Featured by Frederick Floyd

Chapter 9 [-]

Fu Cong's overseas performances are increasing day by day. In order to help Fu Cong improve his artistic accomplishment, Fu Lei used a brush to transcribe more than [-] words of the translated "Philosophy of Art" in addition to translation work, which took more than a month.

1961.1.5
Dear Cong and Mira:
I received your letter from Malta [Malta] today. We waited and missed you all the time. I really can't wait.Reading the letter from the two of you, it seems that your every move, every word and smile is in front of your eyes, and the joy and warmth in your heart are indescribable.Mira said that she was very happy to receive our letter, but we also have to read your letter over and over again, and take it out to warm up every few days!
Mira is young, but from several letters from her, I deeply feel that she is quite mature and considerate, which reminds me that I was younger than Mira when I got married: I was less than 20 years old; I was naive and ignorant back then, how could I Compared with Mira today!Didn't you gradually gain an understanding of life and art under the influence of your father, and your vision broaden?Mira knows you better than I knew your father at the time, you are so lucky.Now you start to live together and form a small family. There is an old Chinese saying, "Seven things to open the door, firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea". It seems that they are all troublesome and wretched things, but for the sake of life, what can you do?Regarding the daily arrangement, you must listen to Mira's ideas more, because we women are always more practical, unlike you who are always in music and dreaming in the clouds all day long.And you sometimes have to come back to the real world from the dream to experience the tediousness and fun of family life.You have to know that the art of living is not an easy task, and there is a lot of knowledge in it, perhaps more profound than other knowledge, and you have to learn and do it as you go.Especially important financial management, you have always disdain to pay attention to it, money comes and goes in a muddle.Now Mira will help you manage it, as long as you are honest and honest, let her budget, let her arrange, or do research together, and you must save a part of your income every month! ——I'm reading Chopin's biography. His father was a hard-working man and a person who attached great importance to children's education. He often warned Chopin to save money just in case.Now that you are a family, you are not a bohemian [vagrant]. For the safety of the two of you, you have more responsibilities, and you have to think about your future children.In short, play safe first! [Seeking stability is the first priority! ] You think, if your parents used to live without a plan, without discipline, how would you ever get the education you need to get the education you have today?Although we have worked tirelessly to teach you, we have never had an impact on you in terms of the rules of life and the proper use of money. I am deeply sorry for this and feel ashamed, because our methods of education are always bad. .But you are still young, and there is still time to learn, not to mention that Mira is much more capable than you in this area, so well, let her make up for your shortcomings.Don't try to be smart enough to quarrel with Mira; I have complete confidence in her ability (you don't underestimate her) and her kindness, and if she persists sometimes in practical matters, it must be to make your life better, for Future plans for the two of you.

After all, marriage is a lifelong event. Not only did your letter not mention anything about your marriage, but you also didn’t say a word about your experience and impressions. This is not only surprising to my father, but also to me.Could you add something to your next letter?What else did you give Mira besides 5 roses?Don't you give the bride any jewelry at all?Is there a wedding ring [wedding ring]?

I'm worried about your cold, are you alright?Have you seen a doctor?I hope you all take care of yourself, and pay special attention to the cold and warm food, don't be afraid of small troubles, so as not to cause big troubles.Does Mira cook by herself on weekdays?It is indeed troublesome to be a family member, but the so-called life is what it is, and the joy is also in it!

Well, no more talk, my hands are very sore, I wish you all a happy life!

Mother January [-], [-]

1961.2.5/6/7/8
Dear children:
On the 24th of last month, the Song family's mother-in-law died suddenly and was bedridden for only five days.At the beginning, it was only an ordinary ailment, but it turned sharply in the last [-] hours.Life is so fragile!Your mother and I couldn't sleep for four or five days, it's hard to say how sad it is.The ancients said that autumn and winter are especially hard to cherish; middle-aged people are also at the turn of autumn and winter, and they are frail and sick, which makes them feel sad when the vegetation falls, the rabbit dies and the fox dies.However, Westerners are still in their [-]s and are still working hard, studying academically, and do not know the "already" of old age: Is it because the nation is young and has a particularly strong vitality, and it is not as easy to age as the Chinese nation, which has been inherited for thousands of years?Or is it because I am aging prematurely and my business is dull?When I think of you in the prime of life, when the buds are just blooming, when the art world is in full bloom, and when you glimpse the infinite wonderland, you are selfishly envious, how can pen and ink be able to express it!
Because you repeatedly mentioned the Greek spirit (Hellenism) in art, you deliberately copied more than [-] words of the translation of the fourth volume "Greek Sculpture" in Danner's "Philosophy of Art" and stapled it into a book.Although there is an English translation of the original book, there are too many myths, historical relics, and anecdotes in it. If there is no detailed annotation, you will inevitably have a half-knowledge when reading it;I copied one section every day, and it took nearly a month before I finished copying the fourth volume.The Nai Customs inspected the manuscripts sent out very strictly. There was no news for more than ten days after sending them.Thinking of melancholy.This book was originally specially invited to me by Humanities in [-], and it was decided face to face by Uncle Wang Renshu who came to Shanghai to my house. I finished the translation between [-] and [-], and it has been put on hold for a year and eight months.At present, the paper is extremely tight, and there is no hope of printing it for a while.

Among all the arts, the fluidity of music is the most prominent. One is the art of time, and the other is the art that stimulates the senses and emotions most intensely, so it is particularly closely related to the individual's mood.The understanding and feelings of the music are not only different from time to time, but also from mood to mood at the time, that is, after the beginning of a piece of music, the mood is still fluctuating, and the details, levels, strength, speed, and cadence can still change infinitely temporarily. .Listeners have a "prejudice" based on their habitual and familiar impressions about a work, and the emotional fluctuations of the listeners are no different from those of the performers: the mood on the day of listening to music has a great impact on their musical experience , that is, after the beginning of the music, various emotions continue to occur in response to the reaction caused by the initial phrase.Neither this change nor the player's mood change can be predicted in advance, nor can it be temporarily controlled by consciousness.It can be seen that the performance of the performers varies each time, and the impression of the audience is different each time, which is a natural reason.The performers need a high degree of objective control in order to minimize the influence of momentary emotions; the audience needs a high degree of calm comprehension; the critics must believe or not fully believe, all derived from the above analysis in conclusion.Music is an art of time, and after a sentence is played, it is difficult to repeat the impression; after-the-fact criticism, its correctness is very questionable; Big problem.Kuang clings to old things, old ideas, and old images, and rejects new things, new ideas, and new impressions. It is originally a general psychology, so the distance between performers and critics is particularly large.Unlike plastic arts, such as painting, sculpture, and architecture, where the shape is completely fixed, the author himself can click again and again at different times and under different moods, and the audience and critics can also click again, re-examine, and correct the original impression and the past. opinion.

According to all the above, it seems that there is no standard for performance and criticism.But not so.After the performer has played a certain work dozens of times, a relatively fixed outline will be formed virtually, which greatly reduces the fluidity.After listening to a certain work dozens of times, the audience also has a relatively stable impression-especially in terms of records, after listening to it dozens of times, they will inevitably come to a conclusion that is close to the truth.Various moods have been neutralized and corrected dozens of times, and after the extremes have been canceled out, the performance of a certain fixed piece of music (since it is a record is fixed, it is not different every time, and you can press and review as much as possible) ) feelings and criticisms can be said to have an average and more objective value.Individual audiences and critics, of course, still have individual psychological and spiritual factors, so that the average impression cannot be called objective; but the feelings and impressions of countless "individual" audiences and critics, after considerable After a period of large exchanges (comments in newspapers and magazines, conversations in daily social circles, and semi-academic discussions and debates), a sum of average [average] can be obtained.This general impression and general opinion is probably fair or close to fair to the performance of a certain work by a certain performer-this is my opinion on the affirmation of its objective value by the opinions of the masses and critics, and it is also unintentional. I talked about it when I was talking with your mother, what do you think? ——I often chatted with my mother, expressing various thoughts on life, politics, art, and various issues, which often made me sort out my thoughts unconsciously.In this alone, your mother has been a great help to me, although not on her own initiative-it can be seen that much of the mutual help of life-long partners is completely unconscious.I believe you and Mira must often feel this way.

morning of february [-]
Yesterday Min returned to Shanghai from Beijing for the winter vacation. Mr. Ma asked him to bring a lot of records to listen to.Last night I listened to Vivaldi's two concertos, which were obviously in the style of Scarlatti. Min said "very close to nature", which is also to the point.The mood is pleasant, cheerful, lively and relaxed, the style is elegant and charming, the artistic conception is pure and healthy, the breath is optimistic and innocent, the harmony is soft, magnificent, sweet and not vulgar: everywhere shows the characteristics of the southern scenery and the Italian nation , reminds me of the blue sky, the clear air, and the brilliant sunshine in Rome, and I further recall the customs and customs of Greece 2000 years ago, the beautiful Mediterranean Sea and soft mountains, and the civilized yet natural, elegant and simple romantic at that time Literary talent, just like those realms described in Danner's book.After listening to this kind of music, I can't help thinking of Handel. He is a Nordic man who pursues the ideal of the Renaissance, and a composer who is a Nordic man who longs for the happy atmosphere of the southern country.You said that he is humain [humane] is not bad, because he is more natural, retains more of the original character of a person, so he is healthier.He has a pagan air, unlike Bach, who was bound by the spirit of Christianity, often prostrating at the feet of God, crying out, repenting, and praying in fear.Christianity was originally a product of a particular era in history, a particular nation in geography, and a particular type of economy and politics. Times have changed, and so have the special political and economic conditions, and the nation has also changed greatly. Unfortunately, the legacy of the old culture, the old religion, has always ruled almost all Western nations for 2000 years, causing the contradictions and deformities of Westerners so far, which is the same as the extremely incompatible mental state of the [-]th and [-]th centuries. The main ideological conflict since the Renaissance.In the eyes of us Chinese, Christian thought is especially sick.On the one hand, people after the Renaissance stood up and affirmed their independence everywhere, and developed into the Encyclopedia School in the [-]th century, the progress of natural science and the revolution in political economy in the [-]th century. The ability is unlimited; at the same time, it still regards an omnipotent and omnipresent God as the master, as if people can never escape from his palm, coupled with the horror and expectation of primitive sin and heaven and hell, the spirit of modern people is always in the In a fragmented, tangled, and contradictory state, this situation is reflected in all aspects of culture and academic departments, making them (Westerners) extraordinarily complicated and difficult to understand.I always feel that changing from paganism to Christianity is the main manifestation and the main key of people changing from healthy to sick.Compared with modern Westerners, our Chinese nation is closer to the ancient Greeks, so it is more natural and healthy.Even the pessimistic parts of our philosophy and literature are not Christian-style blind surrender, or in modern language, blind "defeatism"; but human beings generally lament about life, old age, sickness and death, spring flowers and autumn moons, such as the ancient Yuefu and all our poems. Works that mention that life is like morning dew; or expressions of anger and resistance, such as Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching"—for this reason, our favorite Western art is Greek sculpture, Renaissance painting, Landscape paintings of the [-]th century—all in all non-religious and non-didactic works—I guess you have become more and more fond of Mozart, Scarlatti, and Handel in recent years, probably because of the special temperament of the Chinese nation.In terms of the direction of spiritual development, I think your route is normal and healthy—your fondness for Schubert may also reflect your preference for a certain type of Chinese literature and art.Kind, ironic, warm, melancholy, desolate, and often has a deep philosophical meaning to life; love life, miss life but is always ready to go far away, high dance, free and easy, independent, free Isn’t all such expressions common in our literature since the Han, Jin, Six Dynasties, Tang and Song Dynasties?Are these factors also present in Schubert's works? ——I would like to hear your opinion on the above points.And there is no slight gap in the exchange of ideas and spiritual tacit understanding between you and me, which means that you, a wanderer from afar, will always be closely connected with the nation that produced you, the motherland that raised you, and the culture that waters you.

