Extras

Thoughts on improv and the spirit

One of the fundamental ideas behind the Pentecost Oratorio is to interpret the mystique of Pentecost through musical inspiration. It requires a slightly deeper explanation...

Pentecost - The Spirit as an Inspiring Force In the Bible, it is written that the apostles were gathered in a house on the day of Pentecost, and... ... "tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Apart from the picturesque description, which may seem quite dramatic and reminiscent of fire-eaters in a circus in a literal sense, the essence of the story is that:

Something external takes over them (they allow the spontaneous to happen).

Their form of expression is verbal.

Their 'words' are understood across language and cultural barriers.

Improvisation - Familiarity in a New Way The musical-improvisatory interpretation of this is evident. When musicians improvise, they draw upon all the skills and musicality they have acquired over the years but combine them in the moment in a new way. To optimize this, one must first let go of the old (8. A New Day) and allow something external to take over a part of the process. It could be called intuitive composition - contrasting with scored music where everything has been meticulously calculated in advance.

In the improvisatory part of the Pentecost Oratorio, the following occurs:

Something external guides the music (we allow the spontaneous to happen).

Our form of expression is verbal - we use our voices to create the music.

Our 'words' are understood across language and cultural barriers - the language of music is universal, and the audience is often invited to contribute to the musical universe in moments.