Thank you for this answer. Classical means also non-western classical to me. A crucial study was done and published by Gelbart (The invention of ‘Folk Music’ and ‘Art Music’ Cambridge University Press), stating the connection between classical and folk music. It describes pop music as mainly money driven and therefore culturally corrupt. This is underlined by the Garland Encyclopaedia for World Music. And by me since my background is folk just as much as classical. And I played in a rock band for a short while.
I am impressed by the Six String Nation, this is a great way to connect people in times where we get driven apart. This should be widely known here in Europe, we could use such an example
Hi Willem. Not sure I can say I agree with Gelbart or Garland. After all, so many classical composers - not to mention the Indian, Persian and Turkish classical instrumentalists and the hereditary djelis of West Africa – created to attract and sustain rich patronages. And as so many "pop" artists find their margins narrowing for all but the most stratospherically popular artists, along with the collapse of the distribution system, I think the ratio of creators in pop who are corrupted by the profit incentive is probably quite small!
As for a Euro version of the project, it's something I outlined many years ago (pre-Brexit) and actually found some traction with the Greek Consul here in Toronto who had me for lunch and meetings but I'm not sure found any traction further up the chain. I have also proposed a U.S. version – something that is very necessary (though possibly very dangerous to attempt) in the current political environment. However, with my recent unemployment status I am keen to revive these ideas and am currently trying to establish connection with some artists in the States who might be good avatars for the project. If you can think of anyone in Europe who might be a good person or body to direct a EuroStar Guitar to please let me know!
I had also proposed many years ago (and invited to speak on to a cultural diplomacy graduate class at UCLA) a project called Duet, consisting of a violin and an oud to be built using pieces from Israel and the Palestinian territories, with the proviso that they only ever be allowed to be played as part of a duet.
Hi Jowi, since I am also chairing the Rotterdam Guitar Academy I’m moving to the front part of my chair now (while listening to Anuar Brahem on oud). I’ll suggest here if anyone is interested in the Six String Nation or related projects such as Duet. I’m very pro connecting (as a result of my CO2 footprint enlargening travels 🙄) with other, opposite cultures.
I’ve been in the US recently for visiting friends in Kansas City and Missouri. I know about the weirdness of the US minds these days, we’ve discussed these things. But when you’re interested in a European version: I do have some connections to the EU in Brussels as well as among luthiers around.
Also for me work is a thing: many wish my advice in and on music but few care to pay for it. Although: 3 weeks ago I started working for the Orchestra of the XVIIIth Century. Baroque+ so to say…
Sounds like fascinating work! Perhaps we can find a way to work together on a project. I will do a post soon about our visit to the Un Paese a Sei Corde guitar festival in Piemonte in 2009. Voyageur become the poster image for the festival and was played by a couple of prominent finger-style players in some spectacular locations. We were also featured in Chitarra magazine in Italy in advance of the festival. We did an in-store appearance at a guitar shop in Milano, where one of the attendees, upon being handed the instrument, said: "It is my dream to play THIS guitar". Blew me away. Also the number of people who came to get their portraits taken with the guitar and considered it an honour was amazing. Likewise the 6 or 7 municipal offices around Lago di Orca who received us as honoured guests. The guitar provided a window on the "exotic" culture of Canada. I've often thought Germany would especially love to meet the guitar and hear the story, given their odd (and often fantasized) fascination with Canadian indigenous culture, which is strongly represented in the guitar.
It sounds like there’s already a stronghold in Europe for the Six String Nation, great! I can think of an article to write on this topic, you can see examples on my website (www.willemjankeizer.com) although mostly in Dutch. I do write in English too. Some ideas are popping up. I’ll work this out (that starts in my head first).
Let stay in touch, I’ve missed the world music scene too long now
During a road trip in Nova Scotia I was able to listen to your programme Global Village. It struck me as very innovative, a format somewhere between journalism and artsy world music that I never heard before. Back home I followed in the www for a while and when the program stopped I went back to my work in classical music.
It is weird how radio shows on world music come and go, how world music is completely out of focus everywhere in western cultures at this moment. Could that be an undisclosed background for your trouble with CBC? I have noticed over the last decades how this particular repertoire triggers the music industry: either pop oriented companies (broadcasting just as much as recording) try to take over the musical concept and ‘pop’ it up or just totally ignore it. I’ll stay within the classical world since that is way more reliable.
Ha! Thanks for that recollection, Willem. Indeed there was real innovation in the show and putting music from around the world into local, national and international context. I mean, I feel you could take the exact same approach with pop and classical music. It's so much about capturing what music means to people in their lives, cultures, politics and more. But I think you're spot on that in some ways the volume has been turned way down on music from "elsewhere" these days (at the same time as some global-level artists have been embraced as international superstars like Angelique Kidjo or, more recently, Burner Boi). But seriously, electing to stay within the classical music world for its reliability is a phrase I'm pretty sure hasn't been uttered in decades!
