At 42, having suffered horribly for 14 years, the beautiful blonde princess of the cello was dead.
It is an implausible, and so all the more shattering story that never fails to hit home with how fragile this existence is on planet earth.
I acquired the book Hillary and Jackie by Hillary du Pre (sister) and the DVD as well. For a while there, I was cruising along, believing everything as presented, why would anyone lie? But the veracity of the details of the story depends on who is telling them, it appears.
The book and the DVD is a remarkable, no stunning, account of an eccentric family and their interpersonal relations. As I was reading, I came across this:
John Williams had known Jacqueline du Pré from when they did their homework together over tea as teenagers. When multiple sclerosis established its grip on her, the guitarist and the cellist remained close friends. He saw her grow crazier, more bloated, more tormented - her girlish face fattening, her sight failing, her ears ringing, her thoughts scattering.
By the end, the exuberant young musician who had electrified the nation (her husband, pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, once wrote of her that she played as if she were composing the music as she went along) sat helplessly in a wheelchair, moon-faced and mute.
In an interview with The Observer , Williams added his voice to the swell of critical distaste over the film Hilary and Jackie , the story of Du Pré's relationship with her older sister, Hilary. Based on the self-regarding memoir by Hilary and her brother Piers, A Genius in the Family , the film depicts an intense and loyal sibling love: a love so unselfish that when Du Pré was in need Hilary gave her everything - including her husband, 'Kiffer' Finzi.
Hilary writes with pervading sentimentality, and claims that she was absolutely central to her sister's tragically shortened life - she developed MS when only 26 and died in 1987.Williams insisted passionately: 'Hilary du Pré should absolutely not be entitled to leave to posterity such a grossly distorted picture of Jackie.' Presenting Du Pré's sexual encounters with Kiffer as an affair enabled by the saintly Hilary was 'sick'.
'By the end it is true Jackie was sick with her terrible illness; sick in her head and her body. But she was never sick like this kind of sick - this is macabre sick,' he said.
Born out by Kiffer's daughter, Clare, who said this is not how things happened:
The memoir's account of the affair with Finzi is rejected by Hilary's daughter, Clare Finzi, who alleges that her father was a serial adulterer who had seduced her emotionally vulnerable aunt in a time of great need to gratify his own ego.
The posthumous allegation of an affair, combined with Hilary's claim to be victimised, inevitably generated a controversy over Jacqueline du Pré's personal life. The film dramatisation Hilary and Jackie, supported by Hilary Finzi, changes the storyline of the memoir on several key factual points, and has been criticised by some for imposing a scandal on Jacqueline's personal life.
Clare Finzi, Hilary's daughter, charged that the film was a "gross misinterpretation which I cannot let go unchallenged. The film adaptation portrays Jacqueline from Hilary's hostile point of view before moving to a portrayal of events as imagined from Jacqueline's own perspective. The film adaptation contains factually incorrect elements and diverges from the book's account of events, portraying Jacqueline as being predatory and actively planning to seduce her sister's husband. The director, Anand Tucker, defends the film's portrayal of an affair by arguing that extant alternatives amount to canonisation or hagiography, and that he was "deeply moved [by] Hilary's sacrifice". The film and book were also defended for their emotional power and broad authenticity, despite fictional content regarding aspects of Jacqueline's personality and the specifics of events." (Wikipedia)
So, "fictionalized."
This back-and-forth raises an interesting and bigger question: how does one know what is true?
The Bible says creation was made in seven days, the earth was flooded, Noah & Co. survived, etc. Others say these are mere allegories, evolution moved things along.
Or Covid, what is the "truth" about Covid? Statistics, fatalities, etc. Some say they are exaggerated, while many areas are in "lockdown." A woman was jailed in the UK for her search for the "truth." Link
These things matter. Is the Covid vaccine a prelude to "the mark of the Beast," as many Christians believe?
What is the "truth" about the 2020 election? Some, many in fact, believe it was stolen, others not.
The bottom line for this observer is that, with a lot of things, we are fed and dutifully consume a line of information that may or may not be true. Whether it's about a
- book
- person's life
- vaccine
- pandemic
- election
Sometimes we suspect something is awry, other times, not at all.
Whole lotta research must go into this elusive thing called "knowledge," or "insight" or "comprehension." And even then, one may or may not be sure. Which shouldn't deter one.
Can anyone really know "the truth" about Franz Schubert?
Or about anything, or anyone?
When I was 18 I knew everything about everything. Since then, I've lost 5% certainty per year. Tally up all the half-lives, and there is not much left by this time. Except regarding one thing.
For many, for me, Truth is a Person. "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." He also said HE was the Resurrection. Until we see him, which may now be quite soon, as we see the skeins of Bible prophecy are being woven together, as we see
- Israel is in the land, a nation there but only since 1948
- a push towards globalism, world government
- apostasy of the Church
- the technology for the mark of the Beast
- the Abraham Accord as precursor to Dan. 9.27
- political, financial, economic chaos, i.e., elections, debt, lockdowns, bankruptcies
- the partnership of the Ez. 38 nations, Russia, Iran, Turkey et al poised to strike
- An increase in natural disasters
Meanwhile, we continue to investigate all things ("Prove all things"), but mainly look ahead to seeing Truth, who is a Person, face to face.
Everything else has some element of speculation to it, a book, a life, a vaccine, an election. And, it must be said, the prophecies of the Bible. We live in a fallen world; it cannot be otherwise. But the final outcome is certain.
So:
Maranatha.
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Postscript. Over the years, I have made a minor avocation out of tracking down friends and acquaintances from the past. Often, I was richly rewarded.
However, some were more elusive than others.
I tried for many years to find out what happened to my favorite English professor, John F. Williams, Jr.. I took one course and two independent studies with him. He had me, and my girlfriend (who became wife) to his home on a cold Sat. night for some warming lasagna, wine and friendship.
From a wise old soul named Carl Gustafson, who was for many years a pastor, and then transitioned to become a musician and composer, I learned many years about the value of "second effort," (sometimes it takes 20 or 30 tries) and went back one last time this past week to Ohio State archives to find Prof Williams. An extremely professional individual, Michelle D., helped me out, and sent me, on her second effort, with regrets, the news I had been seeking.
Just 11 months after I graduated, Prof. Williams, 35, passed away from a sudden illness. He had a wife and two young sons, and I was hit with a deep sense of regret for his being cut down much, much too soon.
This was 1974, way before there was an "Internet" and instant access to all information about all things.
The mystery solved, but the tragedy was now revealed.
One takes comfort where one can, and so here would be mine:
He told me once, that my writings helped him renew faith in God, which I found remarkable because I searched and found nothing in my writing that would lead one in that direction. Nevertheless, perhaps God did, in fact, nudge him to a faith that was already percolating in him, in the "one thing leads to another" kind of way. I was interested to see that in his funeral notice, in lieu of flowers, it was suggested donations be made to the St. Thomas More Center, the Ohio State University.
In any case, the scholar and my friend, John F. Williams, Jr., was an extremely kind person, solicitous, helpful; and sincere to a young student in the extreme, and a believer, and so it is my sincere expectation that we will indeed meet again.....in a kingdom where Truth will reign as King.
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