7. R. Karl Paulnack

Dr.Karl Paulnack’s

Music – The Hope Raiser SUMMARY:

Introduction

     Dr. Karl Paulnack, Pianist and Director of the music division at The Boston Conservatory (University of Music) is hailed as the Firecracker of a Pianist and Master of his instrument by The Boston globe, the famous American daily. He has partnered in nearly a thousand concerts. This lesson is the fantastic welcome address given by him to the parents of the incoming students at The Boston on September 1, 2004.

Music as a career

     Dr. Paulnack feels his parents feared that if he chose music as his career, society would not appreciate him. Being good in mathematics and science, he had very good grades (marks) and they thought that he would do better as a doctor or a research chemist or an engineer. When he revealed his decision to apply to music, they were not clear about its value or function. Society has classified music as part of art and entertainment. According to him serious music is the opposite of entertainment.

How music really works

     Dr. Paulnack says that the Greeks clearly expressed in words how music really works. Ancient Greeks said that music and astronomy were the two sides of the same coin. Astronomy was seen as the study of relationships between observable, permanent, external objects and music was seen as the study of relationships between invisible, internal hidden objects. Paulnack claims that music has a way of finding the invisible moving pieces inside the hearts and souls and helping us understand ourselves.

Art, a part of human spirit:

     Dr. Paulnack refers to the touching story of Oliver Messiaen who composed one of the most famous master works in „repertoire‟. He was a prisoner of war in a German prisoner of war-camp in 1940. This 31 year old Frenchman composed his quartet for a cellist, a violinist and a clarinetist, who were fellow prisoners. In 1941 the music was played for the four thousand prisoners there and became famous. This instance shows that music was created even in Nazi camps where starvation, beating and torture curshed the prisoners, body and spirit. Not one enthusiastic oliver Messiaen, but even in concentration camps many people created art. These were the places where people were people were focused on survival. The camps were without money, recreation or hope but not without art. It is because art is part of survival. Art is part of the human spirit which expresses who we are, and that we are alive and our lives have meaning.

Music, a way to express feelings:

     Dr. Paulnack was in Manhattan when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre, New York were destroyed by terrorists. It happened on September 11, 2001. The next day, he sat to play the piano as it was his daily routine. But his mind was clouded by uncertainty. He felt that playing music soon after the sorrowful event was irrelevant and irreverent. He did not play the piano that day. He even thought he would never play again. But on the very evening of September 11th, he saw people singing around fire houses, we shall overcome and America the Beautiful. The first organized public event was a concert with the New York Philharmonic. Military brought security but the hope to live and the will to go on were given by music.

Music is a basic need of human survival:

     From these experiences, Dr.Paulnack realized that music is not just entertainment or pastime. Music is the basic need for human survival. Music gives meaning to our lives, gives expression to our feelings and makes our hearts understand when our minds fail us.

Music, the Ultimate way to peace:

     As a teacher of music Dr. Paulnack asks his students not only to master music but also to save the earth with it. Military force or religion has failed to bring peace. True peace can be achieved only through music. In the concentration camps or in the evening of 9/11, only the artists helped people in bringing order in their internal, invisible lives



All the best........