity. Sometimes ideas need time to incubate. You flesh them out, go back to them, change them and improve them. Characters take time to get to know; how they speak, how they react, what they want, what they desire and fear.

The best stories aren’t planned - they evolve. Writers could be likened to sculptors, carving their masterpieces out of rock, only we are carving out of words, sentences, paragraphs and scenes. And as the body of the work starts to take shape we see new curves and angles that we didn’t notice when we started with a solid block of stone. Grafting our material in this way will hopefully avoid writer’s block and allow us to transfer our creations from the depths of our grey matter into the hearts and minds of our readers.

By allowing free reign (within reason), to your creative process, you can lull your readers into a fictive dream that they won’t want to wake up from. You’ll all be on that winding, dangerous path together, maybe scared, excited or angry about what’s around the corner, but unable to stop yourselves from following it to its ultimate destination, instead of plodding along the yellow brick road to boredomville.

“Writing effective fiction requires being aware of the interplay of the unfolding narrative and your evolving ideas as you watch and respond to how everything merges and reforms itself into the final product. It’s a dance, and we’re just here to help introduce two partners – character and unmet desire – and then listen to the music and watch them take it from there within the constraints of our art form.” ~ Steven James (Story Trumps Structure).

The only formula you really need to know is: there are no formulas. Just considerations, such as: genre, setting, point of view, tension, believability, escalation, reader empathy, character intention, causality, twists & turns, and of course reader expectations.

Questions to ask

Steven James (author of the successful Patrick Bower thriller series) has come to the conclusion that he writes best when he asks himself these questions:

What would this character naturally do in this situation? This is where the saying “truth is stranger than fiction” applies. Fiction has to be believable.
How can I make things worse? This is where the increasing escalation and tension keep the story moving forward.
How can I end this in a way that’s unexpected and inevitable? Readers want a great ending that both surprises them and gives them what they want at the same time.

By continually asking these questions you can avoid taking a detour down a dead end, whilst keeping all the key elements of your story on the right track.

“You can’t please all of the readers all of the time; you can’t please even some of the readers all of the time, but you really ought to try to please at least some of the readers some of the time.” ~ Stephen King (On Writing).

A satisfying climax

In words, as in love, the climax is the pinnacle of the exercise! But getting there can be a lot of fun. Well, maybe not for your protagonist. Generally, they are going through hell. As a writer you want your readers to become so engrossed in your story that they will make it to the grand finale. They will be rooting for your protagonist, and when they arrive at the denouement, you don’t want the last act to leave them cold. You want to bid farewell to your story by giving them the ending they want, but not necessarily expected.

There’s plenty of advice out there. Stephen King in his book, On Writing states, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”

A brilliant presentation and discussion about writing, linguistics and prose with Professor Steven Pinker and novelist Ian McEwan, from a recent gathering at the Royal Geographical Society:

I agree with Ian, please don’t take away the pause comma! Even Jane Austen isn’t free from criticism.

Useful Resources:

How Not to Write a Novel by Sandra Newman & Howard Mittelmark
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King
On Writing by Stephen King
Story Trumps Structure by Steven James
The Elements of Style by Strunk & White
The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker
From Pitch to Publication by Carole Blake
The Naked Author by Alison Baverstock
Getting Published by Harry Bingham
The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook
Blogs: Nathan Bransford, Joanna Penn, Catherine Ryan Howard

To become an artist takes faith in your own intuitive abilities. Trust your instincts and support them with intelligent review throughout the project. Let your voice be heard. I’d like to read your story someday…

“The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible” ~ Vladimir Nabokov

Film Review: Still Alice (Guest Blog by Beth Britton)

April 6, 2015 / ginnyburges / 11 Comments

I should begin this blog by giving a very sizable ‘spoiler’ alert! If you haven’t yet seen Still Alice, then you may want to save this blog to read after you’ve watched the film, and by way of encouragement to view this multi award-winning movie, I would highly recommend it, albeit with a few caveats that I am going to explore in a moment.

Still Alice, based on the novel by Lisa Genova, has wowed critics and collected a series of gongs for its portrayal of how the world of 50-year-old Professor Alice Howland is affected by a diagnosis of younger-onset (early-onset) Alzheimer’s Disease. Alice is married with three children, and has built up a career as a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and is a world-renowned linguistics expert. Such is the devastation Alice feels at her diagnosis that she admits to her husband that she would have rather been diagnosed with cancer, an admission that isn’t uncommon.

Cancer v dementia

The comparisons between cancer and dementia are stark. In the UK, the government invests eight times more in cancer research than dementia research. When a person is diagnosed with cancer, a uniform package of post-diagnostic care and support wraps around the individual. When a person is diagnosed with dementia they may get some support, they may not, but there isn’t a uniform model of post-diagnostic support and it’s often subject to a postcode lottery. Particularly notable in relation to a younger person like Alice being diagnosed is that specialised younger-onset post-diagnostic services are even harder to find.

Even the stigma attached to cancer is less than dementia, and most significantly of all many cancers, if diagnosed early enough and treated, are curable, whereas no matter which form of dementia you are diagnosed with, it’s terminal. This reality has made dementia the most feared disease in people over 50, and in the UK, dementia is now the leading cause of death amongst women.

Diagnosis and beyond

What Still Alice shows brilliantly is the pain of diagnosis, and the way in which the layers of the diagnosed individual’s life are stripped away. Julianne Moore’s performance is extremely compelling, and I applaud her for the huge amount of research that she obviously put into depicting Alice to make the struggles that the character has so believable, so emotional and so heart-breaking.

If anything, though, there is almost too much loss and trauma in Still Alice. Specifically, what disappointed me about the film was the apparent lack of support given to Alice and her family, making the prospect of living well almost impossible. A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease given to a person of Alice’s age is obviously personally devastating given the implications on the career she has so studiously built up, but two factors made this diagnosis painful beyond belief.

Heart-breaking moments

Firstly, Alice’s Alzheimer’s is one of the rare types of younger-onset Alzheimer’s that is familial, so there is a 50/50 chance Alice’s three children will also have the gene, and if they do, they are certain to go on to develop the same form of Alzheimer’s as their mother. Learning that was, for me, the first really heart-breaking moment of the film. I was expecting Alice and her family to be offered counselling, but we only ever see Alice interacting with her neurologist.

The second particularly painful realisation is that the form of Alzheimer’s Alice has is likely to progress rapidly, and even allowing for the artistic licence of the film-making world there is no doubt that Alice deteriorates at an alarming rate. Given her and her family’s comfortable lifestyle and connections, not to mention the fact that they are articulate and capable of asking for help or searching for examples of good practice, I was really surprised to see almost no support mechanisms to help Alice as she lives with her dementia.

A missed opportunity to show living well

I would have expected someone to advise Alice and her family on coping mechanisms, and specifically someone to work with Alice to help her live as independently and actively as possible. Clearly she comes to rely very heavily on her mobile phone and we see her using a computer and Skype, but there is no other technology that is obvious to the audience.

Even more simple than that I would have expected some signage around the home and their beach house to help Alice navigate her way around. Instead, she is left to panic when she can’t remember where the toilet is, resulting in her eventually wetting herself, a highly poignant and very upsetting moment in the film.

Combined pictorial and word signs, plus pathways to important places like the toilet – signified by footsteps or lights – can really help a person with dementia to remain independent for longer in their own home and avoid embarrassing and upsetting accidents. Likewise, prompts in the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom can help a person with dementia to complete daily tasks, and in relation to the bathroom, mirrors are often removed to avoid the person with dementia feeling distressed or confused by reflections.

