Compositions
Des bruits qui ne parlent pas
for harpsichord, percussion and fixed media (2023, 8')
Des bruits qui ne parlent pas, written between February and April 2023, relates to the experiences and writings of the French philosopher and socio-political activist Simone Weil (1909-1943), who involved herself with the dilemmas, in particular the inhumane character, of early 20th century factory work. To gain the deepest possible insights, she became a factory worker herself in the mid 1930s, and an agricultural labourer as well. Weil wrote extensively about her concerns, and her visions around the future of factory work, in articles and essays, and in correspondence with friends and associates, as well as with some factory directors. Her uncompromising dedication took a heavy toll on her frail health. During the Second World War, aged 34, she died from cardiac failure, apparently in relation with a self-imposed regime of starvation.
Des bruits qui ne parlent pas, for harpsichord, percussion and fixed media, takes a text fragment from Weil’s book La condition ouvrière as its basis. On the one hand the musical material is based on the speech rhythm and melody of the selected text, as spoken by the French soprano Agathe Labadie; on the other hand it features the inhumane motorics of factory work, as described in Weil’s text. The harpsichord part is mostly motoric, while the percussionist tries to instrumentally render the textual material, while being tied to the motorics of the harpsichord part. The piece thus balances at the divide between humanness in performance, and automation.
The work is also inspired by Iannis Xenakis’ work Komboï for the same instrumentation, and its application of patterns and ostinati, stochastic material, and limited collections of pitches and timbres.
Des bruits qui ne parlent pas makes part of a cycle of works by Marinissen, around Simone Weil's writings. The composition of this cycle was kindly supported by the Dutch Fonds Podiumkunsten. The composer thanks Agathe Labadie for her wonderful spoken rendition of Weil’s text.
Des bruits qui ne parlent pas, written between February and April 2023, relates to the experiences and writings of the French philosopher and socio-political activist Simone Weil (1909-1943), who involved herself with the dilemmas, in particular the inhumane character, of early 20th century factory work. To gain the deepest possible insights, she became a factory worker herself in the mid 1930s, and an agricultural labourer as well. Weil wrote extensively about her concerns, and her visions around the future of factory work, in articles and essays, and in correspondence with friends and associates, as well as with some factory directors. Her uncompromising dedication took a heavy toll on her frail health. During the Second World War, aged 34, she died from cardiac failure, apparently in relation with a self-imposed regime of starvation.
Des bruits qui ne parlent pas, for harpsichord, percussion and fixed media, takes a text fragment from Weil’s book La condition ouvrière as its basis. On the one hand the musical material is based on the speech rhythm and melody of the selected text, as spoken by the French soprano Agathe Labadie; on the other hand it features the inhumane motorics of factory work, as described in Weil’s text. The harpsichord part is mostly motoric, while the percussionist tries to instrumentally render the textual material, while being tied to the motorics of the harpsichord part. The piece thus balances at the divide between humanness in performance, and automation.
The work is also inspired by Iannis Xenakis’ work Komboï for the same instrumentation, and its application of patterns and ostinati, stochastic material, and limited collections of pitches and timbres.
Des bruits qui ne parlent pas makes part of a cycle of works by Marinissen, around Simone Weil's writings. The composition of this cycle was kindly supported by the Dutch Fonds Podiumkunsten. The composer thanks Agathe Labadie for her wonderful spoken rendition of Weil’s text.
© Arnold Marinissen 2024