‘All buildings are marked by the sun, the wind and the water, but how much music was absorbed by these walls in the course of time? This is the intriguing question Renske Vrolijk answers in Ghost Wall.’
– Klassieke Zaken
for musicians and concert programmers
Sonic Archaeology
In Ghost Wall, Renske Vrolijk explores a fascinating hypothesis: what if ancient stonework could record sound like a vinyl record?
The concept originated as a ‘scientific’ April Fool’s hoax about archaeo-acoustics, but evolved into a serious composition. Vrolijk reconstructs the fictional machine from the hoax, using acoustic means.
The Sound
The Brisk Recorder Quartet, combined with live electronics, acts as the stylus on the stone. The music scrapes away the layers of history. Through the static, fragments of Adriaan Willaert (the 16th-century master) emerge, as if his music had been trapped in the church walls for centuries.
The experience is evocative and ambiguous: are we listening to a revelation or a burial? Is the tombstone sliding open, or sealing shut?
For performers
Year:
2009
Duration:
9’
Instruments:
srec, arec,
trec, brec, elec
Premiere:
24 February 2009
Waalse Kerk
Amsterdam
Commission:
Brisk
Recorder Quartet
Category:
2-5 musicians
Language:
Latin, Dutch
Lyricist:
Renske Vrolijk
Adriaan Willaert
Are you interested in performing this work? Please contact my publisher.
Renske’s sheet music
is published by Deuss Music.
Listen to Ghost Wall
Performed by Brisk Recorder Quartet