Contrapuntal is the work of a sophisticated, mature poet. Carol Hamilton, Poet Laureate of Oklahoma, 1995-1997, brings her years of lyrical experience and her keen eye for cultural history to the story of Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms. Even those with only a casual awareness of the interlocking history of these famous nineteenth-century musicians will be able to follow their story as Hamilton carefully outlines it.
Hamilton begins with “The Three-Cornered Hat of Clara Schumann” (p.3) –
a poem that introduces the triangle of Brahms, Clara and Robert Schumann. The lines set the mood for the biography: “Johannes was the one she could contend with,/stand bloodied, unbeaten,/loved again but still captain/of her own doomed regiment.” Clara’s “doomed regiment” is the result of a “wunderkind” whose presence is lyrically summarized: “How straw is spun to gold is an old tale,/one never too-often told” (p. 5).
The story that Hamilton reconstructs is of course very sad. Hamilton expertly captures the various moods of her three primary characters (especially Clara’s situation) as her chapbook progresses. For example: “Retrospect/is the sieving god, yet who is the one/who knocked again?”(p.9). Hamilton proceeds by developing each poem to provide a context, something like a chapter by chapter reconstruction, then she sings a wonderfully insightful and beautiful climactic line to end the poems, as seen in “Lights” (p. 12): “These weather patterns dance/in earth’s endless rotations,/and so, in Clara, for all to see” and in “Diligence” (p. 19): “There is a price/ for the ticket to any show we choose.” As the title Contrapuntal suggests, the voices retain distinct personalities. Beyond this, beauty and pain speak to one another, both for the personalities within this drama as well as for contemporary readers: “The soaring songs/of loss still sing, the counterpoint/of beauty forever turning on pain” (p. 23).
It is one thing to give a broad history in verse form, but it is quite another to offer a lyrical response while also penetrating key nuances of the story. This ability is clearly evident in Hamilton’s handling of her subject. By composing the story of the Schumanns and Johannes Brahms, the poet transforms their experience, creating a dialogue with readers that transcends the parameters of time and the simple, crass facts that have shaken down throughout history. Hamilton’s poetic interpretation engenders understanding and empathy, keeping their heartbreak alive for us to contemplate so many years later, not merely as nasty voyeurs but as sympathetic, fellow travelers. We can admire their musical genius while fearing that all-too-human component that humbles even as it inspires. The book ends paradoxically: “A love of grinding grit that leaves/a lovely polished stone” (p. 27).
reviewed by Ken Hada, Ada, Oklahoma
Carol Hamilton. Contrapuntal. Georgetown, KY: Finishing Line Press, 2009. ISBN 978-1-59924-467-9.