Let Schubert be the source of your creative energy – quite literally!
Yes, just like that the transition has happened! Oranges, yellows, browns and everything pumpkin are out, wintery reds and greens, twinkly lights and candy stripes are in, and the season of crafting and cooking has officially begun. In this sense, the world hasn’t changed all that much in the last 200 years. Yes, we now have a festive Starbucks menu and Advent calendars with everything from cheese to Keurig cups behind their little doors, but indoor entertainment, friendship and coziness are still the staples of the season. So it was for Schubert, so it is for us!
In preparing for Kolesnikov and Tsoy’s wonderful four-hands recital in January, I was reminded of a fascinating article about Schubert’s Vienna, and a group of young artists called the “Nonsense Society” (Unsinngesellschaft), to which Schubert belonged in his youth. Consisting of between 25 and 30 members, this group would meet weekly to produce and discuss a handwritten booklet or club magazine, called the Archiv des menschlichen Unsinns – ein langweiliges Unterhaltungsblatt für Wahnwitzige (“Archive of Human Nonsense – a boring entertainment magazine for the insane”). In this way, they would relish in creative expression, be it through poetry, riddles, watercolor painting or wearing elaborate costumes to the gathering. By sticking to strict code names and indulging in clever metaphors and puns, the members of the Nonsense Society carefully navigated the restrictive political climate of the day and relished in a shared sense of joy and purpose, making art from the follies of mankind and creatively delighting in the everyday.
“Zur Unsinniade 1. Gesang.” Watercolor by Carl Friedrich Zimmermann (31 December 1817)
This immediately made me think of Pavel and Samson (whom we can’t wait to introduce to Portland, because they are, in Bill’s words, “our kind of people”): two consummate artists who keenly believe in the interconnectedness of all art forms. Whether they’re doing site-specific sound experiments in Marfa, Texas, collaborating in video installations at the Fashion Museum in Antwerp, or playing in a traditional concert hall like they’ll do at Lincoln Hall, these two creative souls firmly believe that music should be a source of creative energy.
Today, I’m urging you to take that quite literally by sharing a project I did with my kids over Thanksgiving weekend.
You barely need any artistic skill or fancy supplies to execute it, and I guarantee that you’ll feel accomplished and craftsy once you’re admiring your handiwork. You only need one piece of sheet music per tree (the first page of Schubert’s “Lebensstürme” works beautifully, and you can download it here), a wooden kebab skewer and a bottle cap or other disc-shaped weight to stand your “music tree” upright. This very short video will give you a complete tutorial.
Put some music on (start your Kolesnikov-Tsoy immersion here if you listen to iTunes and here if you prefer Spotify)
Gather your materials, think of the Nonsense Society and of how Schubert would chuckle at this fun new way to engage with his music!
Now exhibit your artwork somewhere you can enjoy it daily – and use it as a reminder to come to Lincoln Hall on January 4th to hear Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy make beautiful music and life-affirming art together!
