The Role of Celebration in Art to Make a Good Life

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To live a happy life, a person needs to attain an admiration for the world in which he/her lives. To live a truly 'good' life, one should channel this admiration into something palpable, in order to assist in others' celebration. Each generation that celebrates this earth makes it easier for future generations to do so. While financial and physical assistance to those less fortunate is, of course, admirable, those less fortunate have hearts that need to be fed as well as stomachs, if they are to attain 'good' lives as well.

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Music is an essential part of my personal happiness, but this happiness is shallow if not shared with others. "We... wanted to help kids that were left orphaned and homeless, to give them back their smiles" states Emilia Diaz Chaves, of the Creole Choir of Cuba. While initially, one might consider tangible donations the best form of truly valuable charity, music can be shared in limitless quantities to limitless populations.

The experience of a notable performance will stay with the onlookers for as long as they can remember, and it will provide nourishment regardless of this less fortunate soul's conditions. Knowing this, the members of the Creole Choir of Cuba strive to make each performance as memorable as possible, and to touch as many hearts as they can. In this way, they've both achieved personal celebration and instrument that can be used in future celebrations.

Leonard Bernstein's performance of 'Ode to Freedom' is the epitome of this musical celebration.

With the original words, Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' is the conclusion of his 9th (and final) symphony. This symphony is unique in itself in that it contains notable themes and motives from his other works, and could be considered a celebration of one of the most notable times in classical music. With the splendor already inherent in this symphony, the additional declaration of freedom (as well as the recent victory and cause for celebration) enhanced this celebratory finale immensely. While the freedoms of the citizens of Berlin weren't altered by this per-formance, the significance of these freedoms certainly was. If these freedoms one day face oppo- sition, this celebration can only strengthen the ideals of the citizens.

During my visit to the Harn, I came across another demonstration of celebration, though in a more controversial form. I was taken with Lachiase's Woman on a Couch, a bronze depic- tion of his wife, Isabel, reclined on a couch, holding a book. The figure contains exaggerated fea- tures, including the shoulders, breasts, hips, and thighs. Her calves remain femininely small, and she is formed in a pair of women's shoes and knee-high tights. "You are the goddess I search to express in all things,” Lachiase says to explain a form that most women would find an unat- tractive depiction. This unconventionality of form achieves celebration best of all, for it encou- rages people (of both genders), to find comfort, sensuality, and regality in their own forms. Lachiase reminds us that one cannot control how others perceive, and one doesn't know what others will choose to celebrate.

Celebration is, without a doubt, essential to the good life. Those that seek the good life should note significant celebrations that have previously occurred (successfully) and follow these examples. While the aforementioned mediums (music and art) are clearly successful, there is no limit to the forms that celebration can take. Above all else, celebration should always be shared, for personal happiness does little good if it does nothing to aid in the happiness' of others.

References

"Creole Choir of Cuba." University of Florida Performing Arts. 26 FEB 2013: Print. <http://performingarts.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/UFPA_CreoleChoir_program.pdf>.