Monday, May 6, 2024
Happy Birthday Orson Welles, John T. McCutcheon
***********
Quote Of The Week:
“Improvisation is the art of being completely okay with not knowing what the f**k you’re doing.” Mick Napier
*********
We just returned from Costa Rica’s beautiful Nicoya Peninsula, one of the 5 “Blue Zones” on earth (https://tinyurl.com/aecsnekc) and one of my favorite places on earth.
“Returned” is the key word here because every time we go there we are more and more tempted to not return. It is amazing (nicoyapeninsula.com)
Travel, especially to remote places, requires Improvisation. And, speaking of improvisation…
(How About THAT For A Clever Segue?!)
Webster’s definition of the word improvise is “to deliver without previous preparation.”
And The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “to invent or make something at the time when it is needed without already having planned it.”
I disagree with the “preparation” part of their definitions. It is absolutely possible, if not necessary, to prepare for effective improvisation.
Truth
Improvisation is typically associated with the Arts- jazz musicians, actors, dance, etc. And travel to remote places like the Nicoya Peninsula, of course.
But, whoever and whatever you are, no matter your role in life, you use improvisation just about every hour of every day whether you know it or not.
It helps you through work, relationships, and life. Once you become aware of this, it can be prepared for, practiced, and improved like any skill.
Improvisation is not just faking it or “winging it”. It is a skill that can improve your life and, in some cases, save lives. Nurses, doctors, soldiers, leaders, teachers, and parents all have to learn to become skillful improvisers. And the rest of us knuckleheads can learn as well.
My good and longtime friend and musician/saxophonist extraordinaire, Tom Hall, (www.freeimprovisation.com) says, "Life is one big Improvisation." When we become aware that we are all, indeed, improvising through our day much of the time ,we can practice and prepare for it.
Time For Your Musical Metaphor
Ludwig van Beethoven was, arguably, one of the greatest composers who ever lived but he was also famous in his time for his piano playing, some say possibly among the top 25 best pianists of all time.
Musically, we mostly think of improvisation related to jazz but, loooong before jazz music came along, the classical composer was also known as a Master Improviser.
my 6' X 3' of Beethoven at the Altus Flute Co headquarters in Azumino, Japan
Wigs
For entertainment, Vienna aristocrats of the day (y’know, the powdered wig dudes) would sponsor parties and “improvisation battles” between two pianists. Think “American Idol” or “The Voice” but with a twist- each contestant would be assigned a theme to improvise on.
The pianists would go back and forth, “battling” each other getting more and more intense with each turn they took (you guessed it, there were, indeed, adult beverages involved) until a winner was declared. My kind of party.
“Umm…I Couldn’t Get a Ride. Yeah, That’s It”
When the 30 year-old Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792, improvisation contests were a fairly common thing.
Ludwig would frequently go up against the local talent at these parties and basically blow everyone away, eventually establishing himself as THE guy. In fact, many competing pianists wouldn’t even show up to the event when they found out he was their competition.
Danny
Skip ahead a few years to 1800 and enter Daniel Steilbelt, the once-famous guy you probably haven’t heard of.
Steibelt was from Berlin, Germany and a renowned piano virtuoso all over Europe. The guy was very proper and disciplined, formal and academic and let’s just say... uptight. And he came to the great music city of Vienna on a mission to make an even bigger name for himself.
A party was arranged so that Steibelt could go up against this local Beethoven guy in an improvisation contest. After all, what chance could young local Beethoven have against Europe’s best and most famous pianist?
A white powder wig muckity-muck named Prince Lobkowitz put up the money for Steibelt while another dude, Prince Lichnowsky, sponsored Beethoven. Per usual, the patrons and aristocrats determined what music each of them should improvise.
Prince Lobkowitz
Prince Lichnowsky
Lobkowitz hosted the improvisation contest/shindig in the concert room on the first floor of his palace. Like you do. (A side note: the Prince spent so much money on this particular lavish palace, he eventually went bankrupt. Like you do.)
