And so, from the recitation of Erasmus’ paraphrases on the Gospel according to John (using them as an evocation of an old tradition of commentary) to the use of more modern sources commenting on religious issues in general, or maybe even on life in general, that is a logical next step for a present-day performer.... Continue Reading →
[ENG] Recitations and Reconsiderations [11/15] Recitations
The Christian practice of liturgical recitation of sacred texts (also known in other religions, and notably in the context of the Jewish synagogue, from which the Christian tradition most probably originated) has a long and interesting history, that has been described elsewhere. A text was chanted to simple formulae based on a reciting tone with... Continue Reading →
[ENG] Recitations and Reconsiderations [8/15] Musicians agonize.
Musicians agonize. Whether it be in the performance of a Bach cello suite, a Chopin nocturne, Perotinus’ Viderunt Omnes or any other piece from any other period in music history, the worries are usually big. “Is this the right bowing for the Allemande; should my left hand have a stable tempo in this nocturne, while... Continue Reading →
[ENG] Recitations and Reconsiderations [7/15] Considering the pragmatics of musicians’ creativity
In a world where the standards of living seem to rise rapidly while quality of life dwindles, “creativity” has become a buzzword used by many in a wide variety of meanings and contexts. In politics, in business, in society at large, “creativity” is linked with “innovation” to form two horses harnessed side by side and... Continue Reading →
[ENG] Recitations and Reconsiderations [6/15] On creativity
In his acclaimed book Out of Our Minds (2001) creativity prophet Ken Robinson describes some essential characteristics of the creative process: We begin with an initial idea of some sort ... The idea takes shape in the process of working on it – through a series of successive approximations [emphasis mine]. … Creativity is often... Continue Reading →
[°°] Another Hildegard von Bingen movie posted
[NL] Hallo en kijk: we hebben weer een Hildegard von Bingen filmpje gepost op YouTube. En weer is het Hilde Vertommen die je over haar schouder laat meekijken naar de genesis van haar kunstwerkje. Kijken en 'thumbs up', bedankt! [ENG] Hi! Recently, we have uploaded another little Hildegard von Bingen movie. As on previous occasions,... Continue Reading →
Psallentes Oude Muziek 