morning of february [-]
Since the Renaissance, various ancient cultures, different nationalities, and various thoughts and feelings have been in contact with each other, resulting in the extremely complicated minds and moods of modern people; coupled with the rapid changes in political economy and society (such as France The Great Revolution, the Industrial Revolution in the 400th century, the alternation of feudal society and capitalist society, etc.), people's mental state is increasingly full of contradictions.The most acute part of this contradiction is still the opposition between Christian thought and individualistic freedom, independence and self-aggrandizement.The contradictions of non-Christians reflect only economic misery, and their degree is by no means so strong-I am afraid that Beethoven expresses this contradiction particularly prominently in art.A comparative study of Beethoven and Goethe will probably prove my hypothesis even more.The opposition between the two themes in Beethoven's music is not only based on technical requirements, but mainly reflects the duality in his heart.Otherwise, all sonata form [sonata form] is based on two opposing motifs [themes], why in Beethoven's works alone, the two different themes will fight so fiercely and fiercely from beginning to end?His two themes, one often represents will, power, or a kind of self-expanding individualism (definitely not selfish vulgar individualism or self-aggrandizement that invades others, I don’t think you will misunderstand); It often represents wild violence, or fate, or god, it doesn't matter.Although Beethoven himself never agreed to confuse fate with God, objective analysis shows that the two are really the same thing.The result of the struggle is always the victory of the will and the victory of man.But the victory is not lasting, so every time I write a song, I have to struggle and struggle again.In the quartet in his later years, struggles continued to occur, but the conclusion is not who wins and who loses, but personal tolerance and abandonment; this state can be euphemistically called conversion, enlightenment, and liberation, but in fact it is giving up Struggle and give up struggling in exchange for spiritual peace and tranquility, which is the so-called happiness and bliss.Giving up after struggling for a lifetime is of course much better than submitting servilely at the beginning, which means that the "self" has indeed expanded greatly; at the same time, it proves that the "self" cannot expand without limit, and finally admits The "self" is still insignificant, and the result of the struggle is still in vain. What we really get is a realization that the struggle is useless. It is better to reconcile with fate and God and seek compromise.Of course I've oversimplified Beethoven's struggles, but it's generally not bad.It is not possible to do special research here, and some places can only be discussed in general terms—you mentioned repeatedly in your previous letters that Beethoven’s final relief was still incomplete. Is that what I meant above? ——I believe that if it were not for the Western nations that have been ruled by Christian thought for [-] years (counting from the time when the Gauls believed in Christianity), the mental state of modern Europeans would never be so complicated. is of another nature.For example, our Chinese nation, although our mood has become complicated day by day due to contact with Western culture for nearly half a century, and although we have lamented the impermanence of life from ancient times to the present, our inner contradictions must not be related to religious beliefs and religious beliefs. The paradox of the modern spirit (self-aggrandizement).The emotion of life and death in our minds has never had the extremely restless expectation and pursuit of admiration for heaven, nor the fear and worry of falling into hell forever; so our sorrow is only out of biological instinct, not created by a feverish mind. Visions of bliss and terror to both seduce and intimidate oneself.The same depression can vary greatly in intensity, and the difference between health and disease probably depends on this factor.

Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has not pursued self-expansion, and has never regarded human beings above everything else. Its performance in philosophy, literature and art all reflects that human beings occupy a relatively appropriate position with all things in nature, rather than absolutely dominating all things. Lord of all things enslaved.Therefore, our depression is basically less than that of Westerners; because the intensity of depression is originally transferred with the size of desire and ambition.People in an agricultural society enjoy much less than people in an industrial society, and therefore have much less desires.What's more, in ancient China, the most important life philosophy is not to be stuck in things, not to be enslaved by things.It's not that we don't have misers, but they pale in comparison to the misers and careerists described by Molière and Balzac.Most of the Chinese people are peaceful, indifferent, and simple in temperament, and are easier to be satisfied than Westerners.On the other hand, although Buddhism has a great influence, the theory of heaven and hell is only the theory of Hinayana (Pure Land Buddhism) in Buddhism, which is specially designed for the public with low knowledge.The true teachings of Buddhism do not believe that there are heavens and hells; instead, they seek enlightenment and salvation from the rational point of view. Enlightenment is to understand the illusion of the world, and salvation is to transcend pain and troubles.Though it is otherworldly, it does not inspire a ardent pursuit of happiness or a haste to escape the horrors of hell; it is chiefly an exhortation to seek wisdom.The wisdom of Buddhism is in stark contrast to the faith of Christianity.Wisdom makes people wake up naturally, but faith can easily lead everyone to the path of paranoia and fanaticism.Our nation originally advocated wisdom (the ideal of the Chinese is to pursue wisdom rather than faith. We only see the ancients mention thorough enlightenment, and never enjoy life with firm faith-this is exactly the happiness in the minds of Westerners).You think that Handel is higher than Bach, you say that the former is the crystallization of wisdom, while the latter is the crystallization of belief: this ideological root also reflects our national character.Therefore, intellectuals have no bad results under the influence of Buddhism.Even though Buddhism flourished in China during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the superstition of foolish men and women did not leave any toxins in the cultural history of our country, and intellectuals never fell into nihilism (even if there was a short period of time, it did not cause great harm in history ).On the contrary, after the Han Dynasty took Confucianism as the only orthodoxy, rejected all schools of thought, and thought stagnated, the input of Buddhist thought gave us a kind of spiritual stimulation, which awakened us from paralysis, from the narrow family and school Freed from bondage.This is a welcome phenomenon in the context of the second and third centuries AD.The most restrictive thing about China is the rigid code of ethics. From the Neo Confucianism (Cheng Zi and Zhu Zi) in the Southern Song Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, a pedantic mind that followed the rules and introspected all day long for fear of violating the etiquette and transgressing the rules was also cultivated. He became a hypocrite and a hypocrite who said nothing in his heart.Secondly, the imperial examination system in the Ming and Qing dynasties not only restrained the soul, but also caused some capable people to wander in the contradiction between fame and fortune and true cultivation of mind and character, and knowledge and investigation of things (reflected in "The Scholars")—— However, this kind of contradiction is by no means as harmful to the body and mind as the contradictions of modern Westerners.The progress of our society has been slow, the development of the capitalist system has been intermittent, the economic foundation of the feudal era has always existed, and the moral outlook, outlook on life, cosmology, and all superstructures of the feudal era still have great influence in the past century, making us The state of mind and mental state of our country are not as chaotic, complicated, and sick as people in countries with highly developed capitalism; compared with Europeans and Americans, we are backward on the one hand, and on the other hand, we are also simple, that is to say, we are more healthy—from the perspective of national characteristics, In terms of traditional thought, economic system, etc., we have this duality compared with Westerners.Since the May [-]th Movement, the situation has taken a turn for the worse. The import of Western culture has greatly disturbed our minds, just as the invasion of "imperialist capitalism" has contributed to the collapse of our semi-feudal and semi-capitalist society.We began to feel the troubles of modern Westerners. Fortunately, it was not long ago, and the influence of religion did not play a major role in our thinking (Western religions only affected the comprador class and some peasants in relatively backward areas, and they were not profound), so although There's a modern anguish that's not too sharp.We still have our old oriental thoughts and philosophies as a yardstick for criticizing western culture.Of course, what has been said above is especially limited to the period before liberation.The situation is very different after liberation, let's talk about it when we have time.But even the ideological situation of our generation before liberation, you have endured it, and the infection has been quite deep.I think your reaction and criticism of Western art, Western thought, and Western society all have ideological roots of our generation (a generation earlier than you) in your bones, coupled with the ideals given to you by the new society after liberation, it makes you think about the old Western Europe. The society has another point of view, another feeling—if you can analyze your current thoughts and feelings from my large period of historical analysis (no matter how one-sided or incorrect), it may greatly reduce the sharpness of your inner distress , so that your contradictions will not affect your physical and mental health and balance, don't you think?
february [-]
If there is no depression and conflict, there will be no progress.Only when there are conflicts will you be forced to resolve them, and resolving a conflict is a step forward.When conflicts decrease in old age, it is a sign that life is coming to an end.A piece of tranquility without contradictions is just a lofty ideal, and it is not a good phenomenon if it is really realized.The peace and serenity that can be achieved through self-cultivation is only very short-lived, like the peak of a wave, which will pass in an instant.Or the ideal peace and tranquility is the kind of spiritual cultivation that ripples, has contradictions but is not too sharp, and can be resolved at any time, but it is by no means a pool of stagnant water: what is there to envy in a pool of stagnant water?I think that if the depression does not fall into pessimism and world-weariness, and if there are contradictions that can be resolved (at least a theoretical understanding can be summarized), then depression and contradictions are not terrible.What we want to avoid is the mental and physical disorder or cynicism caused by depression, which becomes an attitude of playing games in life.From another point of view, the most hurtful thing (to oneself and others, to the ego and the collective) is the anguish and contradictions that start from passion, such as those who are keen on fame and fortune but do not get it. People who have ambitions but obviously can't realize them, people who are often jealous of others and hate others, that kind of depression is very harmful to themselves and others.Any distress that comes from inferiority complex, self-indulgence, etc. is not good for the society, and it is also a fatal injury to oneself.Conversely, if you worry about the time and the country, you feel distressed not for your own purposes but for social welfare and the future of mankind. Since the starting point is justice, ideals, and love, there will be conflicts, which are harmless to yourself and others. , On the contrary, I can force myself to make some small contributions.But this kind of depression must also be solved with wisdom, at least not forgetting the lessons of Mingzhe during the time of depression, so as not to turn to pessimism and despair, to look at things with gray glasses, and to maintain a healthy mood and continue to struggle in life—and Only in this way can one's own self-depression be transformed into a lively force and not just a negative factor of cynicism; because cynicism cannot resolve conflicts, and it cannot make oneself move forward.From this we can draw a conclusion that we are not afraid of constant depression and conflicts, but we must not let these depressions and contradictions hinder our happy mood.

night of february [-]

I remember when you were in Poland, you wrote a letter saying that artists need to have single-mindedness [concentration], and set aside a part of their time to care about other things, and the pursuit of art is short of this part of time.At that time, your words were specifically aimed at a certain issue.I know very well (from first-hand experience) that to study rigorously in an academic field requires a total commitment to it.Art—especially music—reflects reality very indirectly. Thoughts and feelings must be transformed into emotions [emotions] to be expressed in sound, and this brewing process takes a long time; once disturbed by the outside world, the brewing process will be prolonged. Or actually interrupted.This is why musicians especially need concentration (the so-called single-mindedness).Because music is the art of time, and it expresses the most fluid emotion [emotion], which is often fleeting—unfortunately, people born in the twentieth century have more or less things in their minds, and there are many things in the world. There are so many things that force your attention all the time; after all, people are social animals and cannot be completely isolated from the world; any kind of artist who is isolated from the world will not have life and cannot resonate with the masses.It is indeed extremely difficult to maintain a calm mind and a peaceful mind while being in constant contact with society, and at the same time maintain a sense of freshness and focus on art.You have probably felt this for a long time.But in the past, you seemed to use the method of purely excluding the outside world (in fact, you couldn’t do it, because you still have a lot of strong feelings and anguish about life and the world), and immersed yourself in art without thinking, which is not very healthy. way of doing.I have repeatedly reminded you that there is great harm in cultivating music by music alone.As far as your temperament is concerned, I think you need to go to nature more often, and also need to appreciate plastic arts from time to time to adjust.Suppose you go on an outing once a month and go to an art gallery once a month. I am afraid that not only will your spirit be happier and more balanced, but your musical expression will also be richer, more vital, and have a new look.Dear boy, you should try it anyway!
Now you have Mira taking care of your daily chores, you should be very happy.But no matter what your reasons are, certain moral responsibilities cannot be shirked and cannot be replaced by Mira.I hope that I can squeeze out as much time as possible, and write a few lines to the two former teachers from time to time. It doesn’t matter if it’s shorter, but I must not be silent for months or years!You have a strong will in your art, so why don't you use the same will morally to save time and fulfill your obligations? ——Child, you really don't know how much I hope you will make progress in all aspects of life!If you have actions in honoring your teacher, you will really give your father the greatest happiness.If you use correspondence with relatives and friends as a mental adjustment, you will not regard writing as daunting.Once the psychology is changed, things will be easy, and you will understand after a few tries.

