In sickness and in health (part 2)

As mentioned in my previous post, the transcendent Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 15 in A Minor, Op. 132  has inspired and comforted so many over the centuries. During these days of pandemic, it is worth delving into this masterpiece for consolation and the exhilaration of hope. Most remarkably, this string quartet has a deep connection to the powerful poet, T.S. Eliot.

During the dark days of WWII and a time of great suffering in his personal life, Eliot found refuge in listening to the late string quartets of Beethoven. He is quoted here: “There is a sort of heavenly, or at least more than human, gaiety about some of [Beethoven’s] later things, which one imagines might come to oneself as the fruits of reconciliation and relief after immense suffering; I should like to get something of that into verse before I die.” The result was his masterpiece, “The Four Quartets”. It consists of 4 long poems, each in 5 parts, just like Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 15. Those who love poetry and Beethoven have long savored this combination.

I encourage you to partake of this beautiful performance. The emotions connect perfectly with Eliot’s thoughtful words, so perhaps you’d even like to read this excerpt while you listen to the gorgeous version from the Ariel Quartet.

T.S. Eliot, “Little Gidding”, V

We shall not cease from exploration 
And the end of all our exploring 
Will be to arrive where we started 
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, remembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for 
But heard, half heard, in the stillness
Between the two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always–
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of things shall be well
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.

So many beautiful powerful images are packed in a short time, just like Beethoven. There is also a strong dose of mystical spirituality from Julian of Norwich. She was and still is an icon for those who suffer, not to mention being the first woman to write a book in the English language.

If you’d like to know more about this connection between Beethoven and T.S. Elliot, I encourage you to put both names in your search engine and have fun.

Here are a few that I enjoyed:

• Late Quartets: Beethoven and TS Eliot
• Earsense from Kai Chriastiansen
• KBIA Radio, Healing Europe: T. S. Eliot and Beethoven
• The Book Haven, Great minds wonder: What’s the connection between T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets” and Beethoven’s Opus 132?

Thank you for sharing this journey with me. Please take care, and as Julian of Norwich beautifully said in the 1300’s, while the world was reeling from the Black Death, “may all manner of thing be well” . Until next time we meet, enjoy music, dive into poetry, and thanks for visiting thetonepoet.com.