Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto

This is the second post inspired by Beethoven piano sonatas.

I have already discussed my pleasure with Allegretto, ma non troppo, now we turn to another goodie: Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto.

Adagio means slowly and suggests and emotional reading – though again we have that limitation of ‘not too much’ attached to it.

And then we are told it’s with feeling and tenderness. 

It seems to me this is a great counterbalance to our modern lives where we rush around too much.

Where we try to multi-task and get stuff done.

Where we use planes, trains and automobiles to rush from one place to another. 

So when did you last consciously slow down, not too much, but connected with your feelings and your tenderness?

Isn’t this exactly the same place that our creativity resides? 

Our creativity does not live within the noise, the hustle and the constant doing.

Our creativity resides in slowing down, getting in touch with our feelings and focussing on where we feel a certain tenderness.

If we don’t allow ourselves this time and space, from time to time, we get further and further away from our creative impulses. 

Now the qualifier ‘ma non troppo’ reminds us that we can’t do this too much – otherwise we would never get anything done.

We’d forever be lost in our creative fog.

We do have bills to pay, and people to connect with, and things that need doing out there in the world. So we can’t lose ourselves entirely to the Adagio con affetto.

But a little bit, here and there, carving out and claiming space for this to happen.

That’s where the magic starts – and continues to happen. 

Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto.

I’m going to nominate it as the new ‘Hakuna Mattata’ as the slogan to gather ourselves behind.

And if anyone asks what you’re doing you can tell them Beethoven told you to do it.