The package of books that was sent out at the same time as Mr. Lin’s paintings on January [-] is mostly aimed at reviewing your Chinese language, so the books with the best writing style are specially selected—as for the books on art and music, there are many solid works in English .During the period when there are few summer concerts, you should try to read as much as possible.

morning of february [-]

1961.3.22
Dear children:
After writing your letter the day before yesterday, I had a headache again, and it was very severe. After taking your medicine, it gradually eased and finally disappeared.I hope it will happen less in the future, otherwise even if there is an effective medicine, it will interrupt my work for most of the day.

Regarding the performance on Hong Kong Island, I would like to add a few words so that you can fully understand what we mean.

Generally speaking, the motherland has left room for you in the past two years, so of course you should always think about the motherland.Since you have repeatedly stated that you will never let down the motherland, now that the facts are at hand, it should be proved by actions.If you perform outside the gate without entering the gate, the domestic people will think you are showing off your power, at least it will embarrass them, and it will also embarrass the government.This is what the previous letter said about "challenging the government outside the gate".I believe you didn't mean it, but you can't express your feelings, and it is true that you will cause misunderstandings.

Secondly, in terms of specific conditions: the cultural level has never been mentioned in the colonies, and the attitude of the masses to go to concerts is no different from that of watching acrobatics. Your mother and I lived in Hong Kong ten years ago, and we know it well. Not improved.The shallowness, childishness, and vulgarity of ordinary people are beyond your imagination.If you are dissatisfied with certain audiences in Europe, you will feel even more uncomfortable when you arrive on Hong Kong Island. The concert hall is completed, and the colonial authorities use it to decorate the facade; the managers are just using you to attract business, why should you be used by them?Even side gigs for passing by are definitely not worth it.

I don't think you would do anything that would be of no benefit to you personally but only politically bad (not to mention you won't be mentally happy before and after the performance).I have seriously thought about this for a few months, and the above is by no means just a temporary impression; you may as well discuss it with your father-in-law and make another decision.

Dad March 22, [-]

Ravel's songs are really beautiful. My ideal new music in our country is roughly such an artistic realm. It's a pity that people who are engaged in folk music have not realized it yet, nor do they have such high technical equipment!
In the future, my and your Chinese names must be written on the package (regardless of whether it is a record or food).

1961.3.28
Dear Satoshi:

Many things have been discussed carefully in the English letter. I think you must understand the enthusiasm and concern we have as parents.What I am most worried about is your temperament, because the temperament of your father and son is too similar; even so, I always feel that you still have my elements, and you are more gentle in dealing with people, but you will also be presumptuous in front of acquaintances and relatives (people Everyone has this tendency).Mira knows you too well, she is so gentle and lovely, you must not hurt her, and you must not add to Mira the torture your father gave to your mother.Although we women will understand you and forgive you, it is not always a good way for couples to get along with each other for a long time.Sometimes you are too serious, too stubborn, and too wordy about small things; you should avoid unnecessary disputes, which will only hurt your peace.You see, Mira is very capable, at a young age, moving, designing, and furnishing, all by one person, and you enjoy ready-made blessings, aren't you lucky?I really didn't expect her to be so talented in practical life, you should be content.

I remember that when you went home in [-], [-], and [-], you told me everything from left to right, don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it, it annoyed me to death.You yourself said to me: "Mom, I am as annoying as my father!" Another time you told me: "Mom, you see that my temper is much better now, what do you think?" At that time, you were smiling and gentle. Cute, can a mother feel more distressed?I hope you have self-knowledge and try to get rid of your shortcomings.After returning from a long trip in South Africa this time, it is time to take a good rest and enjoy yourself in the newly settled home. Look at the paintings, pictures, photos, books, etc. we have given you, which is enough for your entertainment.

This time when Ah Min came home, she seemed more mature, and she was also kind and considerate to us. He repeatedly said that Dad should take care of his health for the sake of long-term benefits, and that he should not work more than four hours a day.He also often mentioned you and Mira, expressing his excitement about your musical success.He is also very considerate in dealing with people. Before he left, I gave him a small butter cake [butter cake] that he ate on the way, but he saved it and gave it to the Ma family. Everyone was happy.You must have felt a lot after seeing his photos.It is a pity that he has a chronic disease like arthritis, which will not be cured in his life, but he is very patient. Even if he is not happy or has a bad time, he will not tell us easily.He is honest and kind, this is the style of the surname Fu (it is also the tradition of your mother's surname Zhu! - Dad), I am happy for it.In a hurry, I will stop writing.

Good luck to you and Mira!
Mother on the night of March 28, [-]
1961.5.1
Satoshi:
April 24th, 26th, and 29th, the three letters (from my mother on the 29th) should have been received, right?I will send you a small copy of the review summary (not air) on March [-]th, which will be typed and bound by my mother. Is it too early?We have spent a lot of hard work, no matter how big or small, we have to know that nothing is lost before we can rest assured.On April [-], four rubbings of Han stone carving portraits were mailed, and on April [-], ten volumes of "Li Bai Ji" and two letters of "Eighteen Poetry Notes" were mailed together; they were handed over to the customs for inspection on January [-], The recently returned Danner: "Philosophy of Art: Part Four (On Greek Sculpture)" manuscript translation will also be sent to you on April [-].The above are not aviation, just registration.In the future, I will receive a letter from Wang Yiyi to inform me.

The best Chinese poetry is a woodcut book, which is antique and very cute.It's a pity that export is not allowed. The next best thing is to choose a business photocopy for you.I will post more and more in the future, I hope you will like it. "On Greek Sculpture" has more than [-] words in one volume. I spent a few weeks copying it last winter, and it can be regarded as my handwriting, especially for you.The content is worth reading carefully, and you can't fully understand it just by reading it once.Even if Mira reads the original French work, she has to study hard, and the original book has no annotations on mythology and ancient history. She does not seem to be as easy to understand as you read the translation.For the convenience of her reading in the future, she should buy several relatively complete dictionaries in English and French.I will write to her separately to mention.

The package of books sent to you on January [-] contains works by Lao She and Aunt Qian, all of which you have read in the past.However, my views on Lao She's early works are quite different in terms of content and writing style.The "Wei Shen" that I thought was great in the past, now I think it is too sculpted, overly portrayed, it has become delicate, and it is poor and weak.All works of art should avoid pretentiousness, and the most beautiful words and sentences must appear naturally, as if they are seamless, so that they can stand the test of time and be handed down for a long time.For example, "The mountains are high and the moon is small, and the water falls and the rocks come out." Not only does it describe the night scene of Chibi in the Yangtze River, but it also writes all the night scenes that are both remote, sublime and chilly; !Lao She's "The Liu Family Courtyard" is still alive with flesh and blood, and it is very alive—for reviewing the text, you may wish to read a few paragraphs at any time.No one speaks Chinese, so I have to read books instead, so as not to forget more and more words and sentences—the last two English letters are long and detailed, we are very happy, but for your Chinese, I still hope to write in Chinese from time to time, this is Your only chance to use Chinese.Typos are okay, just let me remind you.I don't know if there are fewer performances in mid-May, can you find time to write a letter?
Recently, some people have criticized Wang's "Land of No Self", saying that it is purely objective and divorced from class struggle.This statement is unavoidably narrow-minded.First, it is impossible to be purely objective.Since human beings observe things, they are always somewhat subjective no matter what. Even if they try to get rid of material constraints, they can only achieve part of it, and the time is extremely short.Secondly, it is also a good thing to be more objective, to truly relax and rest mentally.People are always people, not machines, and it is impossible to do only one activity 24 hours a day.Physiologically, even if you cannot sleep without eating and drinking, by extension, there are various activities mentally.Even an illiterate farmer has a trance experience. Although the time is only for a moment, it is actually a state of selflessness or forgetfulness of both things and me.The state shown by the artist may not necessarily make people decadent.For example, after reading the two lines of "The cold wave fades, the white bird descends leisurely", how can there be any unhealthy feeling?If this is the case, wouldn't the beauties of the natural world lie in front of people for years and months? How can people not be depressed and hopeless?On the contrary, I think that the more stressful life is, the more this kind of adjustment is needed; getting closer to nature is the best way to maintain physical and mental balance.The serious disease of modern people is that they desperately damage one function (or all functions) to develop a certain function, resulting in many deformities and sicknesses.This is also what I keep urging you to go for a walk in the countryside.Fortunately, you can often come into contact with high mountains, oceans and flowing water, sunrise and sunset, moonlight and starlight on the way you are running east and west, which can virtually renew your senses and relieve your fatigue.

On the other hand, people who live in trivial housework and mundane coping all day long should also go to the wild to wash off some dust and dust, so as not to let the dust and dust accumulate for a long time and become a permanent filth.Mira wrote after receiving my photos of Huangshan Mountain and said that she never thought that there is such a beauty of mountains and rivers.It can be seen that although she lives in Switzerland, she only occasionally lives at the foot of the mountain, and has never climbed to the top to see the magical scenery.You have to train her all the time in this area.In addition, I also hope that she finds time every day, even half an hour, for reading.And reading should not always choose light things as a pastime; one or two classics should be selected every year to study carefully.For example, Danner's "Philosophy of Art" and the like, if they can be thoroughly digested, there will be progress in the aspects of being a person, bearing, understanding and comprehension, not just increasing knowledge.Balzac's novels are not just for entertainment.Like your current life, it is not easy to read serious books constantly, it requires a strong will and discipline.Wang often mentioned to her the life of your teacher Bronstein in the past seven or eight years. In addition to cooking, washing, and taking care of her husband and children, she actually insisted on practicing the piano for one hour to one and a half hours a day. Five gigs.This spirit is worth learning from Mira.

Nine out of ten records made by your father-in-law have already been heard, and I think Beethoven's Concerto and Bach's Solo Sonata ["Solo Sonata"] are the best. Bartok [Bartok] is not easy to understand, and Bach [Bach]'s concertos are not as moving as piano [piano] concertos.Somehow, polyphonic music ended up being too abstract for me.Even Bach's Cantata ["Cantata"] is not moving.One is that the limit of my understanding of music has reached the end, and the other is that the temperament of ordinary Chinese people is too far away from that kind of religious music-the language barrier is also a big obstacle in singing. (Brahms' "Violin Concerto" seems to be less beautiful than the piano concerto. Is my level too low?)

Louis Kentner [Louis Kentner] doesn't seem to be very good. I wonder if he didn't cooperate well with your father-in-law, or he couldn't play well?His Franck [Frank] "Sonata" is far less than Menuhin [Menuyin]'s violin part [violin part]. "Kreutzer" ["Kreutzer"] is even worse, the variation part of the 2nd movement [the second movement] is weak [weak] to the extreme (always dodging and shrinking, retreating behind, even the piano-based passages) in this way).You have probably heard him solo, what do you think?Is it because I don't know him enough or I don't know him well enough?

