Does all music created with instruments come from the nafsu? We encourage you to decide for yourself with this Youtube moment captured in March 2019, and described by SICA-USA Chair Hamilton Cheifetz thusly:
The sublime Andante from Mendelssohn’s Trio in D minor, performed by the Florestan Trio in Palo Alto, California on March 10, 2019. The musicians are Janet Guggenheim, Carol Sindell and Hamilton Cheifetz.
In my experience, when a piece of music is received, it makes me feel light. This piece does not. The same applies to the musicians. If they are made to play from their jiwa, it also makes me feel light. This also does not. Although it is a very nice piece of music. In the latihan, God is teaching us how to do everything that we need to do in our life from our jiwa. We can feel that we are being made to do it by our jiwa which is guided by the power of God. That is how we will live in the hereafter. We will not have a heart and mind or our lower forces in the hereafter. That is also how God wants us to live in this world. The only difference is that in this world we need to be able to do it while also using our heart and mind. The way to accomplish that is to make an intention before we do anything. Then our jiwa will move us to carry that out along with our nafsus and our heart and mind. So if we are playing an instrument, we will feel ourselves being made to play it. If we are singing a song, we will also feel ourselves being made to sing it. Or at least we will feel ourselves doing it with the feeling of the latihan. That’s what Bapak meant when he advised us to do the latihan diligently. Praise be to the One Almighty God. Amin!
Although Mendelssohn is not a composer I listen to regularly I did enjoy the piece.
I would like to mention also that I had an experience of hearing a beautiful piece
on the Classical FM station a few years back. This was remarkable for the “aliveness”
and skill with which it was played. When they announced the artists and piece it was
the same Florestan Trio. I am a fan.
I think this is a very lovely piece of music. But if I was a non-subud member looking at this website, I would wonder, “What is Nafsu?” . I ask myself as I read this, “is this what we want to present to the world? The music is for the world. The Title is for Subud Members only. What are we trying to present and for whom? – The world or for Subud Members only?
Rosetta, perhaps a glossary of Subud terms would be helpful. Some English words do not do justice for the concepts we use in Subud from the Indonesian. Anyone up for creating a glossary, or has this been done?
In my experience when a review is received, it makes me feel light. This review does not. The same applies to the reviewers….blah, blah, blah…..