When Great Tragedy Inspires Great Art
The world stopped for several hours this week, as Notre-Dame de Paris was severely damaged due to a horrific fire. 850 years of history, artistic ingenuity, and architectural beauty was destroyed in just a few hours. Certainly, our collective hearts go out to those who worship at the Cathedral on a regular basis, but the most important question: what is next?
Amidst great tragedy there is great opportunity, perhaps none greater than in the arts. I can't help but liken this experience to that of Coventry Cathedral (West Midlands, England) which was devastated during bombings in World War II. Upon completion of the rebuilt structure, Benjamin Britten composed perhaps the most significant composition of the 20th century, War Requiem. While the entire work is worthy of years of study, here are the final moments of this masterpiece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IksC_pNs0_Y
Following the attacks of September 11th, 2001, The New York Philharmonic commissioned composer (not to be confused with the second president) John Adams, to write a musical work of remembrance. The result of this commission, On the Transmigration of Souls. The work is a thought-provoking double meaning implying both the transmigration of those who have passed, but also the emotional transmigration of the loved ones who remain. The text was taken from signs and memorials left at ground zero. For a listen, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwoasXzLdVY
While these two pieces are hardly representative of all of the works written in response to tragedy, composers ranging from Haydn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_5tgmAwN-E to Eric Clapton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxPj3GAYYZ0 and Pearl Jam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS91knuzoOA have also created artistic works as a coping mechanism.
How will the artistic community respond to this tragedy, and how will we respond to struggle in our own daily lives? Is there a way that we can use something full of sorrow, doubt, and turmoil and use it as a source of inspiration?
This is one of my favorite examples of art that comes out of tragedy https://youtu.be/Bfo6pF2psxs (this is a lengthy, yet beautiful retelling by Hugh Bonneville of the events). Like Clapton's song, this song came from personal tragedy, not one of national attention. 132 years after Spafford's words were set to music, this hymn was a constant as I went through my own personal tragedy. Perhaps that is the beautiful thing about art- it allows the immediate processing of such large and small scale tragedies. Yet, we can find strength, hope, and healing regardless of how far removed (whether by culture, location, or time) we are from the artist through their beautiful and lasting contributions to humanity.
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