Alice’s husband

Given Julianne Moore’s phenomenal performance it is easy to overlook some of the other characters in the film but one particular character drew me in. Alice’s husband, John, is a formidable figure who, like his wife, has a successful career. When Alice first discusses her concerns about her brain, he completely dismisses them, and questions her neurologist when Alice’s diagnosis is confirmed.

From that moment on, however, he is obviously caught in two worlds, much like so many other partners of people who are living with dementia. On the one hand he wants to be her husband and reassure and protect Alice, but he also feels a need to continue his successful career and to provide financial support. There is a particularly tender moment between Alice and John when he is supporting her to get dressed – a scene that so many family carers will recognise.

In the end it seems he almost admits defeat, and when younger daughter Lydia moves back home to look after her mother, her father poignantly breaks down and praises Lydia’s ability to put her career on hold to care for her mother, suggesting it is a commitment he could not make.

Highs and lows

The most uplifting moment of the film arguably comes when Alice stands up in an Alzheimer’s Association conference and talks candidly about her experiences of living with dementia. I have been fortunate to see many people who are living with dementia in the UK do likewise and the effect on audiences is really beyond words – it’s almost as if you can see people’s perceptions changing before your eyes.

For me, the darkest moment of the movie is when Alice, fairly soon after her diagnosis, makes a film leaving herself instructions on how to end her life. When she later discovers that film she tries to enact the instructions and is disturbed, leaving the audience to ponder the long-debated arguments over euthanasia and the right of a person with a terminal illness to end their own life.

In conclusion

What Still Alice has done brilliantly is to break down stereotypes – dementia isn’t just something older people develop, which Alice’s diagnosis clearly shows. It also depicts the struggles between intellect, articulation and the degeneration associated with dementia very accurately. It shows the turmoil that family relationships go through when a loved one is diagnosed with dementia and, particularly notably for younger people, it shows how the loss of your job and career strips away so much of how the person sees themselves and experiences their life.

That said, (call me greedy), but I’m left wanting more. I wanted to climb into the screen and gently help to guide Alice, giving her support and some hope, enabling her to find the strategies that could have made her day to day life easier, helping her and her family to find the things to do that create special moments, and giving Alice and her loved ones some ideas around the opportunities to live well.

Currently there isn’t a cure for Alice’s Alzheimer’s, but the real achievement for me is to make the life of a lady who has had such a rich and rewarding 50 years prior to her dementia diagnosis as rich and rewarding as possible in her last years with Alzheimer’s. If Still Alice had managed to do that, it would have been a film that left me with more hope than sadness for the future of everyone diagnosed with dementia.

Beth Britton is a Freelance Campaigner and Consultant, Writer and Blogger specialising in issues affecting older people, health and social care and specifically dementia. Beth’s dad had vascular dementia for approximately the last 19 years of his life. She aims to provide support and advice to those faced with similar situations, inform and educate health and care professionals and the wider population, promote debate and create improvements in dementia care. Her work has been described as “Terrific,” “Amazing. REAL story of dementia,” “Insightful, heartfelt and truthful,” “Moving and inspiring.”

About Time…

March 30, 2015March 30, 2015 / ginnyburges / 2 Comments

“Existence is a series of footnotes to a vast, obscure, unfinished masterpiece.” ~ Valdimir Nabokov

My fellow travellers on the space-time continuum, what is this thing called time, by which we measure our existence on Earth?

Time is a phenomenon that affects us all. It ‘s a by-product of physicality. Ever since Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity and the most famous equation the world has ever known, E=mc2, from his paper on Special Relativity, we have come to understand more about the properties of space and time.

Some of the brightest and best minds of the human race have pondered, nay, studied the very fabric of space-time. And they have reached into the sub-atomic world to do it. Whilst I’m nowhere remotely near that select group of individuals, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my musings on the subject.

These musings were stimulated by recently watching the multiple award winning film, the Theory of Everything, with amazing performances by Eddie Redmayne as the brilliant but sick scientist, Stephen Hawking, and Felicity Jones as Jane Wilde, who became his first wife and mother of his three children. Certain scenes in the movie brought me to tears. It was based on Jane’s memoir, Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, published in 2007.

Hawking was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 1963 whilst completing his PhD in physics at Cambridge University, and was told he had two years to live. Now aged 72, against incredible odds, he continues to search for his all-encompassing theory. He is the recipient of many accolades, such as Fellowship of The Royal Society, and the Queen offered him a Knighthood, (which he politely refused).

He wrote his best-selling book, A Brief History of Time in 1988, which has since sold over 10 million copies. The New York Metropolitan Opera have created a new opera based on the book, which is to be premiered in 2015-16.

Another movie that also stimulated thoughts on the passing of time was Interstellar, wherein the hero (played by Matthew McConaughey), goes off into distant galaxies to find a new and habitable planet for the human race to re-populate; being on the brink of extinction due to climate change on Earth. In deep space it’s only a few years to him, and he barely ages, but when he returns home his daughter is an old lady and a grandmother.

How weird is that?

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” ~ Michael Altshuler

As humans living on planet Earth we cannot escape the inevitable march of time. I distinctly remember thinking at the age of 15 that I could not imagine how it would feel to be 30 years old. It seemed so far away. I thought I’d be ancient…

A few blinks of an eye later and I’m now the wrong side of 40, but strangely I don’t feel that much different. I’m still me. Of course my body has aged (but well, I hope), although anatomically, we are literally not the same people as our cells constantly die and renew themselves. My personality is broadly the same, only a bit more mature having learned a few life lessons, and at the same time a bit more adventurous, gleaned from the fact that time is passing at apparently ever increasing velocity!

I suppose what I’m trying to say, is that my consciousness has witnessed the years passing, but is unaffected by them. Maybe our souls really do exist outside of space and time, in a non-linear domain, hence the theory that souls are immortal by nature.

A person could go round the bend studying the concept of time. Supposedly time is happening all at once; past, present and future…

“The problem with procrastination is it’s been around since the beginning of time it seems.” ~ Stephen Richards

This was the best mnemonic I could come up with: The Immediate Moment Everywhere

Writers as well as scientists have also penned their take on time. I particularly love this passage by TS Eliot. Four Quartets, Burnt-Norton:

TS Eliot also features in this interesting talk: The Nature of Time, by Will Self on BBC radio 4

Of course, time is a key component in music, the beating of the time signature by the conductor, thus ensuring that the notes are played according to their pre-ordained time frame as written by the composer. If a musician doesn’t adhere to the time the music will be sloppy, and probably won’t sound as the composer intended. I got to thinking that the beats in a bar could resemble the seconds of our lives, and the music represents the events in our lives.

“It struck me tonight how music mirrors life. Fleeting ephemeral moments, made up of beauty, sadness, joy, hope and despair. The melodies are created in both major and minor keys. Flowing and fleeting. You can’t hold onto it, or keep it from changing. Our emotions possess the evanescence of a note.” ~ The Virtuoso

Here are two videos to explain all!

The Illusion of Time – Quantum Physics:

The End of Space and Time? – Professor Robbert Dijkgraaf:

“Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.” ~ John Lennon

The notion of time as a finite measurement really hits home after you have children, or especially after the death of a loved one. Then it seems the nonchalant pleasure of idling it away as one may have enjoyed in one’s youth, becomes somewhat of an anathema with the realisation that one’s time could be suddenly curtailed!

