|
Since music is my greatest passion these days, this book on Beethoven naturally
floated to the top of the heterogeneous pile of
review volumes that came to me from RALPH. I opened it speculatively to take a glance, with the idea
of perhaps reading it,
perhaps even reviewing it. The first passage my eye fell upon, at random, was the following:
In Beethoven's procedures the most profound features of Hegelian philosophy
will be discerned, such as the twofold position of
'mind' in the Phenomenology as both subject and object. As the latter it is merely 'observed'
in its movement; as the former, through
observing, it brings the movement about. Something very similar can be seen in Beethoven's most authentic
developments, as in the
Appassionata and in the Ninth Symphony, and probably in the Waldstein
Sonataas well. The theme of the development is
mind, that is, the recognition of self in the other. The 'other', the theme, the inspired idea, is,
to begin with, left to itself in these
developments and observed; it moves in itself. Only later, with the forte entry, comes the
intervention of the subject, as if
anticipating an identity as yet unattained. It is only this intervention which creates the actual
model of the development through a
resolution, that is, only the subjective movement of spirit brings about its objective movement...
To tell the truth, this is the last I remember of the book. The medical team says
that I was found twenty-six pages further along,
with eyes glazed, shallow Cheyne- Stokes breathing, and blood pressure in negative numbers, indicating
a state of full coma.
Fortunately, they were able to revive me by administering several measures from
the Scherzo movement of Beethoven's Ninth.
Medical authorities advise using the book only with a physician in attendance, and the original German
version should not even be
opened except in hospital surroundings.
By a strange coincidence, I have just recently bought a toy cellular phone which
plays the big theme from the last movement of
Beethoven's Ninth when you press the # key. Pressing other keys generate rings, dings, beeps,
assorted tones, and even a little
gremlin voice which says "G'bye" and hangs up.
I use my toy cell phone on the bus when all the other passengers receive calls
on their real cell phones, probably from each other.
My toy cell phone reassures me that I am in the swim of things, or almost. Especially when it plays
Beethoven's Ninth to me,
although I don't know what Hegel would say about that. He may have been trying to telephone me about
it. Come to think of it,
maybe he is the little Gremlin voice which says "G'bye".
--- Dr. Phage
|
1. Piano Songs
