You Can't Find Beauty in Anything
- Corrie Ann
- Jul 15, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 19
Some might say, "It doesn't really matter what you do. You can find beauty in anything." Au contraire. Every time I bite into a Parker county peach early in the month of July, or see a glorious sunset, or read a funny poem, or soak in a rich book, or hear the intricate interplay in the Intermodulation jazz duo album, I savor true Beauty. I take a moment to join with the river of people across time and space who have chosen to make Beauty a part of their lives. When did we forget that each one of us can usher in Beauty into the world, each in our own way? I suppose we all have a choice, whether to choose to plod along with the mundane, the grind, the constant cycle spinning along in this world. And somedays, plodding along but not stopping is enough for the day.
At one of the many potlucks I attend, it is a very different experience if I buy brownie bites from the local bargain shopping store (delicious though they are) and if I make my own chocolate cake with buttercream icing made with Mexican vanilla. Perhaps chocolate is not a person's favorite flavor. However, if something I made both looks and tastes beautiful, it is a very different experience. Hearing someone say, "YOU made that?" is so thrilling, not because I need the praise, but because I am just a normal person and don’t think what I do is anything really extraordinary. It is thrilling because the person was awakened to the fact that - yes - we do not have to go to a specialist in a bakery to make something beautiful. I want to respond, "YES, and you can make Beauty too!" Every time I make a cake that is scrumptious, I delight in thinking that I could've done many things with my time, but I chose to make something wonderful. There is something satisfying in this, a joy that run deep knowing that Beauty came into the world because of me.
Just like not every morsel is one of beauty, not everything we see or experience leads to a memory rich with Beauty. Usually when my husband and I watch a TV show or a movie, we might have one or two things to comment on, but our conversation is over in about 5 minutes. We had our diversion and moment to chill and we move on. Our experience was very different when we recently attended a concert where Jean-Efflam Bavouzet performing solo piano pieces by Ravel at TCU's Van Cliburn Hall.
Attending this concert gave Aaron and I extended time with rich conversation. We marveled at the performer's technique, how he really made the piano sound like water, I mean Jeux d'eau IS a glorious wonder that was "avant garde," causing a big uproar when it was performed. Ravel kept getting kicked out of music school for not following the rules, but choosing to following what his heart felt he had to compose. Some were based on a ghost tale that Aaron found intriguing, namely "Scarbo" from Gaspard de la nuit. I was struck of the pieces from Le Tombeau de Couperin, written after WWI. They are pieces to signal the ushering in of a new style of composition, that the old French style needed to adapt. What really struck me was they were dedicated to fellow soldiers / friends that Ravel lost in the war. Yet, they were very light and happy pieces. Some people responded to tragedy by expressing music with great pathos or drama or - like later 20th c. composers with scattered disjointedness, blowing up any kind of "system". Ravel's pieces were more like listening to French dances created by fairies.
As a side note, Bavouzet was from France and was able to interpret Ravel's music so intimately. In this YouTube video, Bavouzet shares that when he plays Ravel, he feels like a French musician. This was evident in his elegant interpretation of the music. More credit for making the experience memorable goes to Isaac Formant who created detailed and helpful program notes specifically for the Van Cliburn Festival. He described not just the piece but what Ravel was going through personally during the creation of each piece. Forman is a brilliant younger performer and scholar. You can find out more about him HERE. Between Forman's notes and Bavouzet's little tidbits that he added before a few pieces, we gained a richer experience and more fertile soil for conversation.
Afterwards, Aaron and I talked for 30 minutes about the performance, the performer, Ravel, etc. We marveled at the performer's technique, how he really made the piano sound like water, I mean Jeux d'eau IS a glorious wonder that was "avant garde," causing a big uproar when it was performed. Ravel kept getting kicked out of music school for not following the rules, but choosing to following what his heart felt he had to compose. Some were based on a ghost tale that Aaron found intriguing, namely "Scarbo" from Gaspard de la nuit. I was struck of the pieces from Le Tombeau de Couperin, written after WWI. They are pieces to signal the ushering in of a new style of composition, that the old French style needed to adapt. What really struck me was they were dedicated to fellow soldiers / friends that Ravel lost in the war. Yet, they were very light and happy pieces. Some people responded to tragedy by expressing music with great pathos or drama or - like later 20th c. composers with scattered disjointedness, blowing up any kind of "system". Ravel's pieces were more like listening to French dances created by fairies.
For two hours, we sat spell bound by a single performer who did not have fancy lighting and was mostly just playing the piano (although the Steinway was glorious). Yet, Aaron and I will forever have that shared moment of true respite from the world, where time was immaterial, etched in our hearts and minds. This moment of respite provided us space to share a moment of true Beauty. Listening to this live solo piano concert was a foretaste of the Divine, giving us hope against hope that Beauty will be forever.
If we can only find a way to bring Beauty into the everyday, perhaps every day, we can transform the daily struggle into a daily opportunity to reach beyond the stars and find out how to live Beauty into eternity. Join the Quest!
Bring wonder back home!
Check out the latest on the Brandy Hall Worth the Read List!!!
One of our independent authors, A. J. Prufrock has written a lovely fairy tale story, called In Light of the New Moon. Here the author explores a variety of questions about Beauty and Truth - can anything be beautiful and which path is the best path? Can Beauty guide your way? Is there a time when you cannot see what is beautiful right before your eyes? How do relationships or connections aid the quest for Beauty? Can Beauty be destroyed? In Light of the New Moon is a story is part of this brilliant volume with two short stories The Light Princess and In Light of the New Moon. The first story is Aaron's favorite, the second one is my favorite. You can buy one volume and see for yourself!
In the story In the Light of the New Moon, this phrase comes back through the Prince Caedmon, time and time again, "Beauty is never to be forgotten." It is almost as if the hero reminds us that sometimes, a moment of Beauty is something to savor, to relish, to absorb into our very soul, an imprint of the eternal in the everyday experience.
All of A. J. Prufrock's books are lovely explorations into worlds of imagination and exploration of both the heart and soul. Buy all 4 books for your young adult readers (or - really - just for yourself!) - Just $45! Click HERE to shop and learn more about A. J. Prufrock!
Give your young author beautiful materials to use to write prose or poetry or stories or whatever their heart desires! Inspire them with this beautiful "Author Basket." With a retail price of $40, Brandy Hall Bookshoppe is selling them from now until September 1st for just $32 each! Get your basket today! Click HERE to order!
Explore more titles that can help you bring Beauty into the everyday and "Bring wonder back home." Check out our curated bookstore, Brandy Hall Bookshoppe. Shop HERE
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