A Touch of Sadness
I've always loved music and since becoming an emotionally focused therapist, I can't think of anything better to communicate the experience of an emotion than music! Yesterday I was learning a new song for the piano, an arrangement of a piece by Russian composer, Alexander Borodin, called "Nocturne". In the description of the piece, it's called "a haunting love song without words" and upon hearing the song, I totally agree with that description! Interestingly, with this song and other love songs, I notice a combination of happiness AND sadness in the feeling of the music. Have you ever noticed this?
It's a truth about love that we are taking a risk by letting someone into our heart; a risk that creates great joy and also leaves us vulnerable, and on some level we know the sadness of losing that person (or animal!) as soon as we love them. It seems an important truth captured by love songs that you cannot have the joy of loving without the sadness of loss and vice versa. Embracing both the joys and sadness of loving is key to being truly present to the full experience!
If you have about 8 minutes, check out one of these recordings of Borodin's Nocturne on YouTube and you'll hear exactly what I mean!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTtyBJTstVk - A rare orchestral performance of the piece - it's usually played as a string quartet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqjLHbSy6Pg - A beautiful string quartet version of the piece
Thanks for reading!