Beautiful art, ugly souls

We are all flawed creatures, and one of the impenetrable mysteries of beautiful art is that it can be made by ugly souls. So feel free to mourn the death of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and to speak admiringly of her artistry—but when you do so, remember that there was more to her than the music she made.

As Clement Greenberg told an interviewer in 1969:

"There are, of course, more important things than art: life itself, what actually happens to you. This may sound silly, but I have to say it, given what I’ve heard art-silly people say all my life: I say that if you have to choose between life and happiness or art, remember always to choose life and happiness. Art solves nothing, either for the artist himself or for those who receive his art."

-- from Terry Teachout's post on the death of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, renowned opera singer and former Nazi.