Friday, August 28, 2009

Medieval Improv

In this post over on On An Overgrown Path, Pliable discusses a CD of music recreating improvisational music from medieval Spain. He quotes the sleeve notes as follows:

>>Joglaresa perform most of the songs here with only one pitched instrument (vielle or oud) and add only voices or percussion. With this instrumentation, we not only get as close as possible to the descriptions of professional slave-girl performers, but also achieve the improvisational spontaneity so crucial to music of this period. Music performed with large ensembles of pitched instruments requires an 'arrangement' that Joglaresa feels contradicts all that we know about the improvisational spirit of medieval and traditional music.<<

This info goes well with the recent posts on improvisation. The timing of it also reminds me to go forward with a post on synchronicity. Seems like the blogosphere is a fertile ground for things "being in the air" at various places at the same time.

update - Jeffrey Agrell has commented on Pliable's post, talking more about improvisation.

2 comments:

  1. Lyle, Thank you SO much for the comment and link to Pliable and Joglaresa - fantastic music! I can't wait to order all of their CDs! I left a post there that should be posted later that you might like to read. Thanks again - you always have great stuff!

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  2. Jeffrey - Of my regular reads, Pliable is consistently the most interesting and thought provoking. And as I've told him, I think his blog is one of the best presented out there. We use the same platform, and I'm amazed at how fully he exploits it. All those photos and those recursive links. And his interests are very wide and his knowledge of the canon and the recordings of it very deep.

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