Joanna Brouk; A Composer Inspired by Silence

Hi friends,

The space between is a fascinating topic which has been explored by some of my favorite artists. Here's a quote by the phenomenal poet Rainer Maria Rilke (the first poet to really have me contemplating space, silence, the moments right before or after an event):

“My life is not this steeply sloping hour,
in which you see me hurrying.
Much stands behind me; I stand before it like a tree;
I am only one of my many mouths,
and at that, the one that will be still the soonest.

I am the rest between two notes,
which are somehow always in discord
because Death’s note wants to climb over—
but in the dark interval, reconciled, they stay there trembling.
And the song goes on, beautiful.”

I was quite pleased to discover a musician whose work is inspired by silence. Joanna Brouk (1949-2017) was fascinated by the power of sound and vibration to heal, as well as the natural rhythm of nature. The article quoted and linked below is wonderful, I'd highly recommend reading, but here's a quote for those in a hurry:

I remember walking into the studio and someone had left a big gong there. I hit it and went “whoa” — you can hear this on “The Creative” — and it was so tempting, as it is for most musicians, to hit it faster. But I said no, you have to slow down and listen to the silence, the overtones between the notes and the pattern rising. It’s the space between the notes where things started happening. So many virtuosos want to play fast to show their technique. But you should slow it down! Slow it down to almost an Erik Satie thing. How slow can you play it? How slow can you chant it? That’s how I learned music. I listened between the notes. I’d hear an arpeggio rise, maybe a melody. It was just bliss; I was so into it.

aquariumdrunkard.com...

Here's how music inspired by silence might sound
(Spa type music, but really good!)

Sounds of the Sea, love this (but especially around the 7:30 mark where it becomes transcendental)

A short one, so aptly named!

a reply to: zosimov
Thank you so much, I never heard of Joanna Brouk's music before. I love it!... it reminds me of Samuel Beckett's plays, sentences stripped down to bare minimum, to what's only necessary with lots of pauses between them and let the silence reveal or conceal their meanings.

Still listening to The Space Between Album.

a reply to: MaxTamesSiva

I had never heard of her either. So glad that I did, posted here, and that you took the time to listen!

Have a great day

a reply to: zosimov
I happen to found this documentary today and would like to share it... from the disappointing etymological origins of the English word "silence" to Zen, John Cage, to Japanese tea ceremony and much more... silence is the resting place of everything essential... everyone is equal when there is silence...

a reply to: MaxTamesSiva

Absolutely perfect accompaniment to the theme of silence! Thank you