These days I am reminded how easy it is to become engrossed in my writing or playing my violin, and lose all track of time, and what a wonderful feeling that is, to not be beholden to the constant ticking for those brief hours…

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” William Penn

The Great Virtuoso Violinists/Composers of the 18th Century: Paganini

March 24, 2015 / ginnyburges / 3 Comments

When asked to name a famous violinist, the first person on most people’s lips is Niccolò Paganini. To this day, he is probably regarded as the greatest violinist of all time.

His legendary status, through both performance and composition, has continued to influence composers and violinists 175 years after his death, making him the foremost innovator of technique in violin repertoire.

This will be the first in a series of posts over the next few months, spanning the 18^th and 19^th centuries, featuring the great violin virtuosi of the classical and romantic eras in music.

Niccolò Paganini (27 October 1782 – 27 May 1840):

Anecdotally, it was the mandolin that little Niccolò learnt first, moving on to the violin when he was aged seven. He was also proficient on the viola and guitar. Born the third of six children in Genoa, he had a rare congenital disorder that meant he had freakishly flexible fingers.

He was so incredibly talented that many thought he had sold his soul to Satan. When you are able to compose and play music that is so fiendishly difficult it’s no wonder his superstitious audiences came to that conclusion! Cue the trailer for the recent film starring German violinist, David Garrett as “The Devil’s Violinist”:

In fact, Paganini was literally ‘born’ to play the violin, as his genetic makeup meant he had long fingers and could stretch his hands abnormally wide, a definite boon for a concert violinist. Because of his rubbery connective tissues he could apparently move his little finger (fourth finger on the violin), out sideways at right angles to the rest of his hand. However, this rather unfair advantage to his musicianship would come at a price, plaguing him with a plethora of other ailments.

It is now thought that Paganini’s genetic condition was Marfan Syndrome, which would explain his bouts of ill health, especially in his later life. Paganini suffered with joint pain, poor vision, breathlessness, chest pains and fatigue. These less desirable symptoms meant that he frequently had to cancel public performances and he died at the relatively young age of 58.

In addition to his congenital health problems Paganini contracted Syphilis in 1822 and took Mercury and Opium as a remedy, albeit one with serious side-effects.

Despite his physical challenges Paganini liked the high life, with a taste for gambling and womanising. He had a son (Achilles), with singer Antonia Bianchi, but they were never married. After his death, the Catholic Church in his hometown refused to bury him for decades (such was his reputation).

His first concerts were held mainly in Italy, but as his fame spread he travelled across Europe; spellbinding audiences in Vienna, Germany, Poland, Paris, Bohemia and Britain. He was the complete package as violinist. He possessed passion, flexibility, dexterity, technique, flair, imagination and innovation. He was able to write music that specifically showcased his particular style and skills that would be unmatched by any other violinist in his lifetime.

List of compositions
The Paganini Project by Peter Sheppard Skærved
Paganini’s Violin – blog by Fein Violins

Influences:

From Wikipedia:

Much of Paganini’s playing (and his violin composition) was influenced by two violinists, Pietro Locatelli (1693–1746) and August Duranowski (1770–1834). During Paganini’s study in Parma, he came across the 24 Caprices of Locatelli (entitled L’arte di nuova modulazione – Capricci enigmatici or The art of the new style – the enigmatic caprices). Published in the 1730s, they were shunned by the musical authorities for their technical innovations, and were forgotten by the musical community at large. Around the same time, Durand, a former student of Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755–1824), became a celebrated violinist. He was renowned for his use of harmonics and the left hand pizzicato in his performance. Paganini was impressed by Durand’s innovations and showmanship, which later also became the hallmarks of the young violin virtuoso. Paganini was instrumental in the revival and popularization of these violinistic techniques, which are now incorporated into regular compositions.

His celebrated Violin Caprice No. 24 in A minor has provided inspiration for transcriptions and variations and themes on other instruments such as the cello, piano, flute, oboe, trumpet, saxophone and guitar.

Some of my favourite Paganini performances:

Caprice No. 24 in a vintage, virtuosic recording by Jascha Heifetz:

‘La Campanella’ for Violin and Orchestra by Ivry Gitlis:

Sonata in E minor, Opus 36 for violin & guitar, performed by Ruggiero Ricci and pianist Louis Persinger:

The heavenly tones of Leonid Kogan – Sonatine for Violin & Guitar in A Major:

Whilst his Moto Perpetuo isn’t melodic, it’s quite a feat to play accurately, and even more so on the cello. Top marks to Miklós Perényi:

Duet for one violin, performed by both Salvatore Accardo and, yes, you guessed it, Senor Accardo!

I Palpiti beautifully executed by Maxim Vengerov:

And finally…Yehudi Menhuin is wonderful in this vintage performance of the Violin Concerto No. 1 2^{nd &}3^rd movements:

Paganini works that inspired other composers:

Paganini’s virtuosity and music was much admired by the likes of Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Johann Sedlatzek and Eugène Ysaÿe to name but a few.

Here is a small selection of classical pieces written in homage to Paganini.

Recollections of Paganini, a Fantasia for the pianoforte, by Hummel performed by Marco Pasini:

Liszt’s inimitable Paganini Etude No. 6 played with passion by Marc-Andre Hamelin:

I adore Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, played to perfection by Arthur Rubinstein:

Tárrega’s Variations ‘Carnaval de Venecia de Paganini’ sound wonderful on the classical guitar with David Russell at the helm:

I’d like to finish my finale with this quote from violinist.com:

“When it comes to violinists, virtuosity is not entirely the result of mechanical finger velocity and sheer technique, as it is with pianists. The violin is an instrument which has almost human whims—it is attuned to the mood of the player in a sympathetic rapport: a minute discomfort, the tiniest inner imbalance, a whiff of sentiment elicits an immediate resonance . . . probably because the violin, pressed against the chest, can perceive our heart’s beat. But this happens only with artists who truly have a heart that beats, who have a soul. The more sober, the more heartless a violinist is, the more uniform will be his performance, and he can count on the obedience of his fiddle, any time, any place. But this much-vaunted assurance is only the result of a spiritual limitation, and some of the greatest masters were often dependent on influences from within and without. I have never heard anyone play better—or, for that matter, play worse than Paganini . . .”

~ Heinrich Heine (1843) Thoughts on the Violin and on Violinists

The Motherhood Milestone

March 17, 2015 / ginnyburges / Leave a comment

“Mothers are the ultimate executives. Instead of raising profits, they are raising humanity.”

As it was Mother’s Day in the UK on Sunday, my thoughts have turned towards the last seventeen and a half years that I have been a mum. The funny thing is; I never really felt maternal up until I became pregnant, and then something miraculous happened. I was responsible for another life form, and my love for that being was indescribable. It’s a really special and beautiful bond.

Please forgive me if I ramble on a bit, it’s hard to be concise when sharing about one’s kids. I have a lot of raw material to draw on!

My first pregnancy wasn’t easy. I had a high powered job in London, a lengthy commute, and a business trip to Sydney to get through. At the time of the meeting in Australia I didn’t know that I was pregnant. I knew I’d suffer with jetlag, but I could hardly venture out of my hotel I was so exhausted. I had been sent as a representative of the UK Sales Team for Qantas Airways, and I had to be on top of my game, as it was my job to report back to the UK staff on the Annual General Meeting of the airline. This would have been around February 1998. When I got home and did a test it became clear why I barely managed that long-haul trip. I wasn’t a big drinker, but I cut out alcohol altogether, I never smoked, I took folic acid and I went to antenatal classes run by the NCT (National Childbirth Trust). I worried about everything. Would my baby be healthy? What would it look like? Would it be a boy or a girl? How would I manage the birth?

