Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"For the Twentieth Century" by Frank Bidart reflects on the transformative impact of technology on the experience and preservation of art, particularly performance art, in the modern era. Through evocative imagery and references to iconic artists, Bidart explores themes of memory, artistic legacy, and the paradox of technological advancement.

The poem begins with a vivid portrayal of the desire to recapture the "technologies of ecstasy"—a phrase that encapsulates the myriad ways technology allows us to experience and revisit moments of profound artistic expression. The "world that at a drop of water rises without boundaries" suggests the miraculous nature of technological mediums that enable art to transcend time and space, allowing for an infinite revisitation of performances that would otherwise be ephemeral.

The act of pressing the "PLAY button" serves as a powerful symbol of the control and accessibility afforded by twentieth-century technology, bringing legendary figures like Maria Callas, Laurel & Hardy, and Joseph Szigeti back to life. This resurrection is not just about replaying recordings but about reanimating the essence and emotional intensity of their performances, underscoring the profound connection between artist, artwork, and audience that technology can facilitate.

Bidart's focus on Szigeti's interpretation of Mozart's slow movement of K.218 highlights the individuality and irreplaceable nature of each performance. The contrast between the "bland, merely pretty, nearly / banal" rendition in "all but Szigeti's hands" and the depth he brings to the piece serves as a testament to the unique magic that technology can capture and preserve for posterity.

The poem then shifts to a reflective gratitude towards the Twentieth Century for its role in making these patterns and forms infinitely repeatable, defying the limitations of matter. This gratitude is not only from the poet and the audience but also retroactively from the artists themselves, including Mozart, who are given a form of immortality through recording technology.

However, the poem also acknowledges the losses—artists like Malibran, Henry Irving, and the young Joachim, whose performances are relegated to "a mountain of / newspaper clippings, become words / not their own words." This serves as a poignant reminder of the countless performances lost to time before the advent of recording technology, highlighting the art of performance as inherently transient and the technology as a double-edged sword that preserves but also marks the absence of what cannot be captured.

"For the Twentieth Century" is a meditation on the interplay between art, technology, and memory. Bidart's poem elegantly captures the bittersweet nature of technological progress—the way it both immortalizes and underscores the ephemeral nature of performance art. Through this reflection, the poem celebrates the achievements of the twentieth century while mourning the inherent losses in the transition from the live, fleeting nature of performance to its recorded, replayable form. The poem stands as a tribute to the power of art to transcend time, and the role of technology in ensuring that transcendence is accessible across generations.

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