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EESTI ELU reedel, 11. märtsil 2022 — Friday, March 11, 2022
Nr. 10
We’re Listening with EMW: From the Loom to the Grand Staff Vincent Teetsov County (once part of the Kingdom of Hungary) function like a pianist’s steady left-hand ed pattern on the low end of a piano. Meanwhile, a flower pattern becomes a twinkling melody in the higher registers. Afterwards, the pattern reverses, resulting in steady high notes and a more complicated pattern in the lower registers, on the bass clef. Among the Hungarian and Romanian patterns, wider objects become clustered chords. Thinner objects or long lines become scales and tangential melodies. After this first iteration of the Soundweaving project, Szirmay teamed up with pianist Daniel Vikukel to interpret the rug embroidery of artisans from Afghanistan. The presence of diamonds and triangles in these patterns creates converging and diverging melodies, like two hands meeting at a middle note and then separating again. It’s established that patterns exist in the natural world. For instance, sound waves produce intricate patterns out of grains of sand when they vibrate a Chladni plate at frequencies above 1000 hertz. What would we hear though, if, like in the Soundweaving project, we pro
cessed an Estonian pattern through a music box? Let’s examine a belt pattern from Otepää, as pictured in Eevi Astel’s book Eesti vööd. On the outside edges of the belt, white space is interspersed with single red dots, double blue dots, and blue rectangles with red lines cutting through horizontally. The pattern is the same on both sides of the belt. In the middle of the belt are tightly woven red X shapes. At regular intervals every few centimetres is a white space in the shape of an eight-pointed star, a common motif in Esto nian folk patterns. Each of the white stars has a red diamond in the middle. If we programmed white space as silence and then cranked the pattern through the music box, the edges of the belt would sound like equivalent chords played several octaves apart, alternating with dyads (two note chords), and single notes played in unison in opposing low and high regis ters. Playing the X shapes in the middle of the belt would be so wild that it would require another music box to play them with clarity. Or if people were performing the pattern, another musician would need to be hired, playing almost constantly up and down in the middle
international scientific station and with some exploration among other stops. Prices be ginning from $19,495 for 13 days. Longer trips into the polar Curious, how life brings co zone are also available. Airfare incidental events, experiences. to Rio included, of course. (But. Since August, Antarctica has The rich of the 21st century are been a vicariously enticing an ecological threat to presence, whether sub Antarctica. The cruise ships consciously or directly in the belch effluents and the fragile ecosystem simply cannot bear everyday. Valmar Kurol’s latest CD, the impact of bipeds, excepting introduced first here at EWR in penguins, of course.) Then the third, this a hap December, then later in Estonian Life, provided the penstance in the local library. spark. Kurol and Michael The new books shelf displayed Stibor’s musical affection for a wonderful work about a ma the icy continent is presented in rine attempt to reach the South a lush and often surprisingly re Pole. Which ended up as the laxing manner, proving that the very first exploration that frozen plains and mountains, over-wintered in Antarctica, icebergs are a wonderful source trapped in ice. The author is Julian Sancton, the title of inspiration. The second occurrence was “Madhouse at the end of the the arrival by mail of a travel World.” Published last year, it is pamphlet from Viking Ex the culmination of five years of peditions. Apparently the under a labour of love for the author, signed, in another life (?) has who first encountered the traveled with these Norsemen “Belgica” in a 2015 spring New and Valkyries, for the thick bro Yorker article, which suggested chure had not only the name that the historic event may spelled correctly but also a pas provide lessons for space travel, senger, client number. Frankly, notably to Mars. What is the cruises anywhere do not appeal difference? Mars or Antarctica? at all. But a vapid interest in the In the 19th century very little brochure, triggered certainly by was known or even mapped the ennui that is hard to alle about the seventh continent. viate these days, resulted in a The “Belgica’s” scientists did perusal of possible journeys. much to fill in some blanks. Surprise! Viking now will take This was, obviously yet quite you on a cruise of the Antarctic curiously, a Belgian-led expedi Ocean, making landfall at the tion. While most of us know
about Roald Amundsen’s and Robert Scott’s competitive ex cursions onto the southern polar ice as well as Ernest Shackle ton’s attempt, this writer knew nothing about the voyage of the “Belgica”. The commandant of that voyage, Adrian de Gerlache had been infatuated with polar exploration, and was over a number of years able to raise sufficient money to purchase a Norwegian whaler and outfit it as needed. The goal was to reach the South Pole. More difficult was the challenge of crewing the expedition. Patrio tic Belgians wanted only their countrymen, but the reality was that Belgium, even with African colonies had no seafaring history, a risible navy (mostly ferries) and hence a tiny talent pool to draw from. De Gerlache was forced to hire beyond the available Belgians – Nor wegians, Poles and even an American, Frederick Cook as the ship’s doctor. Cook was a key figure of inspiration and support on the “Belgica”. Later, however – and perhaps even then – he showed his true colours as a fraudster, conman. Quite the charlatan, Cook claimed to have been the first to reach the North Pole. There is no proof, a lot of skepticism. Which is a shame, for history judges him for his post-“Belgi ca” deeds. Incidentally, the only undisputed claim to first seeing the North Pole was performed
