Suzuki and "Beautiful Tone : Beautiful Heart"

Home Is Where The Heart Is

In his book “Conversations With Arrau”, Joseph Horovitz asks the pianist Claudio Arrau about his thoughts on music education. Arrau is clear that in his ideal conservatoire for the developing musician he’d recommend just two compulsory subjects - dance and psychoanalysis.

Arrau was one of those master pianists whose playing captured and enraptured me as a teenager not only through his ability to approach those great works of the piano repertoire with such penetrating insight but also because the unfolding of these sublime interpretations was inseparable from the unmistakable sound he made. Even in his recordings of the Liszt Transcendental Etudes there’s not so much as a hint of the “clang clang” we can so often hear these days as the potential for a series of beautifully sculpted sounds merely descends into a list of accurately executed notes. Arrau seems to have known that of which Dr Suzuki spoke so often - “beautiful tone - beautiful heart”.

This parlance is wonderful - it leaves us with a sense of knowing what it means without giving away it’s secret. As adults, we have to let the sense of what it means seep in and as part of that process invite ourselves to form new perspectives and experience new sensations. As adults, most of us need to be aware that as we try to learn, often we don’t notice the very thing that would help us on our way. For whatever reason, sometimes we do our best not to become conscious of certain things, yet if only we could see what we were obscuring it would deepen our insight.

So, how many of us have really spent more than a moment with this phrase “beautiful tone - beautiful heart”? Ever been inspired to draw a picture about it? Ever written a poem or a story about it?

Not so very long long ago, Jack lived with his Aunt Rhody in a small apartment. One day, the postman’s delivery brought the usual bundle of bills and other burdens but among these was a letter that caught his attention. It contained the news that he had been “given” a plot of land and there was an offer to go and view the land whenever he wanted. Full of wonder, he paused for thought - he had wanted to build his own house for as long as he could remember and had always known that one of the biggest conundrums was finding the right place and the right time to do it. Maybe this was a kindly nudge to let him know that now was the right time. So knowing that things like this did sometimes happen and still not quite believing it, he made arrangements to go and have a look.

Arriving “on site” Jack was struck by how well managed the whole place was. Everything had been thought through and the results were astonishing. There were several houses under construction - some quite advanced and others less so, but in every case it was obvious that keen design and planning had taken into account the best aspect for each house so that once they were built, there wouldn’t be any need to add ugly extensions or even rebuild in order to make the most of the location. Equally amazing was that the houses seemed to compliment the land they were on. This was the overriding feel of the whole place - something natural had been included in the community design from the very outset - everything was balanced and as he looked around the twenty or so plots, Jack soon realized that every house had a garden too - that wonderful arena where nature meets culture. He knew that building his own house and making it his home would be a huge undertaking and it was important not to rush, but a quick visit to this remarkable place told him all he needed to know. These were such beautiful houses, a degree of care and nurturing had been built into their design - so different from most traditional new builds he’d seen. Something about this place resonated with Jack and uniquely, it was encouraging him to take all the time he needed to build his house.

Straight away Jack made enquiries about making a start. It took a while for him to realize that the land he had seen was now his. No one seemed quite sure where these plots of land came from in the first place and whilst there were rumours about a wise old Japanese man who used to visit sometimes, he’d not been seen for years now. On site, whomever he spoke to about developing his ideas always said the same thing - “go and visit some houses that are under construction - go and observe”.  This he did, visiting many different houses and seeing them at many different stages of development.  He soon got a much clearer sense of what would be involved - there was a lot to consider and a lot get on with! Jack had thought he knew exactly how he wanted his house to be, but seeing all these quite exceptional houses on site, he was inspired to look at it all again and differently. It dawned on him that he could give free reign to his insights and imagination, indeed he was encouraged to do so in the secure knowledge that provided he managed to track them down, all the skills he needed to complete his project would be at his disposal. Managers, architects and designers would all be there to help with the planning, whilst many skilled craftsmen and women - brick layers, plasterers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, roofers - would be there to help with the house itself.  These skills were all needed and an integral part of the finished product. How exciting to know that this opportunity offered the chance to actually realize something that had until now just remained an inner experience or dream for Jack. What’s more, there would be no need for any of that “do it yourself” learning new skills at the top of a ladder with a dozen nails between your teeth, a chisel in one hand and a cordless power tool in the other!

It took about three and a half or four years before the building work was ready to begin. Jack had found a wonderful project manager to oversee the building project and learnt to trust her advice. She explained that he was not to look on with great expectation too far ahead of the very first project which would be laying the foundations of the house. As laying these foundations seemed to take forever, this was quite a test of their relationship since Jack wanted nothing more than to enjoy the finished property, to see the lights go on and that healthy glow of approval from friends, family and neighbours at what had been accomplished. He soon learned that in this community, people were only too happy to show their appreciation for the building so far. They knew only too well how important this first task was and didn’t judge his project because it was apparently slow but rather offered him help and assistance and made sure he was happy with the process. So in the end, he didn’t stand there on site with folded arms, looking at his watch and getting inwardly irritated whenever there was a delay or problem but rather Jack realised that he could let himself enjoy the process of laying these foundations - after all, if it’s done well it will only have to be done once.

