Pleasure in Craft. The Germans

The Germans like to do things well and feel pleasure in their craft. It comes out in everything they do. They are far away from this utilitarian attitude typical of the Anglo-Saxons, who work hard but most of the time have practical goals in mind, money and commerce being not seldom among them.

We will not mention the somewhat revealing episode (I do hope I recall well) of Heinrich Heine - one of German greatest Romantic poets - and his totally puzzled reaction the first time he visited London in the first half of the 19th century, such a great city London (at that time the more powerful place in the world) though in his view an exclusively trade-oriented centre, which kind of disgusted him.

Neither we want to get deep into the concept that concentrating so often on practical stuff only, while it can surely provide tremendous intervention power (it really does) it can nonetheless narrow human experience, which has much richer potentials.

Pretty nice opposition, the German and the British, providing such a complicated insight on the German soul of Europe (not only German soul, but I do not want to be repetitive). An opposition that has undone Europe. Well, ok, today we won’t plunge into that.
Here just 3 exemplifications that can illustrate what we mean about the Germans.

I. Minimum ex. ComputerBild, a PC magazine also translated for the Italian market. Inexpensive (only 1.5 Euros here), highly reliable, extremely rich with meticulous analyses, a small instance of handicraft devotion in a market, the publishing market, where garbage is increasingly dominating.

II & III. Maximum exs. Cars made in Germany (above a 1999 Porsche 996 Carrera Cabriolet, picture being taken from here) or the outstanding Deutsches Museum in Munich, Bavaria (Museum of Masterpieces in Science and Technology).

As far as the third ex., apart from the term masterpieces, which already implies a lot, here practically everything - from small-scale models to entire huge reconstructions (i.e. reconstructions of underground coal mines and all the technology involved) - was fondly manufactured in touching laboratories where artisans, some of them advanced in age, work(ed) with so much devotion and amore. Of course, models are one thing, real machinery - small and enormous aeroplanes, entire ships etc. - another totally (and impressive) thing at the Deutsches Museum.

Well, what is incredible here is that almost any kind of machines, plus theoretical (and factual) models so various, plus tons of other astonishing stuff can be watched, analysed (and admired) in this awe-inspiring Institution, one of the best places in Europe for Science and Technology (maybe in the world? Well, American Science Museums and Science centres are pretty impressive too, but I am not capable of fruitful comparisons, not being my job).

Here, S&T are obviously seen as potent tools capable of diminishing hunger, making life easier etc. This of course is so important, do not misunderstand me. Nonetheless, S&T are also seen with a work-of-art approach involving the above-mentioned devotional attitude, which is a totally different thing. Yes, it is a totally different thing. I have little doubts about it.
How about you?

It is this quality, among others, this pleasure of doing everything so well, that finally makes the Germans excellent engineers and, I would say, outstanding constructors of no matter what.

Two associative examples, if you please:
1) they are constructors of absolutely breathtakingly complex musical structures (where minds not well equipped can easily get lost, or bored, which is exactly the same thing).
2) They are constructors of equally breathtakingly complex philosophical buildings, the deepest in the West (where one gets even more easily lost, unfortunately).

So, what the hell is their secret then? I do not know, why the hell do you think I know… well, ok, among other virtues, I might guess they are endowed with patience, calm and inflexible perseverance. Plus this great capacity of toiling (and suffering) in silence, an imprint of true force and indubitable courage.

PS
I wonder why India has always attracted me, though probably it is too late to seriously delve into that much diverse and impenetrable depth. The depth you find in the beautiful eyes of many Indian women, both terribly sweet and unfathomable, where I could really (and hopelessly) lose my mind…

Neapolitans & the Immense Quiet Shoemaker

Italian musicologist Massimo Mila was from Turin (northern Italy, under the Alps) and adhered to the great philosophical school founded by Neapolitan Benedetto Croce. This school engendered a large number of high-level intellectuals and dominated the Italian intellectual scene for more than half a century: Piero Gobetti, Antonio Gramsci, Nicola Abbagnano, Attilio Momigliano, Massimo Mila, Giulio Confalonieri ecc. this list being very long (Giovanni Gentile, another influent Italian philosopher of that period being instead Croce’s peer, and Sicilian).

I told you Neapolitan Greek cousins of Rome were full of surprises: wonder why they had some excellent philosophers and why southern-Italy thinkers like Croce (and Gentile) had this special connection with the Germans.

Mila, anyway, in his inspired Breve storia della musica (Einaudi 1963 p. 144) writes about German Johann Sebastian Bach, the greatest western composer in my view:

“His immense musical production was put together with assiduous, methodical, quiet work, carried out with scrupulous care of artisan and conceived, without any pause, as service of God. Without any pause since, if Bach had been a shoemaker, he would have made a boundless number of shoes to the great glory of God, all carefully crafted and finished off with scrupulous care”.

Discussion with readers

Very interesting comments (in my view) have sprung from this post on Germany and the Germans. If you click down on “comments” you’ll follow holistic in-depth (though man-of-the-street’s) discussions between two lovely Indians and Man of Roma. Indians: Ashish especially, a young gifted man, and Poonam, a sweet woman who talks little but her words have weight.

Discussion about what? Well, about: Bollywood, India, Europe, America, UK, WW1, WW2, decline of Europe, German tremendous virtues, Indian women’s eyes, China, Cindia, Great Britain’s awesome success, highly refined & beloved France, Hitler’s folly and death in bunker, Hitler’s perverted sadism, Hitler’s evil psychological seducing powers, German tragedy, Italian Comedy, Mussolini and Fascism. Mussolini, his balls & his petty calculations, plus comparisons between the British the Germans the Russians the Romans (of course), the French, the Spaniards. Plus Elisabeth I, Shakespeare & Spanish Armada defeat, Russia invading Germany thirsty for blood, Tolstoy’s War and Piece greatness, Napoleon, the Brits’ greatness in some ways similar to Romans’ greatness, UK as trojan horse of Europe, and much much more.

One friend of mine just said: “This is crazy!”
I provided no answer.

PS
Let us first enjoy this J.S. Bach’s Toccata und Fuge BWV 565 played by Hans-Andre Stamm on the famous Trost organ in Waltershausen, Germany (have a look here). It is a very famous piece of music and I’d prefer other ones by Bach. But it is good for starting to appreciate a totally new spiritual world of sounds. Most of the time Toccatas are not as deep as Fuges.
Up to you to guess which is which.

Let us finally compare the majestic piece linked above with this electric-guitar improvisation by Lonn, a refined French man and guitarist of Towersound French band. He’s improvising on the above Toccata only, though improvisations being tricky, up to you to figure out if he sticks to the Toccata only.

Two last things. A. I met this French band just now on YouTube, so I do not know their value (the impro seeming to me decent enough though, and the French accent of the player absolutely delightful). B. Silly purists have absolutely no home in my virtual Neverland.

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