Despite the patience and knowledge of the late Mihkel Salusoo, I realized pretty quickly, while trying to make a traditional Estonian vöö (belt) at Kotkajärve, that I was a lost cause when it came to weaving on a small loom. If I was going to do anything requiring manual dexterity, playing the guitar while sing ing would be more likely. So I was enthralled when I realized that the same types of patterns used to make vööd could also be used to make music. In the Soundweaving project of 2014, Hungarian tex tile designer Zsanett Szirmay and composer Bálint TárkányKovács demonstrated how traditional folk cross-stitching patterns, seen on embroidered shirts and pillows from Hungary and the Romanian region of Transylvania, can translate into notes on the staff of Western musical notation. Each point of a weaving draft (the visualization of a pat tern) corresponds to a point on the grand staff, either on the bass clef or the treble clef. This is then played on a music box of sorts, cranked by hand, pro ducing both chords and singular notes. For instance, the horizontal streaks of a pattern from Kolozs
Antarctica from afar
Folk patterns used in the Soundweaving project. Photo: soundweaving.hu
registers of their instrument except for a rest of a few beats every couple of measures. And it would repeat many times, until the belt pattern came to an end! Naturally, the sounds would be somewhat repetitive because patterns themselves repeat. The repetition we notice in folk songs, patterns, and beyond is characteristic of an approach that is based on accessibility. Folk culture is meant to be part of one’s existing activities, not requiring as much formal edu cation or lots of spare time and space to do – which is not to diminish its value! Rather, everyone is welcome to partici pate in folk culture. Tradition ally, embroidery would happen while sitting around, talking with one’s friends and family. Singing would be done while
completing farm labour outside. Working with repetition in these acts means you don’t have to refer as much to notes or patterns.
by Amundsen, although by air, not on foot. Roald Amundsen was also on board. Along with Cook and the captain, Georges Lecointe the trio was the dynamo behind the exploration. The three formed The Order of the Penguin to distinguish them selves. And it was the penguins that saved “Belgica’s” crew – semi-raw penguin meat was eaten under Cook’s advice to combat scurvy. The “Belgica” is in the his tory books as the first inter national exploration, with so many nationalities on board. Belgium, or precisely de Ger lache, did not stake a land claim. As a result the continent is the only truly international one, owned by no country. Consider the “Belgica’s” crew. Cook spoke nothing but English. The Belgians French or Dutch. The Norwegians a smattering of German or Eng lish beyond their native tongue. It was truly a cosmopolitan undertaking; to even have an intelligible conversation was a success. But manage they did. Sancton’s book is recom mended. Meticulously re searched, based on primary sources such as diaries, rather than dubious accounts from newspapers, rivals. (This is the only real way to write genuine history). It is a very educational read on many levels. Of course, you may become somewhat
fixated, like three generations of de Gerlaches, many others, on Antarctica as well. Biographies and diaries of Scott and Amundsen may just be the start of a fascination, much like held by Scanton, and all the other explorers thus smitten.
Considering the accessibility and long history of folk textile traditions, it’s fascinating to think about how they can now be used like an early form of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) notes com posed on a computer. Likewise, the influence of punch cards used with the Jacquard Loom in the early 1800s can be seen in the IBM cards that were intro duced in 1928. Thinking about art from mathematical and technological standpoints adds another dimen sion to our understanding of human creativity, as art interacts with more of our senses.
The Estonian connection b eyond Valmar’s lovely music? The Bellingshausen Sea. Where “Belgica” was trapped for over a year, February 1898 to March 1899. Sancton’s book has a wonderful map showing how the ship drifted in many dif ferent directions but in small areas of the famous sea. It was named after Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, born in Saaremaa in 1778, who became an Admiral in the Tsarist Navy. He participated in marine Antarctic exploration under Admiral A.J. von Krusenstern, also a Baltic German, born in Estonia (at Hagedi) in 1770, and died in Estonia, in Virumaa, while von Bellingshausen passed away in Kronstadt, Russia. Hence the naming of the sea after a naval legend from Estonia, be it as a Baltic German, the roots are and were significant. A magical continent, Antarc tica still beguiles many to this day from afar. TÕNU NAELAPEA
