"Few
people knew of the greatness she achieved then, of the nobility
and inner development as she discovered new strength and vision
within herself even as her body became her prison. It is a comforting
half-true legend about multiple sclerosis, that the sufferer is
enveloped by a quiet serenity and happiness which copes with the
illness. But we cannot deny the frustration, the bitterness, the
enormous anger which could and did erupt during her log night of
suffering. It was balanced by her humour, by her compassionate work
for fellow sufferers and her continuing joy for life. Jackie had
a unique place in our lives because she belonged to that rare group
of individuals who blessed the world."
-
Rabbi Friedlander, Eulogy for Jacquline du Pré
A celebrated
cellist who made the Elgar
Cello Concerto famous beyond words, Jacqueline du Pré
(1945-1987) has influenced and inspired the world over by her life
and contributions to the classical genre of music.
Admittedly,
there are a number of biographies and accounts of Jackie's life.
I have only chosen these two biographies for the following reasons.
Wilson's biography of Jackie is one of her musical achievements,
because Wilson was a close friends of Jackie, and she was actually
'commissioned' by Jackie's husband to do this biography. The other
one, was an obvious choice, being written by Jackie's siblings,
and was the basis for the movie, Jackie and Hilary.
Elizabeth
Wilson was approached by Daniel Barenbiom (Jackie's husband) in
1988 to write the cellist's biography. Ten years later, a fully
researched and highly detailed account of Jacqueline du Pré's
musical achievement was made available to the world. A fellow cellist
and a good friend of Jackie for more than twenty years, Wilson's
chronicle is a very objective view of her lifetime's achievements.
She establishes Jackie's experiences 'in relation to the times she
lived through', and supplies the context and background of her accomplishments'.
The major difference between this biography and that of the du Pré
siblings, is that while Wilson concentrates on portraying Jackie
as a musician in her own right, the du Pré siblings offered
their sister as a human being, honest and fallible, without the
aura of being a 'legend' that Wilson has suggested throughout her
writings.
I particularly
found her impartial tone helpful in maintaining the professional
stature of Jackie, without gushing too much of her being an immortal
unto her right. Wilson in doing so gave Jackie the right amount
of dignity and respect. Unlike many biographers who build and overemphasise
their friendship with the person whose life they are celebrating,
Wilson actually mentions very little of herself and Jackie. An unprejudiced
and somewhat detached tone permeates throughout the book, and Wilson
does not capitalise on her relationship with Jackie in any way.
 Ironically,
Hilary and Piers du Pré's version of Jackie's life would
not have come about had it not been for Elizabeth Wilson. Wilson
had approached them to discuss Jackie's life and had allocated them
a chapter in the above-mentioned biography, but the siblings felt
that one chapter was scarcely enough to 'talk about' their memories
of their sister. Originally written by hand and starting off as
"To my dearest mum…", the memoir soon took longer
than a letter to mum and become a heart-felt work of love by the
two siblings in remembrance of Jacqueline.
Jackie's
talents and intuition were never doubted by anyone in the beginning
and the memoirs and biographies show this is true to the very last
letter. Hilary recalls how, even at age thirteen, Jackie - after
being given the score of the Elgar concerto, could one and a half
days later play the entire first movement and half of the second
from memory, and brilliantly so. This stunned Bill Pleet, her 'cello
daddy'.
 From
the du Prés' memoirs, we are given a more intimate view of
Jackie's life and passion. Of Jackie's passionate playing which
always involved excessive swaying, Pablo Casals once retorted, "Don't
you dare criticise this girl! Can't you see her playing comes from
the her heart and her movements are part of the whole?"
Included
in the du Pré siblings' memoir are clips of reviews, both
good and bad ones, that Jackie received throughout her lifetime.
The following extract is just one example.
"…she
is divine. At twenty she inhabits the lofty world of the few supreme
artists. As soon as she started playing this very quiet and very
English work (the Elgar concerto) a rapt and unprecedented silence
descended over the Carnegie Hall audience. Afterward, tears were
to be seen in many eyes. "It restores your faith", a
man behind me muttered."
-
Bernard Jacobson, Music & Musicians
Both
Hilary and Piers also show us very honest and revealing thoughts
and comments throughout the memoirs. Since the focus of the entire
family was on Jackie most of the time, it was needless to say that
at some point or other, everyone would feel left out. The need to
be recognised was very strong, and Hilary and Piers fell victim
to this, even their father. Piers and his father found themselves
increasingly isolated from the girls, as both felt left out of the
music-making, though both were extremely proud of Jackie at all
times.
Jackie's
love for Hilary's husband is one sensitive issue discussed at lengths
here. Hilary, being brutally honest, shares with us her feelings
and emotions as the family struggled to cope with Jackie's.
There
is a tone of warmth and intimacy that cannot be replicated by any
means. Those who have enjoyed the movie based on the book will be
surprised. It is uncomparable and words cannot describe the difference
in the experience of watching the film and reading the memoirs.
 At
the end of the book, the illness that eventually took Jackie's life
is discussed with in-depth references from medical experts. Perhaps
this is one aspect that I feel, the movie has portrayed excellently.
Viewing the film a second time, I felt that it did a great job in
depicting Jackie's sense of loss and misery in losing her ability
to play the cello. One could vividly see life being literally drained
out of du Pré's hands.
LEFT:
Jacqueline du Pré: The Concerto Collection, a 4-disc tribute
featuring her recordings of works by Elgar, Dvorak, Haydn, Boccherini,
Delius, Schumann, R.Strauss and more. Available on EMI CMS5
67341-2.
The
entire memoir is a heartwarming and poignant remembrance of a sister
they once had, and will always cherish. Accompanied by a very detailed
discography that lists every available recording that has Jacqueline
du Pré in it, readers will no doubt be persuaded to buy a
number of them to accompany the touching and wildly unforgettable
story of Jacqueline du Pré.
Zubin
Mehta said it best when he was addressing an audience at a thanksgiving
ceremony commemorating du Pré in 1988:
"I
can't continue to read what I've written. Everything I want to
say can be told in this story. Recently, I was conducting the
Elgar concerto in New York. Toward the end of the third movement,
I just couldn't conduct anymore. The cellist looked up and said,
'You're thinking of her, aren't you?' 'Yes', I replied. The thought
of Jackie playing with me in London for the last time in 1973
completely overwhelmed me. At that point I knew I could never
conduct the Elgar again. There was no one like Jackie and no one
could replace her. There is nothing else I can say. There is nothing
else to be said."
Mehta
never conducted the Elgar again.
DAVID
CHEW has finally fulfilled his dream of contributing to the
immortalisation of Jackie.
880:
16.4.2001 © David Chew
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