What program are you going to take overseas?Which concertos are there?I'm afraid Van Wyck [Wan Huaike] must first consider the likes and dislikes of the people there; I think it is appropriate to consider, but it is not appropriate to be too accommodating.It's best to pick what you're most confident about.What is really attractive is a person's true colors; and the works that retain the most true colors are of course the works that you understand the most.Modern music such as Bartok [Bartok] and Prokofiev [Prokofiev], which are rarely performed in the UK, will they be performed there?The previous letter mentioned the possibility of performing in Cuba [Cuba], which needs to be seriously considered. I think it should be postponed for a year or two!It is best to combine work and rest during the summer vacation, and not to go on stage far away. On the one hand, both of you need to relax, and on the other hand, you can concentrate on preparing for overseas programs.Will you go to Vienna to fill Beethoven No. [-] and [-] in mid-July? ——If I ask you, please write it down in a small notebook on the spot or ask Mira to write it down, and reply us when you write the letter.With a little effort, our problems are solved.

The last letter asked you to remit another [-] pounds to Hong Kong, and I'm sure you will do so.Uncle Liu Kang from Singapore sent another thousand cod liver oil pills a week ago.The godmother sent a letter, and she asked the daughter of the conductor Scherchen [Shuerken] (mother is Chinese, divorced) to bring Mira a bracelet, which is said to be an old item of the palace maid.There is also a box of cross-stitched export handkerchiefs.Wang Mira immediately went to say thank you after receiving it.It is also known that Sihong and his wife are touring everywhere, their whereabouts are uncertain, and they will entrust a Hong Kong friend to remit another [-] pounds for the purchase of the record; but they are not close relatives, so they have written to ask for permission first.The godmother knows that you are spending a lot of money, and specifically asked you to wait until the remittance arrives, and then do it no later.I sent your father-in-law's work last winter, but you didn't get a reply, so you can ask if you have received it.The food parcels you sent in early March have not yet arrived.Our portion is of course the same.It may be the same as the situation in early February, and they are still transported slowly from the sea.

Min's situation has already been mentioned in the previous letter.He has one advantage, that is, he can bear hardships and has a strong will.

Enough writing, let's talk about it next time, everything is precious!

Dad May [-], [-]

1961.6.26
Dear children:
Letter dated June [-] (postmarked [-]) received this morning.Although it took many hours, the letter was well written.It will be easier and less laborious to write more times.The happiest thing is that your national character and characteristics are so intact that you still don’t forget: “One sack of food (pronounced as “si”) and one scoop of drink will never change your enjoyment when you return.” The material civilization is annihilated.

You have written many times saying that our letters show you and recall another world, so idealistic, heroic, sincere, upright, compassionate, and selfless (that is, the idealistic, generous, devoted, loyal, kind, selfless) world.I know that the gulf between the East and the West can only be understood by the heroic people, a very few people who understand the difference, have keen and profound feelings.In other words, it is as difficult for an Easterner to understand a Westerner and its culture as it is for a Westerner to understand an Easterner and his culture.Even if you understand it, you may not be able to accept it in real life.This is the anguish of modern people: we can neither close ourselves, the East and the West manage their own lives and thoughts, but we cannot avoid the conflict and contradiction between the two spirits, two cultures and two philosophies.

Of course, in addition to conflicts and contradictions, the two cultures are also attracted to each other, and there is a special charm between them that fascinates people.If the wisdom, sageness, and detachment of the East can be integrated with the vitality, enthusiasm, and fearlessness of the West, mankind may see the emergence of another new culture.The spirit of Westerners who are diligent, poor, and only know for learning, regardless of success or failure still exists (it still exists now as in Christophe's era), and it is worth learning.Neither you nor I are big-nation chauvinists, and we deeply detest big-nation chauvinism, but our national consciousness, national pride, and patriotic zeal have nothing to do with xenophobia.On the contrary, it is the feeling and emotion that a man with roots should have.Every time I see you behave like this, my heart beats with joy, and I feel that you are worthy of being the son of the Chinese nation!Mom is also proud of it, and is very happy and satisfied with you.

It is insightful to analyze a paragraph of your father-in-law, I hope it can be used as a reference for you.Your two conclusions, that an unhappy marriage and too much and too early success are an artist's worst enemy, are too pertinent.I used to worry about your marital problems, and most of them started from this point.Now Mira is not an ambitious girl, at least she will not drag you down the road of fame and fortune. It is your great fortune that you can always maintain the dignity of art and your serious and simple outlook on life.And your mind that is indifferent to fame and wealth, and the same self-criticism as me, are a kind of guarantee for your art.I hope that ten or twenty years from now, when I am not alive, you will always stick to these two points.Tranquil mind is very rare in the western world, I hope you can set an example!
Speaking of Mira, are you still as ready to nurture her as you said in your engagement letter last August?It’s not about cultivating her to become a professional, but leading her on the path of seriousness, integrity, frankness, love of beauty, love of goodness, and love of truth.I hope to set an example and encourage her to read a lot, to read regularly in a planned and systematic way, not to read for leisure and fashion.You should also cultivate her will: dealing with housework regularly and systematically, controlling household expenses, reading frequently, etc. are all specific opportunities to train her will.Not giving in to your fancy [fantasy] casually, nor giving in to your fancy casually, is also an opportunity to exercise your will.Childishness is valuable, but it must not damage taste [taste], let alone affect family life, daily life and diet.Some tempers may never be changed in a lifetime, but subjectively, it is better than letting it happen or indulging (the so-called indulging), are you right?
Mira's correspondence with us has been much less these days, and we don't blame her, but that's also her moral and emotional responsibility.It is one thing for us to forgive her, but it is unreasonable for you not to remind her from the side, and you have not fulfilled your duty of supervision.Being a person is holistic, and she often writes to us to express her attitude towards life and family.Don't get me wrong, let me say it again, don't get me wrong, we blame her, but because she is too young, she needs to develop a good style and a strict attitude in dealing with practical affairs.The above words are mainly for her benefit, not just for us to get more happiness from your news.But be sure to pay attention, when you mention writing to us with her, you must speak softly, otherwise it will affect the relationship between her and us.The relationship between Wenggu and his daughter-in-law is very different from the relationship between parents and children. You will gradually feel it, so it must be handled very carefully.

In the last few letters, you have explained most of the things we have entrusted, and I am very happy.You have finally matured in practical life, which means that you have a head and a tail, and a stronger sense of responsibility.I'm surprised you haven't bought your tape recorder; it should be as much a part of your budget as your bed should be when furnishing your new home.It seems to me that a rug or two is fine without a good tape recorder.It shows that you two are still too young to distinguish priorities.I hope you will be able to buy it when you come back from America!
I expected your excitement after reading "Greek Sculpture".That era is gone forever, just like the innocent and lovely stage of a person from childhood to adolescence.It's also like our pre-Qin era, the Jin Dynasty and the Six Dynasties.Recently, I often read "Shi Shuo Xin Yu" (I am looking for a printed copy that is not too bulky and I plan to send it to you), and I feel that the romantic literary style at that time was a bit like ancient Greece, but also a bit like Renaissance Italy; This lofty, quiet, and elegant meaning is still different from any period in the history of Western culture.Humans are really strange animals. When they are civilized, they are so civilized, and when they talk about mysteries, they are so meaningful. When they are barbaric, they are no different from wild animals, and even more cruel.The strange thing is that these two extremes are manifested in the same group of people at the same time.How many ambitious people in the Jin and Six Dynasties, who wanted to seize the world, and called themselves lonely, sat down and chatted, but they were philosophers who had a deep understanding of Lao Zhuang and Buddhist philosophy!

Although Handel's oracle pursued the spirit of paganism, he was not a Greek in the 50th and [-]th centuries BC after all. His works were just the expression of an Italianized Germanic yearning for ancient Greek culture in the [-]th century.It is "Semili", the tone is still a bit pompous.This is not Handel's personal fault, but the difference between the nation and the times, which cannot be forced.When you have free time in the future (I think in another three to five years, your concerts will be greatly reduced and you will have more time to study in various aspects), read some English translations of works such as Plato and Xenophon, You can have more and deeper experience of Greek culture.Otherwise, once you go to Athens, although the hills and hills are peeled off (as Dana said in his book) beyond recognition, the sky and water (I can only imagine from the sky and water in Rome and Naples that I have seen in person) and the gods of the Parthenon The ruins of the temple will definitely give you strong excitement, ecstasy, which cannot be described in words, just like Duncan dancing involuntarily with his bare feet on the ruins of Parthenon four or fifty years ago ("Duncan's Autobiography" if in You can see it in second-hand bookstores, you can buy it and read it).To really experience ancient culture, apart from "soaking" from childhood, you can only get in touch with the relics of that ancient culture.The reason why I keep sending you the art reproductions of my country is to satisfy your hunger and thirst of missing the homeland and remembering our ancient culture on the one hand, and on the other hand, I want to use specific things to influence Mira.Knowing and loving a foreign country from the perspective of culture and art is the true understanding and love of a foreign country; and I think it is also the most reliable chain to strengthen the spiritual bond between the two of you.

Do you like stone carvings?Do you feel that it is a real artwork of the Han nationality, unlike the Dunhuang murals and Yungang stone carvings that have foreign factors.I think just the wide robes and sleeves, the simple and powerful lines, the harmonious outlines, the simple buildings and vehicles, and the strong and majestic horses have already made my heart beat, and my mind wandered into the world before 2000. (It is more effective to install a frame).

In addition to the eighteen poems, Li Bai's collection of poems and essays has also been received, right?What do you think of the two fans given to you?It is best to enjoy it open in a glass cabinet on weekdays.Sandalwood fan for Mira, you can't get better.And the sandalwood female fan has never been painted well.Judging from this small package, the things were transferred from the Soviet Union after all, otherwise the package sent on May [-] would not have been received before June [-].

Over the past few months, I have been preparing for the translation of Balzac's "Disillusionment" trilogy, with more than 750 pages of original text and a total of more than [-] new words.It is of great benefit to post a ruthless reading of three hundred to four hundred new words every day.Just as you regret not starting to take Chopin's Etudes ["Etudes"] as a daily lesson, I also regret not starting to memorize new words early.Otherwise, there are at most two or three hundred new characters in this book.If you have the memory of Uncle Qian, you can reduce the number of words to dozens.Insufficient talent can only be made up with hard work.Although I have reached this age and my health is quite bad, I am still willing to do this kind of hard work.

Your perception of Michelangeli [Michelangeli] is very different, which shows your progress and maturity over the past six years.At the same time, "Once the sea was too difficult to be water", "Climbing Dongshan will make Lu small, and climbing Taishan will make the world small", these are also the reasons for your big change of opinion.After all, London is an international music scene, and your two-and-a-half-year stay has not been fruitless.

Recently, I read an Irish travelogue written by a British in National Geographic in the United States. The text is very long and there are many pictures.For the second time in 30 years he has toured the whole island and concluded: "What is the most interesting thing about Ireland?—Irish people." This sentence is exactly the same as your impression in Dublin.

I wrote the above for three and a half hours, and I was very tired. I still have to write in English!Hope to rest more, don't stay up too late!

Dad June 26th at [-]pm

1961.7.7/8
Dear children:
"Music in Modern Civilization" and your father-in-law's biography, received on the same day.After reading the biography for three consecutive afternoons, I have so many thoughts and emotional fluctuations, which are almost unique experiences in the past ten years.Writing biographies of contemporary people has a great advantage. There are many witnesses and material evidence, and it is easy to collect materials from all directions, cite and check each other.Of course, there are also disadvantages: the distance between the author and the subject is too close, it is not easy to see the objective facts and the true face; most of the people and things involved in the parties are still at present, and the author cannot be free from concerns about the reliability of the content and the author's opinion. Inevitably a big discount.Generally speaking, Magidoff's writing is wonderful; he has deep observations and real feelings about life, art, and psychological changes. The taste is good without excessive compliments.The author's self-cultivation and outlook on life are quite profound.The quotations of many short stories are not just to attract readers, but to highlight the character of the characters by making insinuations.