Thank you for this answer. Classical means also non-western classical to me. A crucial study was done and published by Gelbart (The invention of ‘Folk Music’ and ‘Art Music’ Cambridge University Press), stating the connection between classical and folk music. It describes pop music as mainly money driven and therefore culturally corrupt. This is underlined by the Garland Encyclopaedia for World Music. And by me since my background is folk just as much as classical. And I played in a rock band for a short while.
I am impressed by the Six String Nation, this is a great way to connect people in times where we get driven apart. This should be widely known here in Europe, we could use such an example
Hi Willem. Not sure I can say I agree with Gelbart or Garland. After all, so many classical composers - not to mention the Indian, Persian and Turkish classical instrumentalists and the hereditary djelis of West Africa – created to attract and sustain rich patronages. And as so many "pop" artists find their margins narrowing for all but the most stratospherically popular artists, along with the collapse of the distribution system, I think the ratio of creators in pop who are corrupted by the profit incentive is probably quite small!
As for a Euro version of the project, it's something I outlined many years ago (pre-Brexit) and actually found some traction with the Greek Consul here in Toronto who had me for lunch and meetings but I'm not sure found any traction further up the chain. I have also proposed a U.S. version – something that is very necessary (though possibly very dangerous to attempt) in the current political environment. However, with my recent unemployment status I am keen to revive these ideas and am currently trying to establish connection with some artists in the States who might be good avatars for the project. If you can think of anyone in Europe who might be a good person or body to direct a EuroStar Guitar to please let me know!
I had also proposed many years ago (and invited to speak on to a cultural diplomacy graduate class at UCLA) a project called Duet, consisting of a violin and an oud to be built using pieces from Israel and the Palestinian territories, with the proviso that they only ever be allowed to be played as part of a duet.
Hi Jowi, since I am also chairing the Rotterdam Guitar Academy I’m moving to the front part of my chair now (while listening to Anuar Brahem on oud). I’ll suggest here if anyone is interested in the Six String Nation or related projects such as Duet. I’m very pro connecting (as a result of my CO2 footprint enlargening travels 🙄) with other, opposite cultures.
I’ve been in the US recently for visiting friends in Kansas City and Missouri. I know about the weirdness of the US minds these days, we’ve discussed these things. But when you’re interested in a European version: I do have some connections to the EU in Brussels as well as among luthiers around.
Also for me work is a thing: many wish my advice in and on music but few care to pay for it. Although: 3 weeks ago I started working for the Orchestra of the XVIIIth Century. Baroque+ so to say…
Sounds like fascinating work! Perhaps we can find a way to work together on a project. I will do a post soon about our visit to the Un Paese a Sei Corde guitar festival in Piemonte in 2009. Voyageur become the poster image for the festival and was played by a couple of prominent finger-style players in some spectacular locations. We were also featured in Chitarra magazine in Italy in advance of the festival. We did an in-store appearance at a guitar shop in Milano, where one of the attendees, upon being handed the instrument, said: "It is my dream to play THIS guitar". Blew me away. Also the number of people who came to get their portraits taken with the guitar and considered it an honour was amazing. Likewise the 6 or 7 municipal offices around Lago di Orca who received us as honoured guests. The guitar provided a window on the "exotic" culture of Canada. I've often thought Germany would especially love to meet the guitar and hear the story, given their odd (and often fantasized) fascination with Canadian indigenous culture, which is strongly represented in the guitar.
Also, just delving into Anouar Brahem right now. Thanks for that tip!
It sounds like there’s already a stronghold in Europe for the Six String Nation, great! I can think of an article to write on this topic, you can see examples on my website (www.willemjankeizer.com) although mostly in Dutch. I do write in English too. Some ideas are popping up. I’ll work this out (that starts in my head first).
Let stay in touch, I’ve missed the world music scene too long now
During a road trip in Nova Scotia I was able to listen to your programme Global Village. It struck me as very innovative, a format somewhere between journalism and artsy world music that I never heard before. Back home I followed in the www for a while and when the program stopped I went back to my work in classical music.
It is weird how radio shows on world music come and go, how world music is completely out of focus everywhere in western cultures at this moment. Could that be an undisclosed background for your trouble with CBC? I have noticed over the last decades how this particular repertoire triggers the music industry: either pop oriented companies (broadcasting just as much as recording) try to take over the musical concept and ‘pop’ it up or just totally ignore it. I’ll stay within the classical world since that is way more reliable.
Ha! Thanks for that recollection, Willem. Indeed there was real innovation in the show and putting music from around the world into local, national and international context. I mean, I feel you could take the exact same approach with pop and classical music. It's so much about capturing what music means to people in their lives, cultures, politics and more. But I think you're spot on that in some ways the volume has been turned way down on music from "elsewhere" these days (at the same time as some global-level artists have been embraced as international superstars like Angelique Kidjo or, more recently, Burner Boi). But seriously, electing to stay within the classical music world for its reliability is a phrase I'm pretty sure hasn't been uttered in decades!
Thanks so much for you comment. It means a lot.
All the best,
jowi