The Lobkowitz Palace
Superstar Steibelt told the Prince if he couldn’t beat local Beethoven in this silly little competition, he would never return to the great city of Vienna again.
As the visitor and challenger, Steibelt was up first. He approached the piano, carrying a piece of music he had just composed on the fly, as requested by the Prince. But, in very dramatic fashion, he tossed the sheet of music on the floor. “I don’t need no stinkin’ music. I’m Daniel *#@!* Steibelt, dammit” (that’s my updated version).
Ride The Lightning
He sat down and began to play. Continuing the dramatic effect, he played in his renowned style described as “stormy” and with lots and lots of left hand, pounding low notes to “create a thunder”. Think Liberace meets Metallica. Steibelt was famous for “conjuring up a storm” on the piano to “heart pounding effect”, with a “thunder growling in the bass.” His improvisations came to a mind-blowing and “thrilling end.” Let’s just say Danny Steibelt was not a slave to subtlety.
The crowd went crazy, cheering and stomping like a Swiftie before the first encore. When the crowd finally sat down and caught their collective breath, it was Ludwig van Beethoven's turn. The crowd adjusted their coattails and petticoats, sat down and went silent with anticipation and great skepticism.
Beethoven reportedly “stood up, took a deep breath slowly, then slowly exhaled, and reluctantly trudged to the piano.” He looked worried and the audience couldn’t blame him. After all, how did Beethoven even think he could polish the brass rings on Daniel Steibelt's fancy 19th century buttoned boots?
When he finally got to the piano, Beethoven bent over and picked up the piece of music Steibelt had tossed to the side. Beethoven looked at it, showed it the audience, and then …turned it upside down.
“What the heck was he up to?” the Aristocrats must have thought. Y’know, if they used the word heck.
It turns out he was faking the initial concern. Ludwig sat at the piano and played the first four upside down notes that were on the page. Then, he started to mess with them. After playing a few notes, he tossed the music aside and started to change the notes around, playing variations of them, embelling them and took off improvising chords and bass lines and melodies “with great virtuosity and supreme musical insight.”
He kept going and even started imitating a signature Steibelt Storm with his playing. Then he broke it down to basics, messed with it even more, then put it back together again. He parodied Danny Steibelt's style and even mocked the drama of it all.
Needless to say, the audience went out of their minds, flipping their collective powdered wigs.
The Walk Of Shame
Poor Danny Steibelt, needless to say, was humiliated. He kept his promise and never returned to Vienna. Ludwig lived there the rest of his life, doing his thing and becoming the Beethoven we know.
Ludwig was never asked again to participate in an improvisation party. Like a Mike Tyson is never invited to participate in a local bar fight.
And those first four notes of Daniel Steibelt's upside down music? In the ultimate act of revenge, they eventually became the inspiration behind one of Beethoven’s greatest symphonies, The Third Symphony, otherwise known as the Eroica Symphony. My portrait below, not coincidentally for this blog (see how I snuck that in?) was named after that symphony. More on that in a future entry.
"Eroica"
Heck
“How the heck do these two stories apply to me?” you might be asking. If you use the word heck like a 19thcentury powered wig guy.
There’s a metaphor here and a connection to what you do in life and improvisation and, in my opinion, there is a huge secret and easy formula to get there. As a fellow knucklehead, I use it all the time.
Hint: It’s in a box. Yup, a box. Ludwig used it and we can all use it. I used it in the Art you have purchased from me, including the “Eroica” piece above. A box.
In the meantime, you’ll need to wait in silent anticipation and great skepticism like an audience of powdered-wig aristocrats in your coattails, petticoats, and fancy 19th century button-up boots.
*********
See you on Monday the 13th and thanks for reading! It’s good to be back from Costa Rica. Sort of.
Lennie
************
Instagram.com/Lennie.Peterson.Art
Facebook.com/Lennie.Peterson
YouTube.com/@Planet-Lennie
YouTube.com/LenniePetersonFineArt
1 comment
Great Story, Lennie. Reminds me of the scene in Amadeus. Do you think they stole it?