As you can probably imagine right away, this book has a special fascination for me.The part of educating children, the growth of gifted children and their depressing history, the lack of hard work and closed doors between the ages of 26 and 30 (not to say that they are absolutely retiring, but groping alone) make up lessons, two marriages and wartime and postwar The activities have aroused my countless feelings.Regarding education, your father-in-law's experience is a mirror to both you and me.I am like his parents in many ways, whether it is advantages or disadvantages, I am not as good as his parents in many aspects, and I am more enlightened than them in some aspects.I'm glad I didn't lock you up at home for too long. This is also due to the times, and it is also due to the stubbornness of your personality and mine.Frictions and conflicts between parents and children, even rebellion, although it was extremely painful for both parties at the time, in the long run, it has more advantages than disadvantages for the growth of children.

Your grandparents' mother-in-law's pride is so inhuman, it's completely incompatible with her religious beliefs - except for Islam, I'm completely at a loss, there is no religion in the world that does not teach people humility and tolerance, and does not teach people to restrain pride and arrogance of.But her attitude towards her old friend Goldman, and her accusation of Ishti bowing to Toscanini first on stage, has developed to the point of conceit and superciliousness.She taught her children to despise money and power from an early age, not to bow to politics and capitalists, not to allow them to be complacent, lest teachers and friends spoil them, all of this is of course right.She and her husband tried their best to educate their children, and it is correct and admirable to be so comprehensive; It doesn't matter; she didn't define the word "honest man".

In my opinion, her so-called good person is really very narrow, limited to respectable[noble personality] and never thought of a more positive and broader world and ideal.If she has this idea in mind, she will definitely encourage her children to "cultivate themselves so that they can contribute to society and mankind."She never respects art, and she has no pious reverence for truth, beauty, and goodness; so she sees others volunteering to help Ishti (such as Elman sponsoring him to study in Europe, Goermen sending him Prince K [Prince K] ... violins, etc.) are not touched, but only damaged in self-esteem.She never knew that the greatness of people lies in helping others. The purpose of education is to cultivate and accumulate greater strength to help others, not blind self-expansion.The old Madame Menuhin only saw herself, her family, her and her husband's surname and race; so she always looked at other people's behavior from the selfishness of others.I have no ideals, how can I think that there are people with ideals in the vast sea of ​​people?She is rich in knowledge, but lacks a lofty ideal as a compass.She is upright, but she lacks the spirit of selflessness and sacrifice—she is selfless and has the spirit of sacrifice for her children; but "for her children" is actually "for herself"; she does not have the kindness of being eager for justice, generosity and heroism !Fortunately, your father-in-law is endowed with unique advantages. He absorbed from music what his family education did not give him. From ancient to modern music, he got inspiration from the predecessors he came into contact with, especially Enescu.He did not infect his mother's narrow, closed, impoverished, selfish morality (what Westerners call prudery).Fortunately, the cruel war taught him more things, expanded his heart and mind, and ignited his inner enthusiasm...

Your father-in-law's achievements today, especially in terms of character and outlook on life, can be said to be in spite of his mother.I believe that there is a certain degree of public appreciation for your father-in-law (still referring to people other than art), but his parents may not realize any greatness.But he played Bach's Chaconne ["Chaconne"] for a girl who was dying of illness in The Hague, and his speech to Jewish refugees in Berlin in [-], and his performance in Israel after that, etc., I I think it's your father-in-law's most remarkable move, which is in line with our old adage that mighty can't be bent.

The passages in the book are too numerous to enumerate, insights on music, Mozart, Bach and Bartok; Musical habits are completely similar) attitudes, are of great value in careful understanding.You can use his two re-study [re-revision] (the last one was from [-] to [-]) as reference.

Understanding people is the most profound art, and even the greatest philosophers, poets, religionists, novelists, politicians, doctors, and lawyers can only grasp some principles, and cannot speak for some specific examples—personal —has a thorough understanding.Humans are really contradictory, complicated and extremely mysterious animals.After reading the biography, it seems that I have a good understanding of the characters, but in fact it is just some rough concepts.Especially since he is a mild-tempered person who has been used to forbearance since childhood, it is even more difficult to figure out his background.I think you feel the same way.

Analyzing his words in your last letter, I dare not draw any conclusions.But the world is full of imperfections, and there is no perfect person or thing.Everyone said that his current wife was not ideal, but Mira's mother did not make him happy.His current wife is indeed versatile and capable, but she is also bound to suffer from the shortcomings of being versatile and capable.If you and other friends have a good opinion of your father-in-law, you can only hope that his artistic conscience will be awakened again, raised to a new and higher level, and there will be another severe self-criticism.Whether there will be such a lucky day depends on his vitality.The development of human beings is always wave-like, just like the natural world: after a low tide, there is a possibility of a high tide again.That's why the ancients said that people should be "determined by the coffin".

How many sporadic stories and episodes are also very meaningful.For example, Elgar protested against Newman's comments on Ishti's performance of his "Violin Concerto": Newman thought that Ishti expressed the second movement too sweet and too luscious [greasy], and Elgar said that the piece he wrote was especially The theme itself is sweet and luscious, "Don't the British have to put on a straight face? Am I a straight face?" It can be seen that the critics are too focused on the general national character, and the writer goes beyond the inherent national character to criticize The pianist turns a blind eye and blames the performer for a performance he disapproves of.And Newman is the world's first-class scholar and critic too!It's a pity that knowledge, feelings and soul often don't meet together, and feelings and soul often don't merge with knowledge.Otherwise, human civilization can go a long way!After listening to Ishti playing his "Violin Concerto", Bartok said: "I thought that such an expression could only be possible after the composer died for a long time." easy job.However, we cannot stick to the example of Elgar [Elgar] to Yehudi [Ishti], and be suspicious of critics' remarks.We can only rely on the spirit of self-criticism as the standard of choice, but is our spirit of self-criticism always reliable and infallible?Do we often give in easily when we should insist, and be stubborn and stubborn when we should listen to our critics?I mention this because you and I both have a shortcoming: being argumentative.If someone stands on the front, I will immediately stand on the opposite side; and vice versa.And because you are young, this tendency is stronger than mine.I hope you slowly learn to be objective, calm, and rational, and don't argue for arguments like the ancient Greeks!
Atauf Busch and Enescu differ on the forte or dolce [strong or soft] theme of Bach's Fugue ["Fugue"], reminding me of too much book knowledge without a high level of comprehension Assistance, it is easy to become dogmatic and academic.

On the other hand, the story of Ysaye wanting Ishtira arpeggio completely shows the "big eyes" of a truly objective and calm great artist. He does not know heroes with great eyes, but has the weakness of seeing through heroes. The "Giant Eye".When young people want to find teachers and ask questions, they really need to look at many aspects.Your father-in-law admits that it would be beneficial to be with Adolf Busch, even though he prefers Enescu temperamentally and at heart.Your father-in-law has repeatedly regretted not heeding Yisay's hints sooner.Therefore, I advise you to take some time to think about it quietly. Have you ever heard a word from your teachers, friends or critics and ignored it in the past few years.Think early and make up lessons as soon as possible!Your grandparents-in-law said: "My mother often said that only fools turn around when they hit a wall; wise people learn to be good when they see others suffer." I completely agree with this statement. You should remember that after you first went to Beijing in [-] I said (in the letter) the same thing. I remember what I said: "Listen more to what you are told at home, so that you don't have to be criticized only by others when you are outside."

The Hungarian old lady you mentioned, who taught Anni Fischer [Anni Fisher], must come to ask for advice, even once or twice.If you are smart enough, you can realize many truths with just a few words from others.But from ancient times to the present, no one is so smart that he doesn't need to listen to anyone's opinion.A wise man has a lot of worries, and there is bound to be a mistake.Maybe you should visit that old man before you visit America!Dear child, listen to your father and arrange time to try it, okay?One more sentence: before you go, you must listen to the "unpopular words" with your heart to gain anything. You have to visit the big and small Yisay around you at any time!
The words get farther and farther away-perhaps the closer they are said.If the books you read can't be applied to yourself, why read?
Your father-in-law clearly has a strong influence on the upbringing he received as a child.He has repeatedly stated that the less arrangements are made for children's futures, the better.In fact, this statement is only partly correct, and it also depends on how this kind of laissez-faire is implemented.

Given the time and energy, such a book could allow me to write a critique of tens of thousands of words.But to be honest, Yixuti and I are in-laws, and Mrs. Diana is so sharp and so witty [so shrewd and witty], I also have scruples in writing, so I have to talk to you.

One last question to you: Have you read this book?If you haven't read it, you can read it when you have time, and take a red pen to mark (underline) the wonderful passages.I have to read it a second time and a third time when I have free time in the future.Mira is young and inexperienced, and I don't think she gets anything out of this book.

I have asked you a few times if Mira is pregnant because she has been writing less lately, similar to your situation six months ago.If you are pregnant and uncomfortable, then just ignore the following words!Otherwise, if her mother gave her something, she wouldn't say a word, which would be too impolite.In particular, we don't have anything really good for her (environmental restrictions), but "the courtesy is light and the heart is heavy", and we always hope that the recipient will accept our affection.If it is not for poor health, just being busy cannot be an excuse for not saying anything.This is a matter of decency and etiquette.I think she didn't get along well with her stepmother in the past, and maybe half of it was because she was too "young and inexperienced".But you have to bring this matter up to her very gently, and don't reveal that I blamed her in the letter, just because you realize that this is not good, it is not kind enough, and it is not in line with the way of being a human being.You have to explain that this is just an example, and being a human being is for the whole society, not just for family members.But those who are not polite to close relatives are also likely to offend ordinary relatives and friends.For all the above, you need to seize the opportunity and wait for her to talk in a euphemistic, meticulous, calm and calm manner when she is in a happy mood, as if giving advice to a bosom friend.If it is for us to make you young couple unhappy, I am extremely unwilling.You have to make her feel that everything is for her own good, to help her study, to live the life; instead of blaming her for her parents.Children, I wish you success in this delicate task!It is also a learning and a test for you.Loyal advice is hard to hear, but the other party can only accept it with a 120-point gentle attitude.

Dad on the evening of July [-], [-]
In the agricultural society in the past, people's lives were relatively idle, there was no tense atmosphere around them, and the lifestyle of being content with the situation and getting by was still manageable.Times are changing, especially in the Western world. The whole day, month, and year are like a kaleidoscope, and the competition for survival is fierce. I think you can fully appreciate it.It is best to have a plan for doing things, at least one quarter in advance, and the set procedures should not be disrupted temporarily unless it is absolutely necessary.You are a virtuoso who is constantly on stage, unlike professors, academics, etc.: life is much more hectic and less manageable.But the more busy you are, the more you need to have a comprehensive plan. I always feel that you are too passive and often be carried away [being led away], being carried away by the environment and accidents of all sizes. In the long run, it is not a good idea.In the past, I have repeatedly asked about your financial situation, mainly to understand your material foundation, and to speculate how long it will take to reduce performances and strengthen studies—not just music studies.I know very well that material life is not guaranteed in Western society, and any lofty ideals are out of the question.But the so-called material security first depends on your living standard, and secondly depends on whether you can arrange your income and expenditure, maintain a balance, and save regularly and regularly.The standard of living itself can go up or down, and there are too many levels of good or bad, high or low grades; what kind of standard you are going to take as the standard, you need to think clearly, make it thorough, and then implement it with a strong will.Only in this way can one talk about the way of financial management such as arranging income and expenditure.Children, just looking down on money doesn’t solve the problem; on the contrary, just because they look down on money, they don’t control it and don’t know how to deal with it. In the end, they will suffer from money and become material slaves.A bachelor can still use Yan Hui's hard work to make an emergency, but if you have a family, you can't. If you hope that Mira will also be willing to live in plain clothes, the requirements are too strict, and it is unrealistic.In order to avoid this step, you should set a medium standard of living as early as possible so that Mira can agree, practice, and help you make plans and implement them.The more you despise matter, the more you need to control matter.You have to maintain the dignity of your art and the independence of your personality, and controlling material has become the most urgent and necessary prerequisite.Boy, if you believe my thesis, act early.

