Migrating Sound Peripheral Voices in European Opera and Music Theatre

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Migrating SoundPeripheral Voices in European
Opera and Music Theatre

• Sound und Performance
• Kongress der Gesellschaft für Theaterwissenschaft
  
• Universität Bayreuth
• 5 October 2012

• Dr. P.M.G. Verstraete
• Mercator IPC Fellow
• Sabanci University Istanbul
• (Honorary Fellow, University of Exeter)

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• Postmigrants are the new Germans. It would be
  difficult to call us New German Theatre. That
  would have been a step too far, and I would not
  know if every college of high culture would take
  this with the necessary doses of humor. It is a
  play with notions. We place ourselves in a
  discourse which already exists post-migrant
  appeared for the first time in Anglo-Saxon
  literature, when ten years ago Feridun Zaimoglu
  was invited to a symposium. To me post-migrant,
  in the understanding of the producers and
  recipients at Ballhaus, is the right description,
  to the extent that one can describe something
  accurately.
• (Shermin Langhoff my translation, PV)

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• Post-migrant
• Community
• Aurality

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Lege Wieg / Bos Besik (2010) directed and
produced by Cilia Hogerzeil composed by Seung-Ah
Oh Hollands Diep in collaboration with
VocaalLAB in Het Energiehuis in Dordrecht
Tango Türk (2010) directed by Lotte De
Beer composed by Sinem Altan Neuköllner Oper
in Berlin
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• The Aesthetic Argument
• Acoustic Communication and Inter-Aurality

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Acoustic Communication

• how sound, in all its forms and functions,
  defines the relationship of the individual, the
  community, and ultimately a culture, to the
  environment and those within it.
• (Barry Truax 1984 3)

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Lege Wieg / Bos Besik Nenni Bebek

• Bebegin besigi çamdan The cradle of the baby is
  made of pine wood
• Yuvarlandi düstü damdan the baby fell over the
  roof
•  
• Kurtulur mu gelin gamdan would the
  daughter-in-law (the mother) be free from sorrow?
•  
• Nenni nenni nenni lullaby, lullaby,
  lullaby Nenni bebek hey (oy) lullaby, baby
•  
• Dere olup tasamadim I could not be a creek
  overflow
• Kader dagin asamadim I could not climb/pass
  over the mountain of destiny
• Gelin olup yasamadim I could not be a
  daughter-in-life (wife) and live well
•  
• Nenni nenni nenni Nenni bebek hey (oy)
• Bebek beni deleyledi the baby made me crazy
• Yakti yakti kül eyledi it burnt me, it burnt
  me, it turned me into ashes
• Her kap ya kul eyledi it made me a servant to
  everybody (everyones door)
• Nenni nenni nenni Nenni bebek hey (oy)

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• The Social Argument
• Community as Critical Concept

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Bi-musicality

• This is the ability to function competently and
  with understanding within the musical practice of
  another culture. Hood notes that every cultures
  music can be appreciated only on its own terms
  and he offers the example that basic western
  musicianship, such as having perfect pitch,
  actually represents a conditioned prejudice to
  overcome interfering with the musicians ability
  to hear microtonal inflections (Hood 1960 56).
  The needed skill set can be gained through
  learned sensitivity and actual musical
  performance experience.
• (Robert Gluck 2008 143)

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Community

• it may be allowed too easily to become an
  explanation rather than something to be
  explained.
• (Brian Alleyne 2002 608)
• Community as departure point for inquiry
• Bataille, community without community
• Nancy, inoperative community
• Agamben, the coming community
• Blanchot, unavowable community

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• Conclusion
• A Radical Politics of Community

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P.M.G.Verstraete_at_exeter.ac.uk