Despite first time nerves my pregnancy went swimmingly. It’s a magical time when you have your first 20 week ultrasound scan, and you can see the little bundle growing inside you. Apart from some mild morning sickness all had gone okay, up until I had a fasting blood test at about 32 weeks. My sugar levels were too high. It turned out I had gestational diabetes. I knew those early morning chocolate bars I scoffed when setting off in my car at 6 am to drive to London were responsible. From then on I had to monitor my blood sugar levels every day. I was assured that after the birth my blood sugar levels would return to normal, and they did.

It wasn’t a problem I had with my other three pregnancies, which all had their own unique characteristics. I suffered with a bit of post natal depression after having Max. I found it such a shock to the system, that loss of freedom, the sleepless nights, getting used to being a feeding machine with much in demand udders, in a seeming endless cycle of nappy changing, feeding, weaning and blending of homemade baby food etc. Thank God I had a circle of friends and family support, because every new mum needs it, no matter how young or old you are. But I eventually got into a routine with him, and went back to work full-time until I had William. At first you feel like a limb is missing.

The main challenge initially is to get the feeding well established. I wrote an earlier blog about breastfeeding.

I remember having extremely strong and sometimes painful Braxton Hicks contractions from about six months on when pregnant with William. My work colleagues used to put their hands on my bump and feel it go rock hard. I suffered with excruciating sacroiliac joint pain after William, as my pelvis had been pulled out of alignment, and because I carried all out front my abdominal muscle wall had separated, which along with hormonal changes aggravated my PGP (pelvic girdle pain). I had a quite a few months of physio therapy to get my muscle imbalances sorted out. I’ll be forever grateful to Mike Ker for his amazing remedial massage skills!

William was such a happy baby, and he loved it when I blew raspberries on his tummy and neck. One of his early words was “shamage” and I later realised he was trying to say sandwich.

Five years later, when I was nine months gone with Emily, my waters broke in a public car park. But I didn’t go straight into labour, (she was too cosy in situ), and twenty four hours later I had to be induced. Not to be recommended! My labour with her was the most difficult of all. Ruby moved around in my womb a lot, (the sign of things to come), but her birth was quick and straightforward. I remember thinking, I should be used to this intense pain by now.

And just as each of my pregnancies was different, so it is with the personalities of my four children. Because I had my daughters close together that brought additional challenges. I was potty training Emily not long after Ruby was born, and usually I’d just sat down with Ruby latched on for a voracious suckle, when Emily would sneak off and do a number two in her nickers without telling me. I think it was her way of saying she didn’t like not being the centre of attention any more. When Ruby was about eighteen months old she broke her arm. Luckily it healed quickly, but she is still a dare devil.

It has been a roller coaster of a ride, with many ups and downs. A learning curve like no other!

I have three main tenets for raising my kids:

I love them unconditionally. Even when they cause me grief, (which has been regularly over the years). I try to remember that they are not perfect, and I shouldn’t expect perfect behaviour. I’m no saint, so I’ve tried to create an atmosphere of love and harmony where they can be themselves, whilst instilling key values. I won’t tolerate violence between them. Sibling rivalry is an issue with such a range of ages and genders sometimes.
I never criticise them as people, only ever their actions. Discipline is vital, but it’s also important that it’s done in a kind way. I want them to grow up with confidence and a healthy self-esteem as far as possible, and effective learning happens in a fun environment where they are not afraid to make mistakes.
They are their own people. It’s hard to let go sometimes and let them make their own decisions, especially if I don’t agree with them. I try to relate to them as individuals with their own unique personalities, talents and challenges. It’s their life and I encourage independence and creativity as these are valuable life skills.

It wasn’t until I became a mother myself that I really appreciated everything my mother had done for me, or understood her protectiveness. Even now she still worries about me, and I know that will always be the case for me with my offspring, as long as my heart beats.

I think there should be a special date marker for motherhood, just like B.C. and A.D. are used for the birth of Jesus, only B.C. would stand for Before Children, and then there would be N.E.E.V. (numquam erit eadem vita), life will never be the same…

Reflections of motherhood:

It’s a massive milestone in a woman’s life. Your body goes through extraordinary physical, hormonal and emotional changes. It’s also a way of measuring your own mortality. I feel the same as I did when I had Max, but when I look at him now and he’s taller than me, I can see where the years have gone!

They grow so rapidly. You never look back wishing you had spent less time with your kids. I’m sure I’m not the only mother to have felt guilty on many occasions that I haven’t spent enough time with them.

Over the years I’ve learned not to beat myself up so much if I don’t have a productive day, it’s part and parcel of being a mum. The priority is always making sure I’m the best parent I can be.

I have enough washing volume to get through each week that I could open a Chinese laundry, or the endless cooking (they are always hungry), the cleaning and tidying up after them, the running around after school to do various sports and activities, the haircuts, the doctor’s and dentist appointments, school plays, assemblies and parents’ evenings, exams, homework, special projects, shoe shopping, birthday parties and sleepovers; it’s a wonder I have any energy left! And sometimes when I have no time, and I’m juggling all that plus my career and a home, and I’m exhausted beyond belief, I moan and get down about my workload.

When this happens I try to remind myself how lucky I am to have four healthy, mostly happy kids. I look at other families around the world living in dire straits. We all have our challenges.

It helps to laugh. I love this sassy rap advert by Fiat, The Motherhood:

Motherhood has so many milestones: the first words, walking, talking, sleeping through the night, the first tooth, learning to read, write and ride a bike. It makes me happy and proud to see my children learning, growing, playing and achieving new goals. I’m sure most parents know the kind of joy I’m talking about. I’ve always been my children’s biggest cheerleader…

They are my gifts – precious gifts that I have been entrusted to bring into the world and raise to the best of my ability. Maybe one day I’ll have a clue what I’m doing!

“Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind.” ~ Howard W. Hunter

Film Review: Mr Turner

March 9, 2015 / ginnyburges / Leave a comment

“Why, Mrs Somerville, you have the arm of a blacksmith.”

Mr Turner, Mike Leigh’s 2014 multiple Oscar and BAFTA nominated biopic about one of Britian’s most revered artists, the romantic landscape painter, Joseph Mallord William Turner, spans the last twenty six years of his life.

I love Turner’s paintings, but I didn’t know much about the man or his life, and I think the film went a good way to furnishing me with the facts. Actually, it did more than that. It instilled an admiration for the man beyond his artistic genius, such as his work ethic, honesty, passion and down to earth personality, despite his elevated position in society due to his prodigious talent.

Turner’s art was so popular that it was responsible for raising the prominence of landscape painting to the same level as that of history painting in his lifetime.

Being a ‘period drama queen’, it was probably a foregone conclusion that I would enjoy this film!

Although it’s a dramatised biopic, so much about this film felt authentic. It was visceral and gritty, absolutely realistic, but those elements of the story were also beautifully interspersed with some amazing cinematography of the British countryside, atmospheric art studios and galleries.