Spring came with first buzzing honeybees and the distant call of a cuckoo. The foundations were laid and Jack could share the footprint of his new home with the neighbours - they came round and everyone celebrated with something of a party. They were only too pleased to come and see the bare concrete base structure and there was so much support for how things were developing and in equal measure, many wonderful and insightful suggestions as to how he might proceed. Although Jack had been very nervous and uncertain as to how things were going, he slept soundly that night feeling happy that everyone had responded so positively to this beginning. That night he dreamt about a wise old Japanese man and awoke somewhat startled thinking that he’d heard a doorbell ringing - but there was no one there!

During the next phase of building, progress was a lot easier to see as the bricklayers built walls that the plasterers rendered and the carpenters slung beams on which the roofers roofed. Jack visited every day and marvelled at the skill of these craftsmen and women. Everything looked so perfect and yet so effortless - how many bricks had they laid to develop such skill? How many walls had they rendered? - not too wet and not too dry - not too much plaster and not too little and always so smooth and beautiful finished. He spoke at length to one of the roofers about this who told him about the ten thousand times you have to do anything before you really know it well and that although we call these ten thousand times, repetitions, there is a great difference between our first attempt and our ten thousandth. If you want to master a skill, you have to experience this. Jack thought and thought again about all this - there was a lot to understand. He came to appreciate that he couldn’t be an expert at everything but that he could trust and communicate regularly with the project manager. In her hands the quality of the building works was maintained and all those skills afoot were reliably contributing to his emerging house.

By now, in his minds eye, Jack could actually see what his house would look like and forgetting how much he’d enjoyed the slow process of laying the foundations his thoughts ever increasingly turned to the finished house and what it would be like to live in. Jack wanted to choose furniture and paint colours, surfaces and light fixtures and to move in as soon as possible and have done with the endless building works. His project manager knew otherwise. She explained (very patiently!) that they hadn’t even got the first fix wiring and plumbing done yet and that his “moving in” as some kind of end point to the project was ill-conceived; these things take time! By all means have another party and invite the neighbours but remember some of them have been through this process and are now living in their houses - take care to listen to what they tell you. This he did and at great length Jack’s neighbours explained that the feel of a house, the furniture and paint colours, surfaces and light fixtures are not something you just invent. A part of what makes these more finished houses feel so ideal is that they have all evolved - they reflect the people whose lives are lived in them. Discover what it is at the heart of your house, unearth what it is important for you to do to make your house feel like home and always remember that in this undertaking you have never finished.

It was around this time that Jack realised there was something more he needed to grasp. He had engaged with a very insightful house building programme that had provided him with so many resources to make his house as well designed, built and located as possible. But if Jack wanted his house to have some of that wonderfully vital feeling that made houses in this community feel so harmonious, then he would have to accept that the design was not everything but just a necessary ingredient. Jacks house - his home - would ultimately have to reflect who he was and how he chose to live.

A restlessness crept into Jack’s world at around this time. There was no easy way to be sure about how the house might turn out now. It was as if he had come face to face with his own reflection. Although uncertain about how to go on with the building, he determined that the best thing he could do was to steer an honest course. At night, dream followed dream upon dream. Old dreams mixed with new dreams as kings, warriors, magicians and lovers spoke and spilt their wisdom nightly. Jack became more and more anxious. He would fight with his Aunt Rhody over nothing and even fight with his project manager about how to proceed with the project. Even worse was that Jack would fight with himself over every decision that concerned his new house. He knew he was missing something but he couldn’t see what it was. Then, after many weeks and months there came a special dream, so real and clear that it could not be forgotten.

There was a house, a magnificent house with a magic fountain in front of it and an ancient garden behind. In the garden was a beautiful pool where the animals from the forest would often come and drink - the lion and the fox, the snake and the goat, the raven, the lark and the cuckoo. It was winter and inside the house the doorbell sang greetings from a friendly visitor. Jack opened the door and there on the doorstep was an old Japanese man. The two men bowed to each other and as they did so Jack caught a feeling of radiance from his visitor whose whole body seemed to glow with a noble warmth and friendliness from his heart to his smile. Jack showed his guest the house but just as he was about to finish, the Japanese man took Jack by the hand and led him to a little room he’d never seen before. Here there was a set of stairs that went down into a very large and inviting kitchen.  This room was much older than the rest of the house with a stone floor and big old wooden tables covered with pots for cooking in. Although they were now in a basement, there was a large window and just beyond the glass, bathed in moonlight was the garden. As it was night, many animals had come out from the darkness of the forest to drink from the beautiful pool and some, sensing Jacks gaze upon them, were coming ever closer to the house. Then suddenly Jack was looking back into the room - the place where cooking was done. The heat came from a huge fireplace and the glow from the flames warmed the whole house. On these flames, pots of raw meat and bitter juices were transformed into the most delicious food imaginable. Fish and golden loafs of bread had been set on the hearth ready for eating and the fire, contained by this exquisite stone surround, seemed to be alive, warm and radiating a friendly invitation to step forwards and dance with the flames. In a timeless moment, Jack looked at the old Japanese man whose eyes conveyed so much. Then, knowing that Jack had seen what he had come to show him, he bowed and set off up the stairs leaving Jack by the fire. As he was about to turn the corner the old Japanese man spoke: “beautiful home - beautiful hearth”

Copyright 2009 (Graham Rix)