To the Editor:
Re “A Chestnut Stuck in Time: Nostalgia Stymies Fusion,” by Ethan Iverson (Arts & Leisure, Jan. 28), about “Rhapsody in Blue” at 100:
Mr. Iverson’s article saddles Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” with the task of not only changing music history (which it did) but also singularly overhauling Western music pedagogy. No artist in any medium could accomplish this, so I’m not sure why Mr. Iverson is holding poor Gershwin to this unrealistic standard.
What the article did do was make me listen to “Rhapsody in Blue,” twice, for the first time in about 20 years. Mr. Iverson finds the work “naïve and corny” — points he does not elaborate upon — but I was struck by what a formal miracle the piece is.
Like Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring,” written 11 years earlier, Gershwin’s “Rhapsody” holds together through the savvy repetition of varied and memorable material. While Stravinsky’s reiterations are fragments of Russian folk songs, Gershwin’s jazzish tunes keep returning in different forms, rewarding both casual and deep listening.
By calling the work “the best cheesecake,” Mr. Iverson aligns himself with a long line of critics who are quick to denigrate pleasure and valorize difficulty — truly a mode of thought that needs overhauling.
Christopher Cerrone
Jersey City, N.J.
The writer, a composer, is on the faculty in music composition at the Mannes School of Music, The New School.
To the Editor:
All this sniping and yapping at music! “Rhapsody in Blue” could be the soundtrack to one of the most romantic moments in your life, too, if you let it sweep you away.
It was a freezing cold night in January. Big fat snowflakes whipped through the air while the skyline surrounding Central Park stood in silent vigil as Gershwin’s music pierced that inky darkness, emanating from the speakers that ringed Wollman Rink.
My new boyfriend and I rented skates and joined the throng, at first tentatively circling, then with more vigor as the music propelled us. It felt as if we were flying — beneath the snowflakes and the stars — and look!
Over there’s Venus.
And over there, Mars.
Whenever I hear that glorious music, I’m instantly transported to that moment in time when his gloved hand held my gloved hand and the world was full of possibilities.
What I wouldn’t give for the chance to circle just once more, in the cold and the dark … enveloped by “Rhapsody in Blue” …
Christine Lavin
New York
The author is a singer-songwriter.
A Move to Impeach the Homeland Security Secretary
To the Editor:
Re “In Mayorkas Impeachment, Doubts Are Raised About His ‘High Crimes’” (news article, Feb. 1):
House Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee voted Wednesday to advance their impeachment articles against the homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, claiming that he has committed high crimes and misdemeanors in his handling of the Southern border. The controversial move would make Mr. Mayorkas the first cabinet secretary to be impeached in nearly 150 years.
Yet this is nothing more than another stunt to distract from the Republicans’ inability to govern. As you reported in December, “In 2023, the Republican-led House has passed only 27 bills that became law, despite holding a total of 724 votes.”
Republicans would prefer to campaign on immigration issues rather than pass real immigration reforms, under orders of their de facto leader, former President Donald J. Trump.
Benjamin Cook
Charlotte, N.C.
How Just Showing Up for Others Helps Us Heal
To the Editor:
Re “Two Lessons From an Ancient Text That Changed My Life,” by Sharon Brous (Opinion guest essay, Jan. 21):
A sincere thank you to Rabbi Brous for sharing an ancient practice in her essay, which reflects not only a deep understanding of the human psyche and spirit, but the importance of community as well.
The pilgrimage ritual she describes does indeed speak to our times when there is such a need to hold space for each other and our troubled hearts. All of us want to believe that we are not alone, that we are being seen and heard as we live through such tumultuous times. People who understand the concept of community express a desire to be there, in good times and bad. Just showing up, as this essay points out, helps people to get out of their own suffering and enter that of the other, which alleviates pain for all.
The concept of the “amen effect” really resonated with me as I, too, think that above all else, we need to make time to be present for each other’s stories of loss, change and suffering.
Asking “What happened to you?” and truly caring with “sincere, tender encounters that help us forge new spiritual and neural pathways by reminding us that our lives and our destinies are entwined” is clearly a step in the right direction that will bring us all hope for a better future.
Laurel E. Hilliker
Okemos, Mich.
The writer is a lecturer in grief and loss studies at the University of Michigan-Flint and the author of “Grief-Stricken: Stories of Altered Loss in a Pandemic Haze.”
To the Editor:
Rabbi Sharon Brous’s piece has to be one of the most magnificent, uplifting and edifying things I’ve read in mainstream media in I don’t know how long. Taking the notion of simply “showing up” to the levels of love and sacred responsibility serves as a rallying cry to those of us in need of healing and help as well as those able to help and heal.
These beautiful and life-affirming lessons from ancient Judaism are even more compelling when considered in light of the growing antisemitism at home and abroad. We can only hope that “relentless love” on our parts will one day help and heal those so eager to destroy the great tradition that brings us the beauty of such timeless wisdom.
(Rev.) Shaun S. Brown
San Diego
Slavery in French History
To the Editor:
Re “Will a New Tribute to the Enslaved Heal or Divide France?” (news article, Jan. 26):
As a historian of slavery and abolition, I would suggest that we remember the horrors of slavery as well as commemorate the Black and white abolitionists who fought against it. This should not be an either-or proposition. Both histories deserve to be told.
Manisha Sinha
Sturbridge, Mass.
The writer is a professor of history at the University of Connecticut and the author of “The Slave’s Cause: A History of Abolition.”
Printed Menus, Please!
To the Editor:
Re “From Small Plates to Small Type, Menus Spell Out How We Eat Now” (Food, Jan. 24):
It is great to see that restaurants across the country are still providing printed menus that are thought through and artistic. Our past dining experiences, mostly in the New York area, have been that we are often still provided with a QR code menu.
Maybe it is age-related, but there is nothing like reading a printed menu (over and over again if needed) as compared to reading the menu off your phone screen to choose what you’d like to eat or drink.
When we last asked for a printed menu, we were told that the correct prices were on the QR code menu, not the printed one.
I can understand that the QR code may be more cost-effective rather than reprinting new menus, but I find this post-Covid practice to be quite irking.
And to add to the mix, aren’t diners often on their phones too much anyway? Bring me a printed menu, please!
M. Jackson
Mamaroneck, N.Y.