- Part of 'A topology of musical encounter' (summary) -
Personalistics contain the memories and associations of an individual musician. These are expressed as musical opinions related to the music one plays or revolts against, memories connected to musical material, anecdotes that illustrate the personal experience with practicing or performing music, imaginations that musicians have when they play a certain piece, and finally extra-musical meaning behind pieces, possibly expressed in lyrics. This category reveals primarily the personality behind the music, instead of the actual music itself. One’s life experiences are always reflected in the experience of music from the one way or the other, but do not necessarily have a direct influence in the sounding reality of the music. The personalistics can differ or even oppose the reality of one’s music practice. Contrary to any generalistic objectivity, these personal individualistics can provide a perspective into the perceptive mind of the musician, and contain intimate and touching information about the significance of music in the personal reality.
“One of the essential differences I encounter in Armenia while studying the Duduk, is the intensity of their playing and the way they treat time. For me the sound and melodies of the Duduk express eternity. When I hear the sound of the Duduk I immediately imagine endless landscapes. And this quality of the sound belongs to Armenia itself, where you see one mountain after another in an endless sequence. There is also a desire in the sound, a strong and deep desire. Much Armenian music is heavy and melancholy. This is the Armenian desire to return to their land, during centuries the people have been spread around the world in a diaspora. For me personally it has taken the shape of my desire for my own sound. The recorder that I played from a young age was never really my instrument. I enjoyed playing, but there was always something missing. And that I have found in the Duduk. Since then I also refound more fun playing recorder again. I started a new group performing Irish folk music on recorders and harp. This music is so lively and sparkling, really the opposite of the melancholy of the Duduk. I feel these opposites complete each other. The easiness of playing the recorder is in sharp contrast with the difficulty, the literal physical effort it takes to perform the Duduk. This heaviness and expressiveness of the Duduk has given me the means to express something of my personality that before I couldn’t. It feels now like a vital part of my body “
- in conversation with Raphaella Danksagmuller, recorder and duduk player
The relation between Raphaella and her instruments is a primary and interesting gateway to her essential personalistics. First of all she describes a material quality of the sound of the Duduk. Furthermore she expresses the projection of her own imagination and emotions in the sound in parallel to the attitude of the Armenian cultural tradition. This is a promising example how personalistics can lead to an in depth perspective of the musical and the collective. Analyzing and engaging in this personal sphere will prove to be valuable to create successful connections between musicians, develop promising musical concepts and collaborate effectively and emphatically.
To continue reading choose your next page below..
No comments:
Post a Comment