Vol. 2 No.3
Exploring trends in all the arts
In this issue...
Vocation: Church Organists - dying art or opportunity for the young?
Music: Happy Birthday! Johann Sebastian Bach
Film: Dune 2 continues the magic of Dune 1
Vocation
Church Organists: A Dying Art?
The number of church organists is declining. But a new generation is emerging. It describes what many see as a dying art. The profile of a young organ student who fully embraces the organ as a legitimate vehicle for musical expression flies in the face of assumptions. In my own experience, the organ is not a tired, old instrument destined for history’s trash heap, despite rumors about its demise. It is in fact a fascinating but complex instrument that attracts the young in unexpected ways.
More often than not, it is the pipe organ’s strange sound and physical appearance that are misunderstood by an impatient public, whose actual experience with pipes is minimal. The approach to pipes, with their multiple shapes and sizes, can be a tremendous creative outlet for willing advocates for organs.
Successful organists generally grew into their love for it by
1) A creative teacher whose enthusiasm for the organ was infectious
2) Supportive parents who were willing to encourage practice and lessons
3) Mastery of keyboard training well enough for organ (2-part Inventions of Bach, Schumann “Album for the Young”, Debussy “Le Petit Negre” or similar, and has mastered reading in bass clef–not only treble like most).
But above all these, in my opinion, is a ready and willing community of faith to support and even ‘try out’ the young organist as she learns. Next time you hear someone decry the pipe organ as a museum relic, ask them to prove it. Better yet, ask them to contact me personally and I’ll tell them where to go for a different solution.
Music
Bach's Another Year Old!
When musicians get together around March 21st, it generally means they are celebrating, reading, performing or impressing their friends with the latest versions of the great German musician’s oeuvre. No one can even approach Bach's output of over 1100 titles for all sorts of instruments –and all without a computer. His prodigious list of works, astounding as it is, is incomplete. Many of his works are lost or destroyed. Faced with poverty his widow, according to sources from the family, confessed to selling his remaining unfinished works as paper for the local market (probably used to wrap fish or lamb). Still, no music history is complete without mention of his towering influence over subsequent composers: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann…the list is endless. We come to the point of saying that without Bach, there would be no 9th Symphony of Beethoven, no Brahms Requiem, no Mendelssohn St. Paul. Really, it is that serious. No wonder we repeat his name so frequently. No wonder, alas, we are doomed to celebrate his birthday with his own cantata (Cantata BWV 208 was originally written for a birthday celebration of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels.) So, happy birthday Johann Sebastian!
Read more about Bach's legacy here...
The Bach Museum in Eisenach continues to celebrate Bach’s achievements.
See the museum...
Film
Dune 2 Continues the Magic of Dune 1
I watched Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 film Dune, and a lack of grand expectations is probably why I was so taken by how fresh, epic, beautiful, and well made it was. In an endless sea of sci-fi and fantasy content, it seems rare these days to have a genuinely positive experience with a piece of entertainment, especially one that’s not desperately trying to capitalize on nostalgia or making cheap references to preexisting characters, films, or media.
It’s easy to churn out tv shows and movies that cater to nostalgia and brand recognition as an effective means to sell tickets and keep subscribers, but artistically and creatively it’s often unfulfilling for both the creator and audience. I will gladly see another ten fresh takes on sci-fi—as Villeneueve has with Dune—and let Marvel, Star Wars–let all other tired extended ‘universes’ rest.