Once the economy has a plan, we can make a plan for music activities according to the current actual situation.For example, the next quarter is your busiest, but also the quarter with the most income: the income should be budgeted in advance, and the money should not be spent on hand, but should be used as the basis for reducing performances in the future-to be clear. fund.You often say that the music world is a vast ocean, but music is just one branch of art and one branch of knowledge.It's useless to look at the ocean and sigh, and you still need to make a plan if you want to delve into it-this is closely related to the number of performances you perform and the basis of your material life.Once you get married, your family burden will become heavier soon; you have established your foothold, but the most important thing is to prevent future family burdens and a stable material foundation from unknowingly serving performances and music to your family.Throughout the ages—especially in modern times, how many artists (including those from various departments) have gone downhill after middle age, are they really willing?Most of them were dragged into the water for the family, and the process of dragging into the water was completely unconscious.My child, I have to warn you at length for your future.Now is the time to design the next stage of your life. You should cheer up, face the present, look to the future, and consider the long-term.What's more, I believe that within three to five years to ten years, there will be a period when you feel that you must retire for a year or two.All truly accomplished performers cannot escape this hurdle.You have to prepare early.

In the past three months, you have sent a long letter every month, making us seem to be chatting with you face to face: this is the greatest comfort you can give me and your mother.Parents are getting old, and they can't help but feel lonely every day.Only the return of the wanderer thousands of miles away makes our life still have some brilliance and vitality.I hope that in future letters, apart from art, I will also talk about practical issues.Of course you understand that I, as a father, just want to do everything I can to help you improve and enhance your happiness. Surely you don't think I'm cumbersome, do you?
Another book on the morning of July [-]
1961.8.1
Dear children:
On the 24th, I received a [-]-day long letter from Mira, and I was very happy.Not seeing her handwriting for several months is really worrying. Somehow, we really love her like her own daughter; we have never met, but we are as kind as someone we have known for a long time.Reading her letter, the expression and smile are vivid on the paper.The tone is so innocent and simple, and the taste [taste] is very good, I really like it.A successful marriage is not only a great happiness for the parties involved, but also the warm light and infinite poetry have been shining and penetrating into the families of both parties.Min read Mira's letter and admired her character very much.

One thing in Mira's report made us particularly happy: You actually went to the Hungarian lady! (The name Mira is not clearly written, please let me know!) For many months (it has been more than a year in Mr. Jie’s mind), we hope you will do this. Once it is realized, we cannot but be grateful for your musical future .At this point, I have received your postcard again; then I originally hoped to receive your long letter around the 27th of this month, but I have to postpone it for another ten days.I hope you can talk in detail about the process of improving your skills and the reality, and let me tell Mr. Li, so that you can slowly help the young musicians in China, which must be something you are very willing to do.From the 23th to the [-]th of this month, and before September [-]rd, you have free time. Apart from going out for a rest (I think you will definitely go out), try to visit that old lady again and ask her for advice.Especially the Viennese school (Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert), the so-called repose [tranquility] flavor must be fully appreciated.Many comments have repeatedly mentioned your lack of this aspect.Critics have also said many times that the pursuit of details is too much, which hinders the simplicity of the music and the general outline of the music.According to my guess, you are likely to make these mistakes.Often you will pursue one purpose, forget about others, and get into the dead end without knowing it (look deeply and be vigilant in the future).But I firmly believe that once you wake up and believe in Gao Ming's guidance, you will turn your back on it and correct it very quickly. Just don't overcorrect and just swing to the other extreme.

At your age and experience, it's important to take in other people's opinions anytime, anywhere.It is even more necessary to consult seniors frequently.You are very sensitive, and you will quickly grasp the characteristics and expertise of that senior, and try to learn from it——you will never change the teacher easily until you have learned it all.

As mentioned above, the repose of the Viennese School is supposed to be a state of leisure and serenity full of broad-mindedness, a bit like Tao Jingjie, Du Fu (a part of the pastoral scene), Su Dongpo, Xin Jiaxuan (also idyllic and pastoral) word).But I still can't figure out the so-called repose of the real Viennese school. I don't know what is your experience?

Famous tragedies in modern times can be divided into two groups: one group is devoted and forgetful, and the audience seems to see the real characters singing and crying in front of them; Swept away, Sarah Bernhardt [Sarah Bernhardt] is the representative of this school (Paris has her memorial theater).One school portrays the characters vividly, with great ups and downs of passion, and at the same time, there is an appropriate rhythm everywhere, and it never falls into the state of "crazy change".Psychologists say that such actors seem to have a dual personality: they are both actors and audience members.The actor makes him one with the characters in the play, and the audience makes him not overdo all his acting skills (that is, the old saying that you can get in and you can get out).Because he stands outside the circle and observes himself coldly anytime and anywhere, he can still control himself even at the peak of a violent climax.In terms of art, I think the second type of actor should be more advanced.In addition to resonating with the characters in the play and personally experiencing strong emotions, the audience also feels the greatness of rational restraint and the greatness of people not being completely dominated by their own lust.This greatness is also a kind of beauty.The beauty of emotion is close to the beauty of flames, the beauty of waves, the beauty of stormy weather, or the beauty of warm weather, the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers, but the beauty of rationality is close to the sparkle of diamonds, the sparkle of stars, the beauty of fine carving, and perfection. Unblemished beauty is also the beauty of wisdom!The balance between emotion and rationality is the most beautiful, because it is the best life philosophy and art of life.

I remember talking to you about this kind of thing many years ago.Now, after going on stage for thousands of times, you probably have a better understanding that the above analysis can be applied to music, right?Last winter your father-in-law wrote to say that you play two Mozart concertos and can bring strong emotions into a classical form. He meant the balance between emotion and rationality.But you are still young, you have made too many introductions, you are often weak in physical strength, or your skills are not relaxed enough.And the cultivation of your whole character has not reached this point.But sooner or later you will succeed in this area, especially after the skills have been greatly improved.

The domestic situation has gradually changed in the past eight months. Recently, Premier Zhou gave an eight-hour report on the ten major issues of literary and artistic work, and the content was very exciting.However, it has not been announced yet, and only a very high-ranking few people in Beijing have heard it. We only know a little bit, and dare not convey it easily.The general tendency is from tension to relaxation, from aggressive to gradual.Perhaps a clearer outline will emerge in a few days.

Please carefully consider the performance program in the United States, discuss it with experienced people in advance, and don't be too subjective.American journalists speak very pointedly, and they are often "narrow" when they ask questions.Please pay special attention, don't slip up.It would be better to play dumb, never mention politics, and resolutely not answer any questions.I told you this way in advance, I want you to be more impressed and more mentally prepared.

Dad August [-], [-]

1961.8.19
Dear children:
In recent years, I often think of how insignificant human beings are in the vast world and the nebula world, so I feel even more ridiculous that it is ridiculous for people to claim to be the spirit of all things.But all external things continue to have a strong effect on me, causing strong reactions and fluctuations. I can't help myself when I worry about the time and the country;This kind of contradictory mood almost always controls me: subjectively, there is no otherworldly meaning, and in fact, a sense of nothingness and disillusionment often arises.Individuals have keen and strong feelings about everything, and often laugh at themselves as foolish.I don't know if this is the common depression of modern Chinese intellectuals, or because of my special temperament.Even when I think of you, I feel some comfort, but I immediately think of the possibility of leaving you at any time. I will never see your future, your development, and your situation in ten or twenty years will always be a mystery to me. Just like everything in the world, everything in life will become a mystery when I leave the world - when the individual is eliminated, the vast universe continues, so what is the individual!

dad august [-]th

1961.8.31/9.1
Dear children:
Received the 24th letter on August [-]th, very happy.Your recent learning experience has aroused my many thoughts.Teacher Jie's words are really wise and famous, and I deeply sympathize.Those who can learn can make inferences from one instance, and after a little guidance, they can make a leap forward.Those who don’t know how to learn needless to say, know ten things by hearing one thing, even knowing one thing by hearing one thing is not easy, and they even have to get caught up, go astray, and then complain that the teacher’s guidance is wrong.The so-called ability to learn requires many conditions. Apart from high understanding, it also needs enough life experience... Modern youths are too simple-minded. It is good to say that they are pure, but they have no choice but to encounter reality. Purity cannot be used as a weapon in struggle. And take unnecessary detours.Cynical and cynical attitudes are of course rejected by us, but not knowing what cynical is also reflects that we are too shallow in the world, and our eyes can only look in one direction.Premier Zhou recently criticized our education, so that young people only see ideal characters that do not exist in the real world, and they will definitely feel disappointed and depressed when they come to society in the future.A person with a narrow mind and vision, even if the elders tell him many customs and customs of the old society, he will almost turn away in shock.They don't understand that human beings have developed historically, and after thousands of years of evolution, there are today's so-called civilized people, people under the so-called socialist system, and everything is inevitable.If this kind of person studies literature and art and needs to experience more complex emotions, real life in which light and darkness intertwine, and good and evil are juxtaposed, it will be very difficult.It is not easy for them to integrate everything from theory to practice, from abstraction to concreteness.However, if one cannot go back and forth between theory→practice, practice→theory, concrete→abstract, abstract→concrete, it will be difficult to get started with any knowledge.

The above is a comprehensive impression.Now for a specific question that has arisen from your recent studies.

According to the letter, it seems that the relax you mentioned is not the purely technical relaxation mentioned five or six years ago, but mainly a kind of serene, leisurely, indifferent, and detached artistic conception in terms of spirit, emotion, emotion, and thought. When it comes to technology, it is also a corresponding method to express the above-mentioned artistic conception, timbre, tempo rubato [elastic speed] and so on.If I understand what you mean in this way, then I don’t think you were completely unable to express the state of relaxation in the past, it’s just that you didn’t realize that certain works and writers do have the spirit of relaxation.For more than a year, some British critics have said that your Beethoven (certainly referring to the later sonatas) lacks that kind of Viennese repose [Viennese leisure], which probably refers to a special kind of tranquility, tranquility, and tranquility. Beethoven After intense struggles and struggles in the early and middle ages, Fen achieved a peaceful mind in his later years, which is a special kind of serenity (calmness) (a kind of serenity produced by resignation).But the state of spiritual clarity and tranquility also varies from person to person. Beethoven's clarity and tranquility is different from that of Mozart and that of Schubert.A little confusion will cause the higher level critics, musicians and audiences to feel that the breath is not right, the style is not suitable, and the tone is not true.

I use this view to explain why you can completely relax when playing Scarlatti and Mozart, but it is a problem when you encounter Beethoven and Schubert.You have already analyzed the other two points very clearly: one is that you have seen too many drama [dramatic events], and you have added subjective emotions to the original work; Carrati and Mozart, only light, loose, lively, humorous, charming, gentle and can't find any excuses to fit into your own drama.Because Mozart's drama is not the drama of the nineteenth century, it is not heroic struggle, turbulent emotional excitement, and ecstatic fanaticism [fanaticism]; all the drama breath of modern people in you will definitely not apply to Mozart's works; On the contrary, you can understand the eighteenth-century flirting [flirting] and humor, playfulness, sarcasm, etc., so you can express Mozart appropriately.There is another reason, all the works are relaxing as a whole, which is not difficult for you to master; among them, the works of the kind of relax with intense fluctuations and melancholy, such as Chopin, because they have the same flavor as you, so the results are more sure. .But if there is both passion and forbearance, such as Beethoven's works in his later years, you will inevitably be inaccurate.At your current stage of development, you have reached the stage where rational control is quite strong, and the nerves of your fingers are very tame and can obey the command of the mind. Therefore, once you realize the key to the spirit of the work, you can understand what kind of state a certain writer's relaxation should be. It is not difficult to change the appearance in a short period of time, and the skills also adapt to the requirements, as you said, "Some things seem easy all of a sudden".Old habits cannot be eradicated in a short period of time, and you have analyzed them thoroughly: Enlightenment is one thing, but developing new habits to reflect your "enlightenment" is another.

