‘12 x 12’: A concert I’ll never forget!

[micrologus]

A little introduction.

We all know the decimal system. This system has 10 as its base:

* 10 is the number which is the count of fingers and thumbs on both hands (or toes on the feet).
*In many languages the word digit or its translation is also the anatomical term referring to fingers and toes.
* In English, decimal (decimus < Lat.) means tenth, decimate means reduce by a tenth, and denary (denarius < Lat.) means the unit of ten.

Beside that notations we also have the duodecimal system: this system has 12 as its base:

* In the Greek mythology we have the 12 Titans.
* In Christianity we have the 12 apostles.
* King Arthur had his 12 knights of the round table.
* There are the 12 hours of the day and the 12 hours of the night.
* There are 12 months in one year.
* There are 12 notes in a chromatic scale.

* And of course, there are the 12 signs in the Western Zodiac.
The Zodiac denotes an annual cycle of twelve stations along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the heavens through the constellations that divide the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude.
Astrologists believe that the movements and positions of celestial bodies either directly influence life on Earth or correspond somehow to events experienced on a human scale.
Each sign has its own property. That means that there are 12 properties. Those properties are substantial forces that control our universe and keep it in balance.
Man, as a mini-cosmos, has his 12 properties, but 1 is dominant: that is the sing under wich he’s born.

There are many texts showing us the small path to liberation, to the transformation of the human being ( a creature of nature ) to a higher destination, and the ressurection of the ‘spirit’/’soul’ departing from a eternal strength we still have.

The Indian Vedanta (explained in the Upanishads), the Ancient Egyptian texts, the Greek mythology, the Bible and other ancient Christian texts, the Celtic mystery tales, the fairy tales..., all tell us of the very high origin of the human being and of his ‘fall’. But they also tell us about his destination and the path to follow.

As there is the ‘small zodiac’, the sun passing through the 12 constellations in 1 year, seen from our ‘earth-position’.
There is also the ‘great zodiac’, the sun running through the zodiac in reverse direction, making one complete turn approximately every 26,000 years (= a cosmic day and night).
From the course and the position of the planets and their influence on the earth, the 12 forces and properties determine the mental condition of the human being, his thoughts, feelings, actions, etc...

In fact, the ' immortal soul' of the 'earthly' man is imprissoned. Inside us there is the aspiration to be free, to harmony and eternity.


The performers


Capilla Flamenca

In the 14th Century, many spiritual texts about the , have been put on music in a wonderful, sophisticated manner. The Capilla Flamenca, specialising in Medieval Music, have been looking for songs from the ‘Ars Nova’ and even more from the ‘Ars Subtilor’ period.


From Wikipedia:

Ars subtilior (more subtle art) is a musical style characterized by rhythmic and notational complexity.
Musically the productions of the ars subtilior are highly refined, complex, difficult to sing, and probably were produced, sung and enjoyed by a small audience of specialists and connoisseurs. Hoppin suggests the superlative ars subtilissima, saying, "not until the twentieth century did music again reach the most subtle refinements and rhythmic complexities of the manneristic style." They are almost exclusively secular songs, and have as their subject matter love, war, chivalry, and stories from classical antiquity; there are even some songs written in praise of public figures (for example Pope Clement VII). Daniel Albright compares avant-garde and modernist music of the 20th century's "emphasis on generating music through technical experiment" to the precedent set by the ars subtilior movement's "autonomous delight in extending the kingdom of sound." He cites Baude Cordier's perpetual canon Tout par compas (All by compass am I composed), notated on a circular staff.

Composers played with variation of dynamics or timbre, rhythm, etc...


Het Collectief

When this ensemble, specialised in 20th century music, discovered the ‘Tierkreis’, they were very enthousiastic.


From Wikipedia:

Tierkreise (German for Zodiac) consists of 12 melodies, each representing one sign of the zodiac. This composition was originally written for ‘music boxes’ as a component part of a children’s theater piece for percussion sextet titled ‘Musik im Bauch’ (Music in the Belly)
These 12 melodies form an autonomous work which can be played by any suitable instrument, and exist also in versions to be sung. The texts he added describe the properties of the 12 constellations. Each melody is centered on a different chromatic pitch, with ‘Leo’ (Stockhausen’s own sign) = A, Virgo= A#, Libra= B, Scorpio= C, etc..., and each has its own distinctive tempo, chosen from the ‘chromatic’ tempo scale first described in the composer’s famous article ‘ ... How Time Passes ...’. Because music boxes preclude any significant variation in dynamics or timbre, pitch and rhythm are emphasized in the structure of the Tierkreis melodies (Kohl 1983, 148). The striking simplicity of the melodies has led some writers to see them (together with other of Stockhausen's works from after 1966) as precursors of the German New Simplicity movement that began in the late 1970s (Andraschke 1981; Gruhn 1981).
A complete performance begins with the melody corresponding to the zodiac sign within which the day of the performance falls, and proceeds through the twelve melodies of the cycle, ending with a return to the starting melody. Each melody is to be played at least three times through, with variations or improvisations (C. Stockhausen 1978), which in some performances have been very extensive. The melodies can also be played individually, or in smaller numbers.

When ‘Capilla Flamenca’ and ‘Het Collectief’ met, they decided to join their forces and bring us a unique performance. Parting from Stockhausen’s 12 music boxes, ‘Het Collectief’ and ‘Capilla Flamenca’ made a musical description of all the aspects of the 12 signs of the zodiac. Searching and improvising, both ensembles are mixing old and new, with the instrumentation and the music from the 14th and the 20th century.

What we heard was a 20th century musical zodiac with answers from the 14th century. Both ensembles (7+5, together 12 performers) are entering each others artistic domain. They are making a fascinating historical and musical curve with diverse music styles, genres and periods. At some moments, the audience was wondering if they were in the 14th or in the 20th century.

This concert took place last wednesday, so it began with the music box playing Aquarius and ended the same way.

REALY FASCINATING!

[Balthazar]

Excerpts from a performance of Stockhausen's work can be found on youtube. Sounds interesting, like Renaissance music on some mighty strong mead.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ajJk0UaSt8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ajJk0UaSt8[/ame]

Originally Posted by micrologus

Man, as a mini-cosmos, has his 12 properties, but 1 is dominant: that is the sign under which he’s born.

[micrologus]

Originally Posted by Balthazar

Excerpts from a performance of Stockhausen's work can be found on youtube. Sounds interesting, like Renaissance music on some mighty strong mead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ajJk0UaSt8

Nothing to do with Renaissance music my dear Balthazar
The polyphonical music in this video is from the 14th century. What you hear is music from the Ars Nova and the Ars Subtilior
(More information on the Ars Nova to be read in the forum 'Medieval Music')

And thank you for the video (I posted it already in another thread).
Sounds interesting indeed. Finding this video on Youtube is what made me decide to go to this concert. But it's nothing compared to what is to be heard during this performance!

[Balthazar]

Originally Posted by micrologus

Nothing to do with Renaissance music my dear Balthazar

Sorry, whenever Mercury's in retrograde I tend to mix up my musical eras.