Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Old Hispanic Office. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. You are very welcome to read the forum, to learn about our research on the Old Hispanic office, and about the ways in which composers are developing some of our research findings into modern compositions.

We invite composers who are interested in the Composition CompetitionRe-imagining Old Hispanic musical culture to register and join in the discussion. Others with an interest in Old Hispanic chant and liturgy are equally welcome to join the conversation. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.



Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account in order to post messages:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Kokoro Ensemble; Relation between ensemble and chant
Topic Started: Aug 1 2015, 11:28 PM (238 Views)
vamus
No Avatar

Hello!
I wonder in what extent and what way is the instrumental ensemble expected to relate to the Old Hispanic Chant. Is a composer free to chose the way and the extend of the relation of the original piece to the Hispanic roots? I guess a mixture of the contemporary and old would be accepted in those terms.

Thanks in advance!
All the best
Vasilis
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Emma Hornby
Member Avatar
Administrator
For either composition, the composer can relate the Old Hispanic materials to their own inspiration in whatever way they want.

Let me give you just a couple of examples, to show how open we are to variation:

Maybe the actual shape of a melody as implied by the neumes will inspire you, and you will try to write a melody in the style of a medieval chant melody, with a modern harmonic underpinning.

Maybe the notation will inspire you, and you'll write something that builds in some way on that way of conceptualising music, but it comes out sounding completely 21st century.

Maybe the spiritual impact this music had on the medieval listeners will inspire you, and you will compose something that you intend to have a similar spiritual impact on people nowadays.

Maybe the way the Old Hispanic melodies pace the texts (number of notes per syllable) and divide the texts into phrases that make sense will inspire you, and you'll do something that tries to do a similarly meaningful pacing of the text.

That's just the first four things that came out of my fingers - there are an infinite number of ways you might respond to this competition! It's important that (1) the music is excellent (of course) and (2) you are able to explain coherently how the Old Hispanic materials inspired you, so that it is clear they really did, one way or another.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
vamus
No Avatar

Thanks a lot. Your response is absolutely clear, making me understand the extend of the relation to the chant the organisers had in mind for the competirion.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
« Previous Topic · Discussion threads · Next Topic »
Add Reply