For composer and pianist Elinor Remick Warren, date of birth 23rd February, 1900, music was an inextricable Ji part of her family life.

Her talent for creating melody was discovered by her mum when Elinor sat as a toddler beside her at the piano keyboard. Later on, Elinor’s second husband made certain that their children fully understood that their mother’s creativity was almost never to be challenged, jokingly warning them: “Only if you break a leg may you interrupt your mother when she’s composing.”

Like Indonesia’s great women’s rights pioneer, R A Kartini, Warren’s life of almost nine decades of unique achievement in music began and was sustained in having a family that understood and protected her.

Warren’s major symphonic composition for orchestra, The Legend of King Arthur, had been brewing in her mind since her days at the Westlake School when she heard a teacher read from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Idylls of the King. “I was so (mesmerized and) thrilled with that part of it called ‘The Passing of Arthur,’ It just took hold of me, and I knew I wanted to set it to music.”

In the perhaps semi historical world of King Arthur, the legendary king ruled via consultation with his knights at a round table in their seat of government at Camelot.

How close has the modern world in which Elinor Warren lived come to ever having a real Camelot?

I see many possibilities:

Either Roosevelt? Bob Menzies? Bung Karno?

The imaginative kingdoms of any or all of Hank or Frank or Elvis or John, Paul, George and Ringo?

Jackie’s fabled husband?

Bob Dylan’s literary conquest of the comparative inanities of rock ‘n roll with Bringing It all Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde?

Van Morrison’s one man spiritual renaissance conceived out of tussles with contractual conflicts in old Belfast but reborn in New York to the catacombs of the century’s sound of freedom as Astral Weeks?

Joni Mitchells sublime totally female emotional triumph on Blue?

The many spirits inspired by Iwan Fals and Kantata Takwa’s triumphal hymn against tyranny, Kesaksian?

Gough Whitlam? The Gipper? Gus Dur? Jokowi? The Donald?

Arthur was probably a legend but the above figures were definitely real.

The true human spirit needs its life of dreams.

It is where we find ourselves.

Warren said of the creative process she needed to do her work: “How can one listen to the inner voice except in aloneness?”

Remick Warren was a truly beautiful woman, mother and composer.

Geoff Fox, 23rd February, 2023, Terra Australis

In this post, I seek to create Kebersamaan (common ground) between the thoughts today of two priests, with some of my own thoughts and two 1930’s images.

If Francis Assisi really did write or say, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.“ then he could have been talking about Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times”, a predominantly silent film with a little talking made 5 or more years after the Silent Era had ended. (Modern Times was released on this date, February 5, in 1936)

Father Grant Edgeco bymbe this morning added the ideas: “Be Salt. Be light. Share a joke.” to tell his congregation of some ways to live out the “Preach the Gospel ……… Use words if necessary.“ maxim. Being salt could have a multitude of meanings since salt has many uses: seasoning for food, preservative of fish and cleaning the teeth were three which Father Grant mentioned. And he cracked some really good jokes before and after the service.

At a time of trouble in my own life Father Grant’s lived commitment, in The Word, to helping people laugh has been a blessing to me.

Later this morning, “Faith is relational.” said Father Michael Bowie in his homily in his national heritage church across a large city park on the same side of town: for me, faith becomes about who we are when we are together and, in his deeply and gloriously traditional 176 years old church, Father Michael explained that those in the church need to “be refreshed in who we are.”

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This image of Paulette Goddard was from the front cover of Cinegraf magazine, published in Argentina in 1935

I believe that modern life, especially in the cities, often leaves people flat, dulled and out of touch with their own true selves.

In the “Modern Times” story, there was a series of troubled adventures before Chaplin as the tramp and his co-star Paulette Goddard, as Ellen Peterson “The Gamin”, could find a fresh life together.

(In real life Chaplin started dating Goddard in 1932. They lived as man and wife from 1936 to 1942.)

After many misadventures, the movie finished with the laughing image of two good friends.

Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard having fun together.

God Bless Freedom. In Modern And All Times.

God Bless Friendship.

God Bless Loving Care.

Geoff Fox, 5th January, 2023, Down Under

Pope Francis was born on this date, 17th December,

On his 78th birthday he made a statement which I see as a wonderful example of the Islamic principle Amar Makhruf Nahi Mungkar (Participate in what’s good and avoid what’s wrong.)

Alhamdulillah.

Geoff Fox, 17th December, 2022, Down Under