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Let’s celebrate: Spanish Villancicos in Christmastime

By Javier Sanchez Castillo - December 23, 2023
Theresia's Ambassador Javier Sanchez Castillo explores Villancicos - traditional Spanish songs for Christmastime.
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During this time of the year, which is Christmas, music resonates everywhere, especially in Spain. Every household is filled with music, as families sing traditional Christmas songs known as “Villancicos.”

The “Villancico” represents a musical and lyrical expression in Spanish and Portuguese, rooted in the traditions of this two countries, especially during the 15th to 18th centuries. Initially, “villancicos” were secular compositions with a refrain, originating from popular sources and performed with multiple voices. Over time, they became incorporated into ecclesiastical liturgies and gained, more and more, a particular association with the celebration of Christmas.

Typically composed of octosyllabic or hexasyllabic verses, carols follow the following structure:

a) Refrain of two or four verses, announcing the theme.

b)”Mudanza’’ (which literally means to move), consisting of a stanza (or several), often a “redondilla”, metric combination of four eight-syllable verses in which the first and fourth, as well as the third and second verses, harmonize.

c) Return or link: a linking verse and one or two verses that repeat the refrain either wholly or partially.

“Villancicos” were also introduced to the American colonies from Hispanic repertoires and adapted popular songs with religious terms. Initially influenced by Spanish religious styles of the 15th century, they merged with local festivities, incorporating elements from indigenous cultures and languages such as “Náhuatl” or African terms. Additionally, indigenous people performed these carols.

Initially rooted in popular culture, this genre underwent a transformation as it was refined by erudite writers and musicians.

Examples of Villancicos

These “villancicos” encompass multiple songs, both old and new. Some of them have significantly more age, while others are like small museum treasures.

Here, you can listen to a selection of my favorites.

Falalalanlera, Bartomeu Cáceres (1546)

“Villancico” from Cancionero de Gandía, Niño dios d’amor querido, Francisco Guerrero (1589)

Manuscript found in the musical archive of Bogotá, Hoy nace una clara estrella. Anonymus (XVII)

Pastores venid. (Popular “Villancico’’ nowadays)

Influencia Navideña.

Currently, within Spanish-speaking countries, the term “villancico” encompasses a broad and diverse range of popular musical compositions with varied origins, eras, and styles.

In the 18th century, a period during which the “villancico” was still sung in religious celebrations, its use gradually became limited to Christmas festivities. This evolution led to the “villancico” being firmly associated in popular memory as a specific musical genre of Christmas, and its designation extended more generally to refer to any song with a Christmas theme.

Each “villancico”, through its lyrics, represents a different celebration. These lyrics are specific to the 24th and 25th of December, aligning with the birth of Jesus Christ, as well as the arrival of the Three Kings on the night of January 4th to 5th. Hence, we can continue to hear music overflowing from the balconies and windows of Spanish families until early January.

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Discovering Juan Manuel de la Puente

By Javier Sanchez Castillo - October 6, 2023
Bassoonist and Theresia Ambassador Javier Sanchez Castillo about discovering the music of Spanish baroque composer Juan Manuel de la Puente.
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Read the Spanish version

In the vast musical landscape of the 17th century, there are lesser-known figures who stand out in their own right. Recently, I encountered one such hidden gem named Juan Manuel de la Puente, a composer I discovered thanks to Carles Cristobal, who teaches baroque bassoon at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, whom I credit for introducing me to this musical “treasure” a few months ago.

Juan Manuel de la Puente was born on August 8, 1692, in Tomellosa (Guadalajara), and in 1711, he became the chapel master of the cathedral of Jaén, my hometown, after a tough and competitive entrance exam against other great masters from other major Spanish cathedrals. His villancicos (Christmas carols) were heard throughout the city during the Christmas season, and his cantatas were remarkably modern and inventive of style for the time in this region of Spain.

A bit more about his life

De la Puente was born into a prosperous family. His first contact with sacred music came at the age of 11, when he joined the choir of the Toledo Cathedral, which is very close to Madrid and was one of the most prestigious and wealthiest cathedrals in Spain at the time. There he spent eight years of his life absorbing the Italian style that was prevalent in the Spanish capital due to its geographical proximity.

What makes De la Puente special?

In 1711, the long-standing collaboration between Juan Manuel de la Puente and Luis Francisco López de Contreras, a virtuoso bajonista at the cathedral of Jaén, began. As a result, De la Puente started writing independent parts for the instruments accompanying the voice. In the case of the bajón (predecessor of the baroque bassoon), it went from being a mere support for the voice to having a certain prominence. The quality of López de Contreras’s playing gave his instrument a soloistic and virtuosic dimension that was unusual for the time.

Where to listen to De la Puente’s music?

Thanks to the Baroque Orchestra of Seville and the group Al Ayre Español we can enjoy some recordings of masses, cantatas and villancicos by this fantastic composer, such as the cantata “La llama más divina” available on YouTube. It features a duet with delightful and original recitatives, showcasing the Italian style that fascinates me so much and that I recognize in works of composers such as Stradella or dall’Abacco.

How has De la Puente influenced me?

The discovery of De la Puente has encouraged me wanting to play some of his works on the bajón, which is an instrument that initially didn’t draw my interest. As the composer originates from my home country, I can fully understand the meaning of the texts of his musical works, which were intended for the people and reflect actions and feelings of everyday life, with a primary aim of promoting devotion and theology.

In the near future, I would like to collaborate with fellow musicians to perform and record De la Puente’s music together. So, stay tuned to my Instagram profile and Theresia’s social media channels to hear one of his works for bajón soon!

Spanish version

En el vasto panorama musical del siglo XVII, hay figuras menos conocidas pero que brillan con un resplandor propio. Uno de estos bien llamado ‘’tesoros’’ es Juan Manuel de la Puente el cual he descubierto hace muy pocos meses gracias a Carles, profesor de fagot barroco en Basilea.

Juan Manuel de la Puente nacido el 8 de agosto de 1692 en Tomellosa (Guadalajara) y en 1711 maestro de capilla de la catedral de Jaén, mi ciudad natal, después de una dura y competitiva prueba de acceso frente a otros grandes maