World Shakuhachi Discussion / Go to Live Shakuhachi Chat
You are not logged in.
Justin wrote:
Pipe organ is just about the farthest opposite to shakuhachi in terms of complexity and mechanics.
Very true.
And in another way it is the CLOSEST Western instrument to shakuhachi: for very practical reasons (immobility) it has never completely entered the arena as a concert performance instrument, retaining instead a lot of its original sacred purpose. In France, the tradition of using it as an instrument for improvised "meditations," a tradition made famous by Alexandre Guilmant, Marcel Dupre, Jean Langlais, Olivier Messiaen, etc. etc, continues strongly to this day.
And so it is very interesting, I think, to combine these two instruments that are in one way so opposite and in another so similar.
EDIT: (Ha, just noticed your post, Brian -- you beat me to it with the same idea!)
Last edited by nyokai (2009-10-15 19:25:19)
Offline
Phil I wish you would re insert your anecdotes about your dad, Dupre etc. That was very moving.
Offline
Just a side note to promote next's year Prague event (and this time also pan-European event). Again. Sorry.
We are in the midst of serious negotiations with the Academy of Music (HAMU), where the concert hall features pipe organs. So, I will definitely try look into some music for organs and the shakuhachi.) If you would throw in some sources where to search I'd be grateful. Thanks.
European Shakuhachi Festival 2010
Prague, Czech Republic,
26.-30.08. 2010
Last edited by marek (2009-10-16 03:51:41)
Offline
Tairaku wrote:
Phil I wish you would re insert your anecdotes about your dad, Dupre etc. That was very moving.
Phil, share with us ! ! ! ! ! ! !
I have a friend in Bruxelles, who is an excellent organist and we have spoken many times about the similarities between the shakuhachi and pipe organ: The religious milieu, spirituality and air through pipes - as well as the obvious differences. All excellent stuff! Thanks for all the posts. Very interesting. I wouldn't mind adding a shakuhachi/organ piece to the repertoire.
Yes, you are right about viola de gamba, Justin. The Japanese have an interesting close relationship to this instrument. I have met several viola de gamba soloists working in Europe who were from Japan.
Last edited by Kiku Day (2009-10-16 13:30:58)
Offline
Well I had edited my post because I thought it was too wordy, but here's approximately what I originally said:
As well as a composer and conductor, my father (Philip James) was an organ improviser in the French tradition, having studied as a very young man with Alexandre Guilmant. When I was a boy of 13 I got to sit one Sunday on the organ bench at St. Sulpice in Paris next to my dad's old friend Marcel Dupre, teacher of Messiaen, Langlais, etc. etc. Dupre was ancient by this time, totally blind and cadaverous, barely capable of walking or talking. But as he started his improvisation -- he did one there just about every Sunday he was in Paris, I believe -- I was completely blown away. Dupre suddenly seemed like a young athlete swimming in the ocean of sound, his fingers flying over the keys like scrawny birds and his legs completely alive on the pedals. The music was definitely not a performance, but a deeply spiritual gift and a leap into a usually hidden world. It was an experience that was unmatched until a decade or so later, when I first heard shakuhachi, and when I first saw performances by people like Yamaguchi Goro and Katsuya Yokoyama.
Last edited by nyokai (2009-10-16 12:53:56)
Offline
Wow!
Now I begin to understand where the breadth of your musical (and human) understanding comes from!
It must have been amazing to - at that age - experience the power of music and intense passion so closely. You are lucky! And it is great you are sharing your musical universe with the world.
Thanks for sharing your anecdotes with us (again), Phil.
Offline
Kiku Day wrote:
Yes, you are right about viola de gamba, Justin. The Japanese have an interesting close relationship to this instrument. I have met several viola de gamba soloists working in Europe who were from Japan.
Hi Kiku
Any recommendations of good performers or performances in Tokyo would be most welcome!
Offline
Today I'm attending an 18 hour Bach organ marathon. No bamboo.
Offline
Justin wrote:
Hi Kiku
Any recommendations of good performers or performances in Tokyo would be most welcome!
All the viola de gamba player I knew were all based in Europe. I was never inside the Western classical scene in Tokyo, unfortunately I have no names or events in Tokyo I can pass on.
Enjoy the Bach marathon, Tairaku!
Offline
I saw somewhere that some of the Bach pieces are used in musicterapy to help people against the alcohol addiction...
18 hours of Bach can be dangerous for those who apreciate a drink!!??! hahahhaha
If at the end of this marathon, you see a Bombay Saphire bottle and run away from it...
Big hug!
Offline
Kiku Day wrote:
Justin wrote:
Hi Kiku
Any recommendations of good performers or performances in Tokyo would be most welcome!All the viola de gamba player I knew were all based in Europe. I was never inside the Western classical scene in Tokyo, unfortunately I have no names or events in Tokyo I can pass on.
Yes I also have no connection to it. My favourite player in Europe is Jordi Savall, who is also the most famous I suppose. He has produced a huge amount of recordings. My favourite are those composed by Marin Marais.
For anyone interested, I highly recommend this album, which is one of my favorite albums of all time:
http://www.amazon.com/Marin-Marais-Pi%C … amp;sr=8-1
I've also just realised that viola da gamba reached Japan in the 16th century, so that was even before the Edo period!
Last edited by Justin (2009-10-18 09:00:22)
Offline
For those interested, there is a CD of bamboo organ music with the exact organ pictured in the very first photo post by Chris Moran. Title: Bambusorgel The music of las Pinas Phillipens Albert Bollinger Organ las Pinas 1990 Sinus-Verlag Kilchberg-Zurich CD description: Iberian music between 1500-1800 Seixas de Cabezon
Last edited by mrwuwu (2009-10-18 09:14:59)
Offline
I was wondering what happened to my old Taimu?
Offline