Views of rugged mountains, the sea and the light on the coastline all evoked scenes that you can imagine he painted. There is even a moment where he is tied to the mast of a steam boat in a snow storm, so that he could later accurately paint the event. He did suffer for his art…

“Once, Turner had himself lashed to the mast of a ship for several hours, during a furious storm, so that he could later paint the storm. Obviously, it was not the storm itself that Turner intended to paint. What he intended to paint was a representation of the storm. One’s language is frequently imprecise in that manner, I have discovered.” ~ David Markson, (Wittgenstein’s Mistress).

It’s wonderful that Mike Leigh made sure that the use of light, (which Turner was famous for), was a visual delight throughout the film. I loved the way the light streams through the window of his studio, and his encounter with the use of a prism courtesy of the witty and intelligent Scottish science writer and polymath, Mrs Somerville.

I would say that Timothy Spall’s portrayal of this prolific and eccentric painter is his finest performance bar none. To help prepare for the role of Turner, Spall had painting tuition from Tim Wright for two and a half years prior to filming, so that he would appear authentic in the painting scenes. It clearly paid off.

The viewer is treated to scenes of Turner travelling everywhere with his large kit bag, spitting on his canvases, blowing dried paint on them, and applying his forceful brush strokes.

Probably one of the best scenes in the film is when he enters the Royal Academy (which is like another home to him), and has upbeat interactions with his fellow Academicians, such as John Constable, George Jones, C.R. Leslie, David Roberts, and Clarkson Frederick Stanfield, and is shown putting the finishing touches to a seascape by the rather dramatic addition of a red buoy, much to Constable’s annoyance:

Spall gives a very lusty portrayal of the rather portly, rugged and enigmatic artist, a man who at heart liked the simple pleasures of life; his work, travelling, being at one with nature, his food and drink, sex and female companionship. When we are first introduced to Mr Turner, he has just returned to his home in London from a trip to the Netherlands.

On the one hand Billy Turner comes across as gruff, (he does a lot of grunting), curmudgeonly and secretive, (for instance he later leads a double life as ‘Mr Booth’ with his lover in Chelsea), and yet on the other hand he is also incredibly kind, lending £50 to troubled artist Benjamin Robert Haydon, later relinquishing the debt when Haydon falls victim to financial and personal misfortune. It becomes obvious that even though he is a very private man, he has integrity, and that he prefers simplicity and comfort, even though he is accustomed to grandeur.

His close relationship with his father, who works with him in his studio, purchasing and mixing paints and gathering materials for his work, is totally heart-warming. My sympathy went out to his melancholy housekeeper, Hannah Danby, who comes across as a rather pitiful creature that Turner uses to satisfy his sexual needs and who worships him, but her affection and devotion is not returned.

Strangely, Hannah is the niece of the even more hapless Sarah Danby, an earlier lover of Turner’s and mother of his two daughters. One feels Turner would rather forget the whole affair, but her random visits put pay to that!

Much is made of Turner’s trips to Margate to paint the seascapes; and the development of his relationship with Sophia Caroline Booth, the welcoming landlady of the guest house he stays in during his time there. They eventually become lovers and she moves to London so that they can live together. They make each other happy in their dotage.

We also see how over the years his journey to the coast by boat is replaced with the invention of the steam train and the Great Western Railway, which Turner also committed to canvas.

“It was a masterpiece. Nobody bought it. (Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway, 1844)” ~ Anthony Bailey, (Standing in the Sun: A Biography of J.M.W.Turner).

There are quite a few touching moments, such as when he is a guest of one of his wealthy patrons, the 3^rd Earl of Egremont at his hereditary home, the magnificent Petworth House in West Sussex, (which incidentally is also featured in my novel, The Virtuoso).

The camera floats along Turner’s paintings which are hung low to meet the eye line of dining guests, as he chats with Miss Coggins, who is playing Beethoven’s ‘Pathetique’ piano sonata. He asks her to play Purcell, and she obliges with Dido’s Lament, to which Turner sings along.

There is another scene where he enters a brothel, and meets a young girl for the first time. He asks her to reveal herself and arranges her seductively on the bed, and then proceeds to sit down and take out his sketch book.

Another is of Turner on a boat with friends and fellow artists on the Thames, when they witness ‘The Fighting Temereire’ Steam Boat being led to her berth to be dismantled, and it is suggested that Turner should paint her for posterity.

We are also introduced to the young Victorian writer, art critic and patron John Ruskin, who adores and reveres Turner, (he is beguiled by his painting The Slave Ship), but the viewer is made painfully aware that he hails from a different class. It is a rather satirical portrayal of his character, lisping away, full of hubris, and quick to criticize Turner’s landscape predecessor, Claude Lorrain.

We see that despite his relative fame while still alive, Turner is also victim to changing public tastes as his style of art grows more ethereal and intensely light focused. He winces in the shadows when the young Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are inspecting the Royal Academy exhibition, and the monarch is definitely not impressed by Turner’s “yellow mess”. Similarly, he is mocked in the theatre for his later style of painting. He realises that the new kids on the block, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, are now in vogue.

One of the last scenes in the film takes place in Turner’s home gallery, when he is made an offer by a wealthy industrialist to purchase all of his paintings for the sum of one hundred thousand pounds. Still a significant sum of money by today’s standards; an absolute fortune in Turner’s era. But Turner just snorts and replies, ‘With somewhat of a heavy heart, it’s out of the question.’ He declines the generous offer, as he has bequeathed his completed artworks to the British nation.

If there is one small criticism of the film, it is of the modern, eerie soundtrack and music. I never thought that would be the case, but to me it felt incongruous to the subject matter it was meant to convey, and would have been more suited to a thriller. I would rather have heard music from the romantic period, which in my opinion would have suited the film better. Perhaps they were going for an atmospheric feel to align with the complex character of J.M.W. Turner.

Here is a fascinating short film about the artistic aspects of bringing Mr Turner to the big screen:

In summary, Mr Turner is a must watch film that draws you into J.M.W. Turner’s world and has a superb cast, screenplay and locations that brings his story vividly to life. I’m sure I will revisit the movie repeatedly now that I have the DVD in my possession!

What surprised me from the film was Turner’s constant sketching. He would sketch everyday events often, which is probably why his output was so prolific. He was said to have completed around 19,000 sketches during his lifetime, as well as hundreds of watercolours and oil paintings. He was accepted into the Royal Academy of Art at the tender age of 15, when it was under the leadership of Sir Joshua Reynolds.

For art lovers who want to know more about Turner’s life and work here is a fabulous documentary:

He was not just an inspiration and source of pride for the British, his paintings influenced the Impressionist movement in France, and were carefully studied by Claude Monet.

“Unfortunately I met Mr. Turner at the Academy a night or two after I received this letter; and he asked me if I had heard from Mr. Lennox. I was obliged to say ‘yes.’

‘Well, and how does he like the picture?’

‘He thinks it indistinct.’

‘You should tell him,’ he replied, ‘that indistinctness is my forte.’” ~ George Walter Thornbury (The Life of J.M.W. Turner).

The Anatomy of Hope

March 3, 2015March 3, 2015 / ginnyburges / Leave a comment

“The hope of future generations is the chance we have to awaken in ourselves a consciousness that is increasingly immune to irrationality and that values wisdom.” ~ Harry Palmer

Bad news travels fast. At the speed of light it departs from the behemoth that is the worldwide web and whizzes along innumerable fiber optic cables, then streams through your router and onto your screen! In the modern, hyper-connected age it’s impossible to stay away from news. Every new headline seems to scream of murder and mayhem. I limit myself to exposure just once a day, unless it’s something earth shattering. I loathe getting constantly bombarded with how ‘bad’ the world is.

