I remember the first time I entered a large stadium for a sporting event as if it were yesterday. Walking down the interior corridor after passing the concession stands, the smell of nachos, popcorn and hot dogs mixed with earthy air made thick by the countless gallons of beer and packs of cigarettes consumed by animated fans filled my nostrils. As the crowd of people I was soon to be seated next to filed slowly toward the bright opening which led to our section, the conversations dimmed, as if to make room for the exhilaration which was about to fill my chest. The corridor gave way to the opening which overlooked the field below and the surrounding stadium. It almost knocked me off of my feet.
Have you ever had such an experience, say, while entering a stadium, a concert hall or running on to the field before a big game of your own? It’s worth the price of admission!
I occasionally have a similar experience when I come across a new word. Occasionally you find a word that encompasses a thousand thoughts as a picture is worth a thousand words. My riding instructor introduced me to such a word recently and I am delighted to share it with you today.
“Sprezzatura.”
Sprezzatura was coined by Baldassare Castiglione in the early 1600s. He defined it as being “a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.” Originally used as a means of defining the ideal courtier, it describes the ability to make difficult tasks look easy and typically represents the culmination of many hours of dedicated practice, conscious attention and meticulous care.
A well-trained and seasoned sales representative can display sprezzatura in a presentation to a challenging prospect. A talented woodworker can reveal sprezzatura on the lathe. A savvy schoolteacher demonstrates sprezzatura while guiding a roomful of teenagers. For sprezzatura, according to Castiglione, is “an easy facility in accomplishing difficult actions which hides the conscious effort that went into them.”
Sprezzatura in its purest sense involves mastering the principles which weave in and out of a particular undertaking to the point that they are internalized and elegantly put into play at the perfect time. Like the concert cellist who draws on the every minute of his thousands of hours of practice to seemingly effortlessly play a complicated piece that would frustrate if not confound most, he who has sprezzatura oozes relaxation, restraint and awe-inspiring elegance.
Some have taken this word to mean “fake it until you make it” or worse, “fake it for as long as you can,” but the term to me captures the essence of refined expression just as the breath of fresh air that came with the first glimpse of the splendid stadium that surrounded me gave form to the soul of the sport that I had come to observe. Sprezzatura needn’t be about the show, although that is one side-effect of its revelation. In my view, sprezzatura is the embodiment of excellence and the artistic expression of being.
Cultivating sprezzatura in every department of your living is a noble and worthy cause, not for the sake of the show, but for the tantalizing nature of the deepest subtleties of experience. It is the point at which you become unified with that which you are undertaking, where the perfection you are is yoked to the ideal, yet collected expression. The result is mysteriously electrifying both for the actor and for the lucky spectators who have the opportunity to witness its birth.
I hope you enjoy this new word as much as I do!
Gregory Hake 
Pingback: Kronos and Kairos | Gregg Hake's Blog
I know you don’t I? I think I met you at garland farms with Eric?
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That’s right. How are you? Did you change barns?
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Ah…..where inspiration can flow almost effortlessy and be delivered from something complex into something elegant, efficient and most effective! I think this is where things are truly most aesthetically pleasing to us – little to nothing is lost in translation of the inner pure perfect not-yet-visible thing in question to its outer tangible revelation. Distortions in the translating equipment give way to less than ideal visible results, the fidelity is lost, there is a reduced ‘signal to noise ratio’ using some engineering terms, and thus the original perfect signal is drowned out, to the point where things can become quite ugly. We see all sorts of crazy things in the world happen here, but not because there is a flaw in the ultimate origin of the signal, but in the translating equipment.
From what I gather, for us, this translating equipment happens to be our bodies, our minds and our hearts. It’s what we have, not really what we are in the ultimate sense of identity. The only true choice we have in order to live happy and successful lives is to ‘tune in’ with our equipment to the original signal and its source. The great sages of yore have emphasized this signal to be love, truth and all that comes with it like compassion, empathy, dignity and respect. All you get on another station is more static.
Thanks for introducing this word to me – I just love even saying it — SPREZZATURA bambino!
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Sprezzatura is a great topic for discussion. When you see it, it seems like all the blocks are just falling away that usually stop the perfect situations from occurring. I think there are many hours of practice that have to happen before sprezzatura can be a regular thing, but it can happen even to the novice, albeit unconsciously. I wonder what would have to happen to make sprezzatura a regular occurrence instead of something that is glimpsed and then lost?
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To apply oneself to a set of techniques, sometimes awkwardly to begin with, until the point is reached where the technique vanishes and the flowing magic of mastery appears…well, why not have just one word for that?! Sprezzatura it is!
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This is a great word and I love the meaning of it!
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I feel like I did the first time I heard supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Thanks for sharing!
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You have most definitely displayed sprezzatura in relation to writing your daily blogs. What a beautiful word to encompass such mastery!
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I so enjoyed the prose of your post this morning. I do some writing in my work and a ton of reading so I realize the effort that can go into a piece. I think your post may be a bit of sprezzatura itself. I love when words can convey me to a place or through an experience. Thank you.
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Cool word that definitely needs a revival. Thanks for sharing it!
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Beautiful word and meaning!
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Love it!
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