The Beauty of Gesture: The Invisible Keyboard of Piano and Tai Chi [Paperback]

Catherine David (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

In this society in which the essential is generally considered incidental (which is reflected in the unbearable dullness of the contemporary man), Catherine David picks the essence from inconspicuous corners where it has been gathering dust and shows us how she uses it to unlock the gates leading to inner beauty. In this remarkable series of 26 linked meditations, The Beauty of Gesture, subtitled "The Invisible keyboard of Piano and T'ai Chi," the French journalist Catherine David explores the analogies between playing the piano and practicing t'ai chi chu'an. A serious pianist and student of martial arts, David draws on a wide familiarity with literary and philosophical texts to evoke the intellectual and spiritual world of her imagination. "A beautiful act is an island of absoluteness in an ocean of chance," she writes, and her essay reminds us that the world vibrates with possibilities, necessities, and poetry for those who can focus attention.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Precise, deep, brilliant."
-La Tribune de Geneve

"A quest for the right sensation, the mastery of the gesture, have incited the author to share her experience. From the beauty of gesture to the pleasure of the text."
-Lire

"Catherine David is a wanderer in time, space, and action, seeking her ideal—'the beauty of gesture.' It is the metaphor she has chosen to express her thirst for serenity in a chaotic world."
-Le Figaro

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books; 1St Edition edition (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556432194
• ISBN-13: 978-1556432194
• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 0.5 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #480,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Considering "The Beauty of Gesture" In and Out of Sight, March 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Beauty of Gesture: The Invisible Keyboard of Piano and Tai Chi (Paperback)

In this remarkable series of 26 linked meditations, subtitled "The Invisible keyboard of Piano and T'ai Chi," the French journalist Catherine David explores the analogies between playing the piano and practicing t'ai chi chu'an. A serious painist and student of martial arts, David draws on a wide familiarity with literary and philisophical texts to evoke the intellectual and spiritual world of her imagination. "A beautiful act is an island of absoluteness in an ocean of chance," she writes, and her essay reminds us that the world vibrates with possibilities, necessities, poetries for those who can focus attention. "Coded meanings brought to light after endless repetitionon" -- that is practice, that is success. It is not a matter simply of what can be seen, for, with Plato, David reminds us that "A sudden light first blinds you." But she steps away from the classical position when she goes on to say that "Then it shows you the world." The world of Catherine David is well worth a leisurely read.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Beauty of Gesture, July 3, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Beauty of Gesture: The Invisible Keyboard of Piano and Tai Chi (Paperback)

As an tai chi chuan player of more than 14 years and an amateur pianist for a much longer period, I thought this book might have been written especially for me. Not so, unfortunately. It is beautifully written in a rather voulu, creative writing school kind of way. But it has little to say about taichi--no Chinese sources are mentioned, none of the tai chi classics are mentioned. Indeed, she touches very lightly on tai chi and most of what she does say seems to come from a Japanese source (David speaks of katas, her dojo). No mention of chi (qi), the style of tai chi she does, names of the forms etc; and the dantian appears as the tanden. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who knows anything about tai chi. Nevertheless, there is some pleasure to be had here, some insights into literature and gesture. It just doesn't really deliver on the promise of its subtitle.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'tis about beauty, September 12, 2001

By 

kaioatey (Awatovi, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beauty of Gesture: The Invisible Keyboard of Piano and Tai Chi (Paperback)

Can we, by practicing a discipline such as Tai-Chi, refine our sense of self, our Being-In-The -World? Catherine David, in this sublime book, investigates the space that is behind the physical movement, behind the conscious mind, at the very core of what constitutes our sense of the Self - that space which gives birth to our sense of beauty and which can be translated through innumerable ways (including the Tai-Chi exercises and piano playing) into wordly manifestations of our uniqueness. In this space imagination and sensation are interlocked, like lovers. Once we realize that Self is just a metaphor and that the mental image can be the impulse to opening of a technical skill , we hold the keys to true freedom. In this society in which the essential is generally considered incidental (which is reflected in the unberable dullness of the contemporary man), Catherine David picks the essence from inconspicuous corners where it has been gathering dust and shows us how she uses it to unlock the gates leading to inner beauty. By doing this she helps us glimpse and perhaps touch that space. This book is a rare treat.