- Part of 'A topology of musical encounter' (summary) -
“Going in different direction, we get, instead of separation, a sense of space.”
John Cage – How to improve the world you’ll only make matters worse
Assuming individual differences have become the foremost characteristics of musical views and choices, in reverse the intimate, the personal, the unique notions of music will become the connective tissue for new collective cohesion between musicians. From a decomposition of cultural traditions and their reinterpretation in the personal sphere, we move on to the curating of musical encounter, based on elements that musicians themselves express to be essential for their musical perception. To be able to do this we need to enter the reality of the collective. Like the actual events and experiences in the physical reality shape the dimensions of a personal reality, a collective reality exists in the resonance of personal dimensions, the individualistics of musical consciousness. A collective reality is not embedded in time and space, but needs a common material, a shared ideal, a collective point of view between personal spheres as a condition for existence. Common individualistics can take the shape of shared space between the most diverse musical backgrounds.
In the past, a classical musician specialized in, for instance, eighteenth century chamber music is collaborating with other classical musicians of the same expertise, obviously because they share - and this is sheer generalisation - the same musical knowledge and perception. A successful musical collaboration is nevertheless nuanced by other and more refined aspects of the musician’s personalities. Among musicians that share the same objective culture there are large differences in view, experience and approach to the music, leading to different choices of music material, opposing interpretations and ways of presentation within this one musical style, possibly even concerning the same piece. These individualistics determine with whom one collaborates and what the sounding result will be like. In the present, a totality of cultures has listened to each others sounds, exist and work side by side, and have actually collaborated. We all carry the diversity of musical perspectives somehow in our musical DNA, although the ‘composition’ of the influences is always unique on the personal level. Since the pot has melted, the mixture is inseparable and we have the opportunity to look into the next dimension, where not the initial cultural frame is the common denominator, but the unique composition of musical personalities. So in the future, the new musical territory to conquer is to connect musicians on the basis of personal dimensions that on the surface always have been overshadowed by generalistics as ‘style’ and ‘cultural background’.
Our goal with these collective realities between musicians is first of all to create innovation in the field of musical collaboration. A second and equally important objective would be to further stimulate those collectives that seem to have sustainable potential, on the musical but also on the social level. For an innovation to become sustainable it would mean in the first place a success for the ears of the listeners, who thereby gather together as a new collective as well. If an encounter between musicians is truly successful it could be defined on the longer term as a style in itself. And I believe it always has been like this how the great developments in the world’s musical history have come to be. If we for instance state that essential characteristics of the eighteenth century classical Viennese style were a coming together of grace, clarity of form, and the belief in the enlightenment of the human mind, we already have three pretty concrete individualistics to connect certain musicians together. The social recognition and importance for society, as we know from the course of history, will follow automatically.
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