Whilst it’s important to stay informed I do think there’s a danger of news overload. You could be forgiven for thinking that we live in a hell on Earth, and those kind of beliefs create a climate of fear. You see desperate faces devoid of hope on your TV every night. You might rightly think, ‘WTF is the world coming to?’ It’s easy to get depressed in the face of such relentless s**t.

And you have to remind yourself that out of the billions of people inhabiting planet Earth, only a small percentage are making trouble. But those are the only ones we hear about. Most of us live in relative peace (unless you are unfortunate enough to be in one of the war zones or trouble hot spots in the world). Wars have been raging somewhere in the world for about ninety percent of humanity’s existence.

In times of war hope is a precious commodity indeed. Winston Churchill, who himself battled bouts of depression, (his “black dogs”); kept our nation’s hope alive with his brilliant speeches that rallied people together against an evil doctrine that threatened our freedom. Even in the face of devastating losses. But the important thing is, it wasn’t empty rhetoric, it was a combination of well thought out strategy and inspiring oratory.

To have no hope is to have no motivation, no reason to live. To feel that dreadful emptiness in your gut invites in apathy and her cohorts: fear, helplessness and depression. When hope dies, your future dies.

I read this article about the recent murder of Russian politician Boris Nemtsov, which kind of implies they should all give up and accept murder and corruption as a way of life. Yes, it’s a big blow for democracy in Russia, but the people must use it as a springboard for continued change. Poor Boris probably hoped that he wouldn’t have to become a martyr to bring his lofty cause to fruition, but the power of a martyr should never be underestimated..

I’ve tried to understand, what exactly is hope? For me, the anatomy of hope is acceptance and gratitude for the present moment (what is), but at the same time having aspirations for what you want in your future. It’s interwoven with the creative process. Pursuits of any kind are not possible without hope for an improved tomorrow. It is the starting point for all endeavour. It is the root of goal-setting and encompasses desire, courage, compassion and love. Without it there would be no evolution, no growth.

Hope is one of the few four letter words that really packs a positive punch. Hope is as essential to the human spirit as air is to the survival of the physical body. Quite simply, it ranks up there with oxygen.

When hope leaves, your cells literally shut down. I’ve been there, at the bottom of the pit, feeling that there was nothing left for me in life. I very nearly gave up. It’s a place I wouldn’t wish on anyone. But when you hit rock bottom there is only one direction you can travel, or you perish down there.

The film The Shawshank Redemption, based on Stephen King’s novella has a wonderful scene between Andy and Red that perfectly epitomises the essence of hope:

Of course, I don’t want to get mixed up with false-hope, which is pie-in-the-sky thinking. I’m talking about the kind that will make you stretch and grow, yet is achievable. You need enough to excite your imagination; satisfy your reasoning mind that it’s doable and to ignite your furnace of ambition.

“All people dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the morning to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people, For they dream their dreams with open eyes, And make them come true.” ~ D.H. Lawrence

Last year I had a bout of rejection when I was submitting The Virtuoso to literary agents, and after a while it got me down. Then I became afraid to open the emails, because I knew what they would say. I could feel my confidence ebbing away, and my enthusiasm for my work dwindling. I decided after a few months of polite ‘thanks but no thanks’ comments that I would represent myself, for better or worse.

Hope is also a theme I wove into The Virtuoso. My protagonist, the violinist Isabelle Bryant, draws her hope from the example of her musical hero Beethoven, who once contemplated suicide in his darkest hour. The only reason we know that he did was the discovery of the “Heiligenstadt Testament” after his death in 1827.

I thought that if I put Isabelle in his shoes she might well feel the same despair. Imagine how you would feel if the only thing that you are good at, in fact brilliant at, is about to be ripped from your life, compounding the emotional havoc already in your heart, wreaked by romantic heartbreak and growing isolation. It’s the kind of suffering you can only recover from with a hefty dose of hope and determination.

I think that the depth to which we sink is a measure of the height we can ascend to. Luckily for us Beethoven persevered, and because of his courage we can enjoy his musical legacy, some of the greatest music in history, including the immortal ninth symphony:

There is always light at the end of the tunnel if we can but focus on it and have the faith to follow it. Napoleon Hill said, ‘The starting point of all achievement is desire.’ That desire is the flame of hope, the spark which provides your motivation for action, which in turn produces your results. I don’t advocate dwelling on the past, but sometimes it can be useful to see how far you have come.

And when you achieve a desired outcome you naturally find another dream to pull you towards your full potential. Hope is an immensely personal thing, but it can also be incredibly powerful when a group of people apply the same hope to humanity.

Here is a heart-warming compilation of normal folks responding to the question: what is hope?

If you find yourself in a similar mental state to the one I was in a number of years ago, I sincerely hope that this post has helped to give you the belief that you can make it through. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a big knot and hold on!

Hold On Pain Ends

My hope is that one day, humans will be able to co-exist in mutual respect of our diverse cultural, geographical and religious differences. No matter who you are, where you’re from, or what your background is you have basic human needs, and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs applies to pretty much everyone alive.

My favourite rock band, Queen, also have One Vision:

I had a dream when I was young,

A dream of sweet illusion,

A glimpse of hope and unity,

And visions of one sweet union.

Science: is it a Useful Tool to Further Humanity’s Understanding, or a Set of Outdated and Rigid Laws, Riddled with Dogma?

February 24, 2015 / ginnyburges / Leave a comment

“Principles for the Development of a Complete Mind: Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses- especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

I wonder what Leonardo da Vinci would have made of quarks?

What purpose does science, and all its many branches serve, unless it can teach us more about ourselves; how to live life to the full, how to lead healthy, happy lives in harmony with each other and nature?

I propose that the only true aim of science should be to assist the evolution of mankind. And I don’t mean into more perfect physical specimens, rather as more evolved beings, with increased awareness about how we affect our planet and how we manifest our dreams and goals. Surely technology has only a limited scope in achieving this aim? We are looking out there for answers, when perhaps they are inside us all along.

The micro world of subatomic particles is probably the only area of study that will illuminate the building blocks of life and the universe.

However, science still can’t define what the soul is. It still can’t tell us what happens to the spirit upon the moment of death. It still has many questions to answer about the nature of consciousness and existence.

Without a moral or spiritual intention surely scientific endeavour is just glorification of the ego?

Your inner realms are just as infinite as the cosmos. And when you look at all the amazing achievements to date, they were all a product of the mind of man. They all came from that deep creative well that every human has access to. Moments of insight, backed up and developed by rigorous research and experimentation.

Geeks are cool…

Science has been responsible for much of humanity’s progress in the last few centuries. And the pace of technical innovation is breath taking. It has impacted our lives in so many areas: from the inventions of everyday gadgets such as the washing machine, the smartphone, flat-screen TVs, the whole Apple phenomena to virtual reality and medical matters.

But it hasn’t all been good. The atom bomb should never have been created. Society has paid a high price for science that was ultimately motivated by greed and self-interest.

When scientists start messing with the food chain I get worried. Genetically modified crops are contaminating the gene pools of plants, and self-propagating GMO pollution is predicted to outlast the considerable effects of global warming and nuclear waste. In large-scale farming the use of pesticides are decimating the world’s bee and insect populations, just so the likes of Monsanto can make a profit feeding us HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), and other highly processed foods; if you can even call them that!

