I’m back from my extended trip to Hawaii – extended because to get home, we re-routed through Seattle instead of LA due to the devastating fires there – and then we stayed extra time in Seattle to see my sister; however, she got sick, and we never got to see her – only conversations on the phone. BUT – that gave time to see the Museum of Glass in Tacoma and the Chihuly Gallery and Gardens in Seattle.
Anyway, I’m back now and take up once again my daily posts about the Belle of Amherst and her poetry.
Way back in December, on Beethoven’s birthday, I wrote a post where I wondered whether or not Dickinson, a pianist herself, ever played any music by Beethoven. That post is HERE.
At the time, I explored any connection between Dickinson and Beethoven, and my searches came up with responses like this, “There's no information about whether Emily Dickinson ever played Beethoven music on the piano.”
On page 12 of the opening chapter of that book, Bingham quoted from her mother’s journal where she kept copious notes about her involvement with the publication process – and her interactions with the poet herself. NOTE: Todd never met Dickinson face-to-face. Their interactions were kept distant, between rooms and doorways, by the reclusive poet. The only time Todd actually saw Dickinson was when the poet lay in her coffin in 1886.
Back to Todd’s journal notes; she wrote this:
“Emily’s notes to me became personal and affectionate, and although our interviews were chiefly confined to conversations between the brilliantly lighted drawing-room where I sat and the dusky hall just outside where she always remained, I grew very familiar with her voice, its vaguely surprised note dominant. I usually sang to her for an hour or more, playing afterward selections from Beethoven and Bach or Scarlatti, which she admired almost extravagantly…. Dressed always in white, her presence was like an inhabitant of some other sphere alighting temporarily on this lovely planet.”
Sooo…I still don’t know if Dickinson herself played any Beethoven on her piano, but I do know that the strains of Beethoven did waft through her home.
Back in December, on Beethoven’s birthday, December 16th, I wondered if Emily Dickinson ever played Beethoven on the piano. I responded to that earlier post yesterday (see above).
While I was looking into that Beethoven-Dickinson connection again, I found this site, from a classical music channel in Nashville; the article is entitled “It has a song–’ A Playlist Inspired by Emily Dickinson.” Some of the linked videos no longer work; however, the info about the Dickinson-inspired works is there. The link is HERE.
At the bottom of the page there is another link which takes one to an article entitled, “‘Musicians Wrestle Everywhere’: Music In The Poetry Of Emily Dickinson.” It’s about the musicality of Dickinson’s poems. That article is HERE.