The next ones

I have the habit of composing (or trying to compose) a piece of music every day.

Or sometimes a fragment of one, in case it´s a larger-scale work.

Practice makes perfect, they say…

Only, sometimes nothing good seems to come out.

Or worse even, some excellent initial idea comes up, but you find no way of continuing it just as good as it started.

Paul Valery had something to say about this: “The Gods kindly offer us the first verse. What is difficult is to write the next ones…”

I was reminded of this yesterday in a fragment from Bruno Monsaigeon´s documentary about Nadia Boulanger.

She also said that it´s difficult, if not impossible, to point out exactly what differentiates a piece of great music from a work of art. There´s the Je ne sais quoi factor involved…

Composing music, painting, writing poetry… these are all crafts in which an element of the unknown is involved. Only a part of it is logical knowledge and effort.

A great part of that process is hidden from us.

When I write a great melody, I don´t know where it comes from. It´s as if dictated from above… And I don´t consider myself a great composer at all, it´s just something I enjoy doing.

The same happens when I give a great performance (great in my own opinion at least…). I don´t really know where that comes from, but what I´m sure about is that it doesn´t belong only to me and my efforts.

To me, it´s a miraculous mix of collective knowledge and sensibility to which for a brief moment I´ve been able to connect, and which at one specific moment in time has somehow managed to pour out from me. I have little credit for making that happen.

Have a great day.

Claudio.

P.D: Here´s a playlist where you will find some of the greatest works of music ever, I just updated it.