“Seven Deadly Sins: Wealth without work

Pleasure without conscience

Science without humanity

Knowledge without character

Politics without principle

Commerce without morality

Worship without sacrifice.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Without government action and intervention the lack of integrity in this field means that science operating with impunity threatens the health of future generations. It’s time for consumers to make their voices heard in the supermarket aisles, where the big corporations will feel the effects of our dissent.

Space, the final frontier…

At the other end of the scale, a group of brilliant people landed men on the moon, an unmanned craft on Mars, completed the successful Rosetta comet mission and invented telescopes that can penetrate deep into space millions of light years away and show us galaxies, nebulas, black holes, the births and deaths of stars. Dark matter, soon to be created light matter, and the very stuff of the universe.

Scientists at CERN proclaimed that they have found the elusive Higgs boson, nicknamed the ‘God Particle’. But not everyone at techtimes agrees. Whatever your opinion about it, the large hadron collider (LHC) is an incredible achievement in itself. It is actually one of the coldest places on Earth, as well as generating temperatures hotter than the core of the sun when the particles collide and explode.

Here is an interesting documentary about the LHC at CERN, the Higgs boson experiment and the theory of ‘supersymmetry’.

Perhaps it’s time to question the standard model of particle physics? Is the big bang theory that is so universally accepted really true? Is the phenomena of psychic ability a reality? Do we all possess it? What about the possibility of time travel? Whoa…I’m getting ahead of myself.

It must be tough being a scientist, working at the peak of human intellectual capacity as well as combining understanding with the essential element of creative insight. Then, after the light bulb lights up, there follows the endless verification and testing that scientific theories require before they are proven and accepted into the mainstream.

One of the dangers they face must certainly be confirmation bias. Not to mention the whole funding issue.

It seems natural that as humans created science that science is in danger of getting bogged down in indoctrination and the same way of doing and thinking about things. Humans thought that the Earth was flat until it was proven to be a sphere. Our knowledge is limited to our perception and ability to question accepted thoughts, facts and dogmas. Only with enlightened questions can we find the answers to humanity’s biggest dilemmas and problems.

Quantum Physics

Particles do not exist unless there is an observer. We really do create our own reality!

Throughout history there have been many influential physicists, scientists and inventors that have steered humanity towards the answers it seeks: Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, Newton, Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, David Bohm, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, Nikola Tesla, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Heinrich Hertz, Guglielmo Marconi, Alan Turing, Tim Berners-Lee and Peter Higgs to name just a few.

For me the Heisenberg Principle is one of the most amazing discoveries of quantum physics. Alok Jha from The Guardian explains all!

But what does it all mean if we can’t apply it to our everyday lives? I like this fun explanation from Dr David R Hawkins. Here he is talking about people who eat too many cookies, but it could be applied to smoking, drinking and all kinds of vices:

As he says, “Attention begins to diminish a thing automatically.” Dysfunctional behaviours cannot continue when the light of consciousness shines on it.

Erwin Schrödinger and Schrödinger’s cat

The brilliant Nobel Prize-Winning Austrian physicist, Erwin Schrödinger is known as one of the fathers of Quantum Mechanics: he formulated the wave equation, authored many works, in particular his book, What Is Life?

From Wikipedia:

Schrödinger stayed in Dublin until retiring in 1955. He had a lifelong interest in the Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism, which influenced his speculations at the close of What Is Life? about the possibility that individual consciousness is only a manifestation of a unitary consciousness pervading the universe.

Probably one of his most enduring legacies is his thought experiment Schrödinger’s cat. My cat (who loves to perch next to me on my desk and watch the screen), has just scarpered!

As I’m not a physicist and I’m still trying to get my head round this concept I thought it best to include a video or two that explains wave function and more:

You could say that this blog post does and doesn’t exist simultaneously, but by my observing it, by my thoughts I caused the wave to collapse, and bingo, you have a blog post to read that probably doesn’t make sense!!

I’d like to finish with the work of British biologist and author, Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, who’s theory of Morphic Resonance has not been embraced wholeheartedly by the scientific community. I admire his open-minded and common sense approach to science and his courage to question the dogmas that western science clings to.

Here is a wonderful interview between Rupert Sheldrake and Deepak Chopra. Science Beyond the Superstitions of Materialism:

This is also a fascinating interview that delves into Rupert’s book, Science Set Free, questioning long held assumptions by Western science:

So, in reply to the loaded question posed by my title, I’m going to assume a ‘superposition’ and say that both answers exist at the same time; until you start observing one of them that is!!!

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” ~ Isaac Asimov

A Musical Surprise from Johann Sebastian Bach

February 18, 2015 / ginnyburges / Leave a comment

“Joy, sorrow, tears, lamentation, laughter – to all these music gives voice, but in such a way that we are transported from the world of unrest to a world of peace, and see reality in a new way, as if we were sitting by a mountain lake and contemplating hills and woods and clouds in the tranquil and fathomless water.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

With my children and their friends running me around in circles this half-term I almost gave up on the idea of publishing a new blog post. But then I made a discovery, and I wanted to share it. By the way, if all you guys and gals out there already know about this gem do feel free to tell me…

I thought I knew all Bach’s violin concertos. I often play them when I practice. His Double Violin Concerto in D minor BWV 1043 is so well known, it seemed odd that he would have written a Triple Violin Concerto that is virtually unheard of.

However, the other day as I was browsing through YouTube that is exactly what I came across!

It was the 2^nd movement being performed by Sir Yehudi Menuhin and David Oistrakh’s musical dynasty, (his son, Igor and grandson Valery), in Moscow. I was intrigued. It’s not in mainstream repertoire, or surely I would have heard of this piece before?

So I did a little digging, and unearthed the reconstructed Concerto for 3 Violins in D Major BWV 1064R. This wasn’t published as an original Bach violin concerto; it’s a reconstruction of the Concerto for 3 Harpsichords, strings and Continuo in C Major, BWV 1064.

Here’s where the uncertainty creeps in. Whether Bach used one of his own earlier (now lost) violin concertos or one composed by Vivaldi is unclear. But the point is, there actually was a violin concerto used as the basis for BWV1064, and the piece has been transcribed back to the violin in the key of D Major to give us that wonderful original sound.

Whilst it may not be as melodic and lyrical as Bach’s Double Violin Concerto, the Triple Concerto has a certain charm, and so as far as I’m concerned it’s a case of ‘better late than never’.

All of Bach’s harpsichord concertos (with the exception of the Brandenburg concerto) are thought to be arrangements made from earlier concertos for melodic instruments probably written in Köthen. In many cases, only the harpsichord version has survived.

Here is the Freiburger Barockorchester, on period instruments, performing the entire concerto:

Christopher Hogwood Transcription for chamber ensemble musicians.

The original published version for harpsichord with Hogwood, Moroney and Rousset:

I also really like it arranged for 3 pianos:

Again, it just goes to show how versatile and universal Bach’s music is that it suits so many different instruments. See my earlier post about the Chaconne for solo violin.

With a plethora of top violinists recording Bach, it’s hard to imagine that the early recordings of Bach’s violin music were made back in 1904, when Fritz Kreisler first performed the Prelude in E and ‘Air on the G String’ in Berlin. The Double Violin Concerto was recorded by Kreisler and Efram Zimbalist in January 1915, the first time a complete recording of a major work by Bach was made, and also the first time that two leading violinists played together in a recorded performance.

