Inspiration

Tarah, I can only speak for myself, but inspiration is a sometimes thing. Often, a word from someone I know; a snippet of a dream; a bit of news;
It takes something magic to produce it, and something simple to defuse it.

(A2K is very slow today)

It's strange though, Letty, because the same word which inspires you may not inspire me. In fact it may inspire you today but not tomorrow.

We can learn facts and techniques, but can we learn to be inspired?

No, Tarah, we cannot learn to be inspired, no more than we can learn to be a poet or a musician, really. That something must be there to begin with. Call it a brain function; a mental recreation; a recessive gene, whatever, some people seem to have it at birth. I have heard musicians with Juillard degrees play beautifully, but without inspiration. Hope this makes sense to you. Most of the innately talented find themselves rogues.

Re: Inspiration
Tarah

I think that inspiration has to do with the stimulation of the nervous system and the brain, due to particular situations. Wagner used is love to Mathilde Wesendonck to create "Tristan und Isolde". He didn't have a great consideration to Mathilde, he just used her, as an affective stimulation. When the opera was finished he forgot her.

I remember, many years ago, being in a recital of the great russian pianist Emil Gilels. He started with Mozart's Sonata K 330, and the public was surprised to see the indifference of the pianist, playing the Sonata as if he was giving a lesson in the Conservatory. But, later, he played Liszt Sonata in B minor, and it was like a storm, a fire of passion.

Val, I find it ironic that Gilels wasn't inspired by Mozart, but that Mozart was the type musician who I believe was born with a genius gene. What inspired him, do you suppose?

That's exactly it, Letty.

Beethoven kept reworking on his music till it was perfect whereas there was something in Mozart that inspired him to get it right first time.

We understand why some people are born to be tall or with blue eyes; it's genetics. But this spark, it's incredible. It's almost as though the fairies waved some fairydust over the infant and gave him a gift of magic.

Is it possible to be prosaic about it?

Well, Tarah. Some of the most beautiful prose that I have ever read was poetic. I understand what you mean by prosaic, however.

Perhaps it goes this way. We have a special sense that defies genetics, but in combination with practice, (not for the sake of scales, etc.) but for the mere inspiration of hearing the notes over and over, we become, as twyvel would say, the actual inspiration and the music.

Val is very educated in the art of philosophy. I find myself very curious at what point in his life that he decided that it was his inspiration.

Letty

My father gave me the passion for philosophy. For the doubt, the logic, and gave me the opportunity to read his books.
But my greatest passion is music, and I discovered it alone. Of course my parents helped me, paying my musical education.

About inspiration: Why do I love Mozart's 19th piano concerto and not his 22th concerto? I have friends that prefer the last one. I think it has to do with life experience, and personal sensibility.

One more thing: I agree with you when you say that some of most beautiful poetry is in prose. Even in novels. Did you read Bulgakov's "Master and Marguerite"? The chapters about Pilatos - and I am not a theist - are between the most beautiful poetry I have ever read.

An excellent question, and sort of ironic to me. Just yesterday I woke up thinking exactly this - "I don't feel inspired."

Inspiration is a very interesting topic, IMO. It brings to my mind the (sometimes controversial) subjects faith, and belief, also. Because I think that inspiration is of the same realm as belief, and that to think not is to be utterly earthbound in more ways than one.

We all are glad that Tarah is back, and putting a little simplicity in the philosophy forum.

Val, What a revelation. I have seen you respond to so many threads, and yet knew so little about you. I haven't read the books of which you speak, but the one that comes to mind for me, is Sandburg's Lincoln. You are very fortunate to have a nurturing father, but obviously the seed was there to begin with, he just watered it. I will never forget participating in Mozart's choral music. I was astounded at how totally inspirational it was, and I had no idea that he had ever composed music for choirs.

Snood, you are so right. Recently I have wondered where all those muses have gone.

I am a musician. As such inspiration is vital for my continued existence. I have tried since I first saw this thread to come up with a satisfactory explanation to what inspiration is. How does the dictionary explain it? Vaguely I can imagine.

By the way, has anyone ever experienced that what was very inspiring once suddenly is the oposite? This leads me to believe that inspiration is the bait that makes you take one more step towards the horizon, away from what you know and towards the unknown.

Cyracuz, your definition is nice and will suffice. <smile>and, yes, I think that opposites occur quite frequently in the magic of inspiration. In reviewing Val's post, I did a search about Mozart's choral music and came up with this:

http://www.aylesburychoral.org.uk/concerts/works/mozart_aveverum.htm

The problem lies in that I cannot hear it.

It seems to me that the words began with "....come thou almighty king....(something) victorious..come and reign o'er us.."

'inspiration', interesting word; parallels breathing - to inspire, from the very ether - an idea, a sense, a concept.

my take on inspiration is that it is the mirror of logic; look the other way, and something will pop out of the void to amaze you!

[refuse to look the other way, and inspiration escapes your grasp]

Bo, it's so wonderful to have you back with your mirror of inspiration. <smile>

I'm glad to see a bunch of people back, especially Bo. It's funny, I do think it's firing neurons. There are nights I can't sleep and just have to get up and write something. Then, weeks can go by with nuttin' happening. I have noticed that with my clients, my inspiration is fed by their level of enthusiasm. A cheap client who doesn't really "get it", in terms of what I do, does not inspire at all.

so then a jingle in the pocket can be a source of inpiration, eh?

[from a glint in the hand, to a glint in your eye!]

Not necessarily. It really is more about their enthusiasm.

Cav, of course, we garner inspiration from sincere feedback. That's the human side of us.

I think it is also about the artistic side of us as well, which does exist in all humans, whatever line of work they are in. We thrive on praise, which makes us codependent on some level, but entirely human. I heard a story today about the ABC executive who spearheaded the series "Lost", and was fired just before the pilot aired, as the corporation thought it was too expensive to produce, and nobody would watch it. Well, it was a smash hit, and catapulted ABC's ratings immensely. It is that sort of narrow-minded corporate thinking that really gets me down. People of vision seem to be tossed aside these days. I suppose that's why I have never given up my belief in the power of all art, and all artists.