It is a good thing that the Israel-Istanbul-Athens show can be postponed until next June, and you can "solidify" your new gains before visiting the United States.

Finally, you mentioned that you have the same temperament as me, which is indeed very pertinent.You and I are both allergic and easily nervous.Moreover, those who are enthusiastic are mostly obsessive and tend to be fanatic.Your observation and analysis are not bad at all.I also often say that we should learn from Uncle Zhou's unrestrained, detached, and casual game art style, and dilute too much subjectivity and affirmation, the so-called positivism [arbitrary].It's one thing to be helpless, it's another to be able to do it.Sometimes the personality is so tenacious to the end that nothing can twist it.Fortunately, you are still young, unlike me, who has already been established. Maybe with your experience and cultivation, plus your influence in music, sooner or later you will be able to achieve a state where you can be both enthusiastic and calm, and able to enter and exit.In short, after you consulted Mrs. Kabos [Kabos] this year, all the progress I and Mr. Jie have been looking forward to for a long time; I have expected that you do not need to be around forty to realize some of the beauty of indifference, simplicity, and leisure—— Like what The Times said about your two Chopin concerts last April.Incidentally, I also remembered that critics often say that you pursue details too much. I believe this is true. You are also very fanatic in pursuing one subject, and you are more persistent than me.Perhaps in the past two months, you have also changed in this regard?Paying attention to the part and ignoring the whole, carving details while shaking the big outline is not art; even if it does not hinder the integrity, the carving must be free of ax marks, and it is obviously artificial, but it sounds like nature, which is considered the best art.You already know these common senses. The problem is that the eyes are too focused on one aspect at a certain period, so that the ears are deaf and the eyes are not clear, or as Mencius said, "you can see the details without seeing the public salary."Once you wake up and look back, you will be surprised, just like how much you admired Michelangeli in [-], but recently you can't figure out why you were so fascinated by it back then.

August 31st night
As early as 60, when Richter performed in Shanghai, I felt that his Schubert lacked grace.In terms of his life experience, he may have embarked on the path of mysticism unconsciously.Living in another world, only he can enter that world, in which there are different feelings, stimuli, images, colors, and sounds, which we cannot dream of.Mystics often only have purity, simplicity, and sincerity, but lack the general warmth and charm.Even the grace in Italian and Flanders religious paintings in the early Renaissance also has a kind of holy and otherworldly sentiment, which is similar to the romantic style of the Vienna School in the early [-]th century. The ironing is delicate and slightly sentimental. Their tenderness has nothing in common.And the mysticism of the Slavic people, especially the Russian people, is different from the mysticism of the Roman Orthodox school in Western Europe.It is only natural that audiences react so differently to Richter's playing.How many people in the [-]s could tolerate musical mysticism?As for the criticism of praising him to heaven, it can only be regarded as sleepwalking, which is not worth mentioning.

According to the impression I got from the correspondence, your father-in-law doesn't speak much but is very subtle, and his self-cultivation skills are excellent, but his words reveal that he does have a profound understanding of life and art.Considering the education and strict discipline he received before he became an adult, it is not easy for him to grow up to be the independent and free person he is today and maintain a distinct personality in art.It can be seen that his temperament is still very strong, but it is hidden inside, so he can't see it for a while.He himself said in the book: "I am Hefziba on the outside, but I am Yalta on the inside." But his strong personality has never developed into the way of his mother, and it is a blessing that he does not have that excessive national pride.

Although the biography had been checked by Mrs. Diana, there was no passage in it that was particularly flattering to Diana, nor was there any derogatory remarks on Nora—I paid attention to these when I read it.Women in the upper class are always unavoidable to do one thing to the face and another behind the back: in order to cope with it in Western society, they also have unavoidable difficulties.The main thing is to look at a person's quality from the perspective of major events and major principles.I hope you try your best to be objective and calm-headed. The children of the ex-wife must have prejudices against the stepmother. We outsiders can only judge based on the facts we have witnessed with our own eyes, and we must analyze them thoroughly.Young people are often unfair to adults, let alone their stepmothers!Therefore, it is best to put a question mark on any criticism based on past events, take a reserved attitude, and don't rush to make a judgment.Housework has the most twists and turns, and it is difficult to get a glimpse of the truth based on one-sided words.

September [-]st

1961.9.14
Dear children:
You are so busy at work, don't you know that you still have time to chat with Mira?No matter how busy I am, if I don't talk to your mother for a quarter of an hour and 10 minutes a day, it's like missing some homework.Thoughts on current events, big or small affairs in life, impressions of literature and art, reading experience, translation problems, your letters, your whereabouts... from ancient to modern, talk about everything, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. There is a system, but while talking, my thoughts will sort out a clue and become clear; and the level of culture, art, and philosophy of life that my mother has reached today can not but be said to be partly cultivated by this long-term chat of.Last autumn you mentioned in your letter about cultivating Mira, but how do you actually do it?Perhaps your parents' decades of experience and lifestyle are worthy of your reference.The daily small talk mentioned above is one of the best ways to edify people.Or when drinking tea before or after meals or in the afternoon [like you also have the habit of drinking tea (tea) in the UK], exchange ideas casually, and get a lot of benefits from each other invisibly: inspiration, criticism, unconsciously Improve yourself and improve each other.You can't live alone in a small circle because you are busy.Girls and young women are more afraid of spiritual loneliness.Common ideals and enthusiasm require long-term continuous irrigation and cultivation, and cannot be supported by a few empty words when excited.But talking about big principles in a serious manner is far less effective than trivial words in daily life-as long as you implement your way of life and principles of doing things in every word.Don't lose sight of the goals you've set for yourself, my son, and don't sacrifice the art of life for the art of music.Mila is young and her foundation is not yet solid. You have to care for her patiently, meticulously, and tirelessly. In terms of trivial matters in life, in terms of reading accomplishment, and in terms of emotions, observe, analyze, and think everywhere. Use sincere and deep love as the driving force, and act with calm reason. A pointer to action, to be taught, to be seduced, and progress together with her!If you have any difficulties when doing these tasks, please let us know, and we can help you with ideas.You are only allowed to succeed in the art of music, but not to fail; in the art of life and marriage, you are only allowed to succeed and not to fail!This is what your parents are most concerned about, and it is also the key to your life's happiness.And you understand very well that for a person with your personality, life cannot be separated from art, so in order to contribute to your art, family life and married life need to be well arranged.The words are sincere and sincere, I hope you deeply understand our enthusiasm for loving you and your art, so that you can thoroughly practice it in action!
I always want to help Mira, but I know my methods are clumsy, and I am afraid that the letter will reveal a preaching tone and a parental face.Young people have a different view of middle-aged and elderly people, especially young Western women.You should pay attention to what my letters do to Mira: if she thinks I'm too rigid, too pedantic, etc., tell me quickly, so that I can improve the wording of the letter later.I never blame her, but I desperately need to know how she responds to adjust the way I teach.You must seek truth from facts, and do not whitewash and distort the truth: in time, this method can only do great harm.If there is any discord between you and her, we will explain and persuade; if there is any discord between her and us, you will explain and persuade, so that we can achieve the so-called "helping each other in the same boat".You can pick out one or two topics to discuss with her about the issues I talked about in the Chinese letters; I can also tell her about Min's situation: this is called insinuating, so she can understand us better.I know that she is very busy with household chores, inside and outside, so I still dare not supervise her in reading.I have repeatedly hoped that you will have a stable economy, lay a solid foundation as soon as possible, reduce performances as much as possible, and make the family more leisurely. On the one hand, it is also for Mira's further study (if you want someone to study, you must give a considerable amount of time).I have repeatedly suggested that you go for a walk in the forest or in the countryside, and go to the museum to appreciate masterpieces, mostly for you, and a small part for Mira.More contact with nature and plastic arts can make people calm and open-minded (the ancients said "cleaning the dust in the chest", which probably means this), and maintain mental and psychological health.Only by not claiming to be the "spirit of all things" in front of all living beings and all things can we get rid of our arrogance, break the vulgar dream of luxury and money, develop an indifferent and free-spirited mind, and at the same time expand our sympathy.Only by appreciating the relics of the predecessors and seeing the great creations of human beings can we not be pessimistic about the situation in front of us, so as to spur ourselves and do our best to leave some achievements in the world.The above are just some of the benefits of being in contact with nature and the plastic arts, and you will experience the rest for yourself.

You will probably never discuss your opinions on Mrs. Diana and your father-in-law with outsiders, right?In high society, in the art world, there are gossipers everywhere, you must beware.Don't show your confidant just because the other party agrees with you on these issues (this is the most common place for a person to be fooled).Especially for your father-in-law's opinion, you must "keep it secret" and only discuss it with us; it is not appropriate to disclose it even in front of Mira, she is not yet old enough to calmly analyze the father she admired since childhood.Besides, a celebrity must have people who are more or less jealous: all the comments about your father-in-law in the society have to be analyzed with your own mind and checked with the facts; otherwise, you cannot be easily convinced.

The domestic disaster situation is still serious this year, and according to the report of the central government, life may be even more difficult next year.

Take it with me for the time being, and hope to receive your letter again within this month.Everything is precious!
Dad on the morning of September [-]
1961.10.5
Dear Satoshi:

I am full of joy to tell you the good news. The day I have been looking forward to day and night has finally come. Dad’s problem has been solved, and it has been published in the September [-]th daily newspaper (that is, "take off the hat").Dad put on the hat of a rightist at the end of April [-]. He was the last one in the literary and art circles. At that time, Amin was going to tell you that we were afraid of provoking you, so we immediately sent a letter to stop it, so you probably don't understand.This is entirely the result of the party's leniency and his decades of hard work, but he himself thinks that there is no self-reform.He thought that "wearing the hat" and "taking off the hat" were their business, and had nothing to do with him.

Dad has lived in seclusion for the past four years, thinking behind closed doors.The leader took care of him in many ways, so that he could work with peace of mind and forget everything, but in the past few years, his body has been weak and his spirit is tired, and his strength has not been as good as before.He himself feels that his strength is limited, and he can only use his ability within the scope of his small work in the future to serve the country.You are very concerned about your father, so I am eager to tell you, so that you will be more happy and work hard to win glory for the motherland.

My son, you have too many similarities with your father, even your daily life. It is too monotonous for you to practice piano and listen to records at home all the time.Asking you to go out for a walk and visit museums is nothing more than adjusting your life and enriching your spiritual life.Your subjectivity and stubbornness seem to be comparable to that of your father. I absolutely sympathize with Mira. I definitely don’t want the torture to be repeated in the next generation of children—you have been with me since childhood and lived You also pay attention to the details. You are the one who loves your mother the most, and you should also be the one who understands her the most.I have a principled approach to your father's temperament and temper, because I know him too well. His consistent surly nature and hatred of evil have roots. At that time, your grandfather was bullied and oppressed by local tyrants and evil gentry. He was 24 years old. To die of depression, the miserable life of widowed orphans (your grandmother and your father), the monastic childhood, is really unbearable to look back on.As an adult, he struggles alone, loves the truth, hates all unreasonable old traditions and old ethics that kill without blood, is upright and loyal to his cause, I love him, and I forgive him.For the happiness of the family, the happiness of his children, and the achievements of his tireless career, he gave up his ego and took care of the overall situation.Dad often complains that he has caused many bad tempers to affect you, so we want you to pay attention early, restrain yourself, and put an end to the tragedies of our previous generations, and this end must start with you, so that it will not be passed on to future generations.