I’m truly excited about the Dune films. I hope to see more projects like this flourish. Back in 2021, I marveled at how a director could take a universe as dense and complex as Dune’s and make a coherent movie that could inform, entertain, and make money all at once. Villeneuve did it spectacularly (with the help of a heavy hitting cast, Hans Zimmer’s score, cinematographer Greig Fraser’s camera work, astounding VFX work done by dedicated artists, and many others). The film was a success in the eyes of fans and critics alike, and seemed to breathe new life into the science fiction genre as a whole. Villeneuve has succeeded before in delivering thoughtful, epic sci-fi pieces that ask deep and profound questions (Arrival and Blade Runner 2049), but the scale of Dune, along with its reputation for being one of the most beloved science fiction books of all time, make it a monumental task to put the story to film. David Lynch created a cult classic in the eighties with his rendition of the story, and while it was a memorable attempt to cash in on the Star Wars sci-fi craze, it generally lacked the scope and depth that the story deserves (it was also very, very weird, even for the eighties). But fast forward almost forty years and hundreds of millions of dollars later, and it seems that Villeneuve is on the verge of creating a collection of modern science fiction classics.
An incredible cast (Oscar Issac, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgard, Javier Bardem, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster, just to name a few), along with gorgeous VFX shots and superb sound design make Dune (parts 1 & 2) stand head and shoulders above many other offerings.
Dune’s story begins with somewhat complicated words like “Padishah Emperor,” “Mentat,” “Melange,” “Bene Gesserit,” and “Gom Jabbar.” However he native people of Arrakis (Dune) have been marginalized, abused, hunted, and killed to be brought into submission by the Imperium, the galactic empire of mankind. Most Dune natives believe that a messiah is coming from another world to save them, and many are dedicated believers.
Meanwhile, a dark and mysterious sect of “witches”, the Bene Gesserit, control political and social affairs from the shadows, and have spent generations breeding humans in an effort to produce a transcendent man with untold mental powers meant to bridge space and time.
We pick up the story in the first Dune. House Atreides is given stewardship of the spice planet Arrakis, the titular world Dune, and we learn about the promised savior– as does Paul Atreides.
During Paul Atreides’s journey the film explores epic themes: the messianic needs of the masses as well as the ethics of waging “holy war” on the invaders who seek to control the planet. Paul is faced with hard decisions about love, sacrifice, and leadership.
Dune is not a straightforward story- it is steeped in centuries of lore, history, and legend. Much like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars (the latter of which shares inspiration from Dune). But the themes are epochal questions: what is (if there is) the right way to lead a people to revolt? Can you sacrifice love for the greater good? Is destiny alone able to show you the path that is truly right?
These (and many more) questions are addressed impressively in the Dune universe, but the movie never feels preachy or convoluted. If anything, the second movie tries hard to stay in constant motion, propelling the plot forward in swift spurts of exposition and action. With hours and hours left to go, the second film begins with its two main characters “going native” with the Fremen, all the while being hunted by the evil Baron and his hairless henchmen. We start to feel connected with Paul and somewhat creeped out by his mother as the two head down diverging paths. With Paul earning the trust of the zealously religious Fremen, and Lady Jessica becoming their Reverend Mother (by coercion, but still), the surviving Atreides’ are poised to ignite a political powder keg and start a galactic war, starting with the planet Arrakis. Themes on the journey toward a destiny on Dune include adventure, love, betrayal, and mortal combat.
If like me you enjoy a deep, lore-rich universe full of intrigue and drama, then Dune is your kind of film. Whether you see it in iMAX or at home, Dune (parts one and two) is one of the best sci-fi movies I’ve seen in a long, long time.
Essay written by Philip Kinkopf, subscriber to Mere Beauty
Watch the trailer here:
Mere Beauty is a forum to encourage artists to explore works of beauty,
share resources, and go deeply into the treasures around us...
A Word from Terry Yount
Executive Creator, Mere Beauty
We depend on you, the subscribers to MB, for most of our marketing to the wider culture. If you spend only a few moments going through this issue, please share it with a friend. If you need questions answered, please get in touch following the link below.
As always, take every opportunity to contemplate the beauty all around us. Once you have fully enjoyed the experience of transcendent music, literature, architecture, painting, and more–pass it on to someone who may need it.
We'd love to know your thoughts about Mere Beauty. Your feedback, as always, is welcome.