With such a large body of work it’s hardly surprising that Bach’s music continues to offer surprises, and I’d like to toast to many more to come.

I must scoot Bach to doing the housework now, humming as I go…

“No one can give a definition of the soul. But we know what it feels like. The soul is the sense of something higher than ourselves, something that stirs in us thoughts, hopes, and aspirations which go out to the world of goodness, truth and beauty. The soul is a burning desire to breathe in this world of light and never to lose it – to remain children of light.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

Variations on a Theme of Love

February 10, 2015February 10, 2015 / ginnyburges / Leave a comment

“The more we give love, the greater our capacity to do so.” ~ Dr. David R Hawkins

As Valentine’s Day is approaching, I thought I might as well jump on the love bandwagon!

I probably should have written this post in French; étant le vrai langage de l’amour.

In terms of the arts, nothing captures the many facets of love like music. Just as a single ray of light dances through the prisms of a diamond, casting a beautiful, ethereal spectrum; so can the notes of a captivating romance, passionate rhapsodie, reflective nocturne or a soulful sonata evoke certain emotional states in the listener. States that can place you into a poignant memory or an ardent fantasy, or the many moods in between.

And now for the scientific part:

A musical tone makes physical objects vibrate at its frequency, the phenomenon of sympathetic reverberation. A soprano breaks a wineglass with the right note as she makes unbending glass quiver along with her voice. Emotional tones in the brain establish a living harmony with the past in a similar way. The brain is not composed of string, and there are no oscillating fibers within the cranium. But in the nervous system, information echoes down the filaments that join harmonious neural networks. When an emotional chord is struck, it stirs to life past memories of the same feeling.

(A general Theory of Love)

Over to you Ludwig!

Now, us ladies love to be romanced (generally speaking), and I’m sure it’s true for most women that being desired by your sweetheart is somewhat of a potent aphrodisiac, and makes us every bit as enthusiastic about amatory pursuits as lovers, partners or husbands.

But there’s more than one type of love, although it’s usually the romantic and erotic type of love that society pays the most attention to. Even more so, at this time of year, thoughts turn to the intimate relationship between a man and a woman. Hall & Oates captured the sentiment in the lyrics of their song, Kiss On My List.

Come the 14^th not everyone will be fortunate enough to be with a loving partner, and Valentine’s Day can be quite depressing if you believe your happiness solely rests on a romantic connection. It’s an endless commercial love-fest of adverts, romcoms, red roses and card sales. I would never berate a man for giving me roses, (quite the opposite), but the expectation it puts on people means the true meaning of love can get distorted and exploited on Valentine’s Day.

It’s as much about friendship, companionship, kindness, sharing, trusting and understanding as it is about pleasures of the flesh; although who wouldn’t enjoy a night of unbridled lovemaking with their sweetheart? Moving on swiftly…

Even without love, the pleasure part can be addictive. I’m sure the sexual exploits of Giacoma Casanova left a trail of devastated hearts in women across 18th century Europe. Perhaps he was the first celebrity womaniser?

Love, or the lack of, affects everyone. In 450 B.C., Hippocrates stated that emotions emanate from the brain. You and I are mammals, and as such we’re subject to limbic resonance and limbic regulation.

Love is, without doubt, the most powerful force on the planet. It can heal, sooth, excite, placate, reassure, create new life and put one into a state of ecstacy. However, those moments can be relatively short lived. For constant happiness to abide in your heart, you have to be able to extend love and forgiveness to yourself first.

The basis of all love is self-love. If you love and respect yourself, you will be able to pass on that energy to others. There’s nothing selfish or unhealthy about that. Self-loathing, guilt and repressed emotions are all blocks to giving and receiving such love.

“Immature love says: ‘I love you because I need you.’ Mature love says ‘I need you because I love you.” ~ Erich Fromm (The Art of Loving).

The immature love is a dependency. You love that person because of the way they make you feel, and when that feeling has gone you will feel bereft and perhaps then look for someone else who can provide those emotions. But the mature love means you love someone for who they are.

You are tender, kind and passionate, but do not depend on them for your own happiness. Instead, you treasure each moment with them, appreciating and respecting them for who they are, for their unique personality, talents, endearing qualities and flaws, wanting their happiness as much as your own.

That’s where the ‘variations’ come in. The basic ‘theme’ is the person you become by your lovingness towards your kin and the wider world, and with that comes the capacity to truly appreciate love in all its glorious forms: the sensual, the passionate, the platonic, the maternal, the highs, the lows and the middle ground.

Maternal love is so strong that nothing can break it, (perhaps with the exception of mental illness). Whilst your offspring may drive you crazy and push you to the limit on occasion, you know that no matter what, you will always love and protect them. Part of that love is knowing when to nurture, and when to promote independence and foster self-reliance. The love of parents plays a huge role in a child’s self-esteem and development. Never criticize the person, only cite the action.

And just as the unwavering love children are shown promotes harmony in families, so can the loving behaviour we all show to each other, to friends, aquaintances and even to total strangers, promote a healthy global community.

To be able to suspend our judgements of others and love unconditionally is no easy task, but it comes from the standpoint of compassion and understanding. We are all at different points in our spiritual evolution.

I’ve long been a student of the late Dr. David R Hawkins, founder of the Institute for Advanced Spiritual Research, and author of many illuminating books. He also gave many brilliant lectures and interviews during his life. His book Power vs. Force totally changed my perspective on life (see Veritas Publishing).

He often cited instances where the caring and loving attitude of a doctor towards both the patient and their recovery would have a beneficial impact on their healing. An advocate of animals, he believed that the unconditional love shown by dogs to their human companions could add as much as 10 years to their life. Especially if that person was elderly, isolated and lonely.

“Love is misunderstood to be an emotion; actually, it is a state of awareness, a way of being in the world, a way of seeing oneself and others.” ~ David R. Hawkins

Here is a wonderful talk he gave on unconditional love:

There is so much mesmerising art and beautiful prose written about love, and that is what I will leave you with.

“I loved you first: but afterwards your love”

Poca favilla gran fiamma seconda. – Dante

Ogni altra cosa, ogni pensier va fore,

E sol ivi con voi rimansi amore. – Petrarca

I loved you first: but afterwards your love

Outsoaring mine, sang such a loftier song

As drowned the friendly cooings of my dove.

Which owes the other most? my love was long,

And yours one moment seemed to wax more strong;

I loved and guessed at you, you construed me

And loved me for what might or might not be –

Nay, weights and measures do us both a wrong.

For verily love knows not ‘mine’ or ‘thine;’

With separate ‘I’ and ‘thou’ free love has done,

For one is both and both are one in love:

Rich love knows nought of ‘thine that is not mine;’

Both have the strength and both the length thereof,

Both of us, of the love which makes us one.

Christina Rossetti

“Love one another, but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.”

Kahlil Gibran, (The Prophet)

As for me, Cupid has pierced my heart, his arrow is well and truly lodged!

Cupid, draw back your bow… The dulcet tones of the ‘king of soul’ Sam Cooke:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.

Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

William Shakespeare (Sonnet 116)

Percy Bysshe Shelley – Love’s Philosophy:

C’est tous mes chéris, Je t’aime!

Thomas Tallis – If Ye Love Me:

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” ~ Jimi Hendrix

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rhap.so.dy in words

No hyperbole, just passionate musings.

Author: ginnyburges

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Variations on a Theme of Love

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