Now Mira is still young, has fantasies and passions, so she should fulfill her active youthful dreams to some extent, watch movies occasionally, go to museums, revel in the achievements of past history, appreciate and experience; go for a walk in the suburbs or parks on weekends , Absorb the beauty of nature, live this kind of planned and regulated life, life is interesting.We are old, but we still yearn for this kind of life in our hearts!
At present, you are catching up with the touring program, and everything is out of the question, but let you know that when you have time and opportunity, you must try to use it, and don't give up casually.Good boy, you love your parents, so thousands of words are just to make you happier and happier, always accept your parents' advice, let us follow you to be happy, why not do it.

Knowing that your money has been tight in the past few months, I feel very uneasy. We want you to send a lot of medicine and food, will it affect it to some extent?I don't understand if you have a budget for your daily expenses, or if you spend money without planning, or if you spend too much for getting married or decorating a new house, and you run out of money.I hope that after you come back from the tour, you will make reasonable arrangements, be economical, get rid of exaggeration, and review the methods of spending in the past, cancel unreasonable and unnecessary expenses, learn lessons, and balance expenses, then you can open some less Concerts, spend more time in other artistic activities, then the body and mind will naturally be more enjoyable, and your artistic accomplishment will be richer and more diverse.

From the beginning of next month, you will go out for at least four months, and I hope to hear from you constantly.It's okay if you write less, I think Mira can do more on this, and I'm sure she'll report anytime.Tell Mira that I miss her and love her all the time.Not much to talk about, goodbye!

mother october fifth night

Dear children:
After waiting for a long time, I finally received Mira's letter last night.I didn't expect the painting to be sent by air as fast as the letter.Both of you like the works I have selected, which shows that my eyes and tastes are completely in line with yours, which makes me very happy.Mira didn't mention Zhou Wenzhong's comment materials, nor did she mention whether the four packs of sheet music had been received, which was very confusing.Be sure to explain clearly in your next letter!
Speaking of Zhou Wenzhong, according to Uncle Chen (Youxin), he was originally a student of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (the predecessor of the Shanghai Music Academy), and had studied violin with Uncle Chen for many years, about the same time as Zhang Guoling.Go abroad after victory.During Uncle Chen's stay in Britain in the early years of Liberation, Zhou also corresponded with him.It is said that he is not bad at playing the violin.

In August and September, you only performed three times in total, but it seems that you never went to the suburbs or museums once.I know that you have undergone major changes in technique and expression, and you need to continue to process and consolidate; the program for the visit to the United States also needs to be intensively prepared; but it is not an option to not relax within two months.I don’t know how many times I have told you to go to forests and museums in the past two years, but you still can’t accept it.My child, I am so worried about your physical and mental health and balance; everything must be planned for a rainy day, so don't regret it later.Let's just talk about skills, sometimes it's just awkward, if you leave it for an afternoon and run in nature, maybe you can solve it smoothly the next day.A person's psychological activities always need a period of gestation. If you insist on overcoming difficulties when you are immature, you will only get upset and waste your energy.The same is true for musical understanding.I always think you make a mistake, too much emphasis on understanding music through the music itself.Your thoughts and beliefs are not so narrow, and you are very good at using your imagination; but you have too little contact with other arts other than music, especially nature.Reading scores, practicing the piano, listening to records all day long... Over time, the freshness of art will be reduced, tending to be abstract and closed, lacking the vitality of life and the momentum of fighting.I often have a premonition of such a crisis for you, and I can't help but remind you early, and ask you to prevent it as soon as possible.Your major is very different from mine.I don't need much innovation, and I'm not an innovative person: years of cooping up at home won't hurt business.Your art needs to be created all the time. Even to understand the spirit of the original work, you have to explore it from many aspects (feelings other than music): it is precisely because the past masters "bubbled" from nature and from all aspects of life. come out, sublimating all reality into emotion [emotion] and sentiment [feeling], so the works expressing them have to follow the same path.You don't know these theories at first, but you don't seem to believe in them to the extent that you practice them.In addition, I am very surprised: you are younger, you should love sports more than me; you also have a strong love for nature, why do you not want to get close to nature in real life?I remember very clearly that when I was 22 or 30 years old, I was in Paris, Switzerland, Italy, and the French countryside. I often walked alone on the green grass by the water in the forest under the moonlight and stars, breathing the strong smell of grass, earth, and stream water, or taking it to relax. Dispel depression, or meditate.Even when I was in Shanghai in my [-]s, I felt calmer and healthier when I went to the park.Too much contact with things that stimulate the senses (music is the most powerful stimulation of the senses) will unconsciously lose the balance of body and mind.Since you yearn for the Greek spirit, why don't you follow the example of the ancient Greeks?Since you love Tao Qian and Li Bai, why don't you try to experience the realm of "picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and seeing Nanshan leisurely" (real experience)?Since you have been familiar with Christophe since you were a child, you will never forget the relationship between Christophe and nature?There are also plastic arts, don't be satisfied with some hanging at home, why not go to the British Museum to linger?Probably you will answer me that you don’t have time, and you have to give up that if you do this.However, during the summer vacation, there is relatively free time. Don’t you have time to go to the suburbs and art museums once or twice?As long as you are interested, even if you are not on vacation, you may also go to the art gallery on purpose and stay in front of one or two favorite paintings for a quarter of an hour and a half.It doesn't need to be too much, you only need to focus on one or two pieces each time, and it takes less than an hour and a half to go back and forth; the harvest accumulated virtually is not small!You said that you "haven't heard a single word in my letter." Well, then I hope you will slowly brew your thoughts in this regard, consider my suggestion, and give it a try whenever you have the opportunity. How about it?OK?I have worked hard for you all my life, and you have experienced it in recent years.But I am prematurely aging, and I often feel that there is not much to do. I always try to use my only power to help you and guide you within the scope of my vision, especially to point out your body, mind and art early. Crisis that may occur in the aspect, so that you can avoid it in advance. The four words "speak earnestly and earnestly" cannot be more appropriate to describe my attitude towards you.As long as you truly love your father, yourself, and your art, you will definitely consider my advice seriously and accept my sincerity for decades!
You also understand very well that relaxation on the piano requires mental relaxation first, and that excessive indoor life and study life are the main reasons for the nervousness and morbidity of modern intellectuals; The state of concentrating on the mind can only be obtained from nature, you can't deny it, can you?

There is also a very important point: Mira is five years younger than you, so she should be an active age.If you close your household, wouldn't it make her feel desolate?And judging by her temperament, she also loves art and nature, so she should appreciate it together, which is beneficial to both of them.Only those who are constantly in touch with forests, creeks, flowers and trees, birds and beasts, insects and fish, and masterpieces in art galleries will always maintain the ideal of childlike innocence, purity and beauty.What's the use of volunteering to cultivate a person?Mainly start with action!No matter how excellent the seeds are, without the proper environment, water and soil, and nutrients, it will be difficult to bloom and bear fruit, and they may deteriorate or die in the middle.Mila's mother, Nora, is not bad and impure in nature, it is because she and Ishti lack a common belief and love, and lack a common devotion [enthusiasm], so she will end up like this.Even with common ideals and goals, older partners still need to give her firm guidance, lead her on a healthy path, help her develop, and give her the environment and conditions for her possible development.You must not only care about your art, but also take care of your life partner.People performing on stage in the [-]th century are not comparable to performers in the previous century. He is much more nervous, has a much heavier workload, has a much more hectic life, and is more dependent on a good wife.Therefore, paying some attention to Mira (cultivation, rest, recreational activities...) is actually still for your art; although it is indirect, the impact and consequences are far beyond your imagination.First of all, you have to take your father's shortcoming - bad temper as a deep warning, and secondly, you can't expect Mira to be as docile as your mother.Among Western women, both your mother and I deeply feel that Mira has a good temper, you should be content and restrain yourself.The hearts of parents all over the world always hope that their children will live happier lives than themselves; as long as I have unshakable confidence in the union of the two of you once I leave this world, it will be a great reward in my life!
From November to next spring and February is the busiest period after you go to Britain, and it is also a critical time for you to come and go; the journey is hard, the performance is tiring, and it is inevitable that you will be nervous. I hope to control everything with the greatest patience, and I am always for the mission of this trip and the motherland. For the sake of honor and disgrace.I hope you can report to us next March with the double success of performance and temperament, then we will be so happy! — Relax, relax!Thoroughly relaxed and happy mentally, unhindered, will be the secret of your double victory this time!

The other question can't convince you all the time, but for your long-term benefit and future happiness, I have to nag you again.You have always hated material things and avoided talking about them; but you don’t know that avoiding talking about them does not solve the problem. To avoid the burden of material things, you can only overcome material things and control them. Let us know the general situation of income and expenditure, and help you make suggestions and arrange them properly. .Only by proper arrangement can we not be freed from material slavery.Those who are not good at financial management rarely do not suffer from money.Your mother and I have quite a lot of experience in this regard for your reference.If you are afraid of trouble, you might as well ask Mira to tell us in a letter.She is young and immature, as long as you encourage her from the side, she has never been unwilling to learn from us how to manage money.Sooner or later, you will have children. If you don’t prepare early, you will have to add performances to make up for it, which will not benefit your art.Secondly, Mira needs to study and spend more time with books, and she should be given time; currently there is only one maid [maid] who comes twice a week, which shows that Mira is still very busy with housework on weekdays.It is best to strive for it gradually, financially able to hire a maid who will help for half a day every day.Every summer vacation, I have to go out and have a complete rest for at least two weeks.All of these have to be well adjusted in terms of family income and expenditure, and a good plan can be made before it can be realized in half a year or a year.Of course the main thing is the actual execution rather than just the budget and plan on paper.It is also advisable to exercise restraint in buying records at any time, and buy them when they are new.I have always advocated reading scores more and listening to records less, which is more helpful to an artist like you.Reading scores is like playing the piano with urtext [German, that is, the original work], and listening to records is almost like using someone's edit [edited] score.What's more, I know that you may not always be a performer in ten or twenty years; assuming that you may develop in other directions, reading scores for a long time is also an excellent preparation.I plan for you with all my heart, whether for the present or for the future, especially for the future.You are busy and don't have time to analyze and think quietly; if I can plan and plan for you, so that you can still get some benefits from me after I die - the benefits of timely sowing, then I am very happy.

Your record company has not responded to your letter for a month. (It’s written according to the address and company number on the record case, isn’t it wrong?) Today I’ll write again and ask for it to be sent by air.Fortunately, there are only two films, which are light in weight and not expensive.The explanatory text about the performer on the back of the envelope, I have already mentioned it to you in the previous letter, please pay attention to it in advance in the future!

You have so many concerts this month, can you still write to us before your visit to the United States?During her visit to the United States and Australia, I hope that Mira will write more, and don't make us hopeless!
The LTC-28 letter once advised you to discuss with Mira how to arrange the income for visiting the United States and Australia before going to the United States.I hope that it can be implemented in earnest, and the plan must be implemented in earnest.You are not sensible enough with money, and you must always think of my example.If family expenses are not carefully checked at the end of each month, they will often go off the rails!We have used this method to adjust at home so far, so as not to make a deficit.

I hope to get some feedback from you on the issues discussed in the previous long letters.There are many things that I hardly talk to anyone except you.If it does not affect your work and rest, I really hope to read more of your long letters!
Dad late at night on October [-], [-]

(End of this chapter)