The West Wind by Tom Thomson

Tom Thomson’s The West Wind (1917) also constitutes a powerful symbol of Canada.  In this respect, it stands next to The Jack Pine.  Tom Thomson loved the North and lived in Algonquin Park.  But both The Jack Pine and The West Wind  express solitude.  Nature encloses man, but man nevertheless stands alone.

14. Mendelssohn Lieder ohne Worte, Op.38- No. 2. Allegro non troppo in C minor

Today I am featuring Tom Thomson’s The West Wind as I continue to investigate the 1837-1838 Rebellions, which took place in both Canadas. The Rebellions of 1837-1938 constitute so defining a moment in Canadian history that I need to research these events very carefully.

Please enjoy The West Wind.  Tom Thomson was associated with the Group of Seven‘s art and the Group of Seven’s art is a monument to Canada’s history.

My musical offering for today is Lied number 14 of Mendelssohn’s 49 Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words).  It is played by Daniel Barenboim.

I chose the fourteenth Lied to mark an anniversary.  A hundred years ago, on April 14, 1912, the seemingly invincible Titanic sank, reaping the lives of some 1,500 of its passengers.  Ironically, Mendelssohn’s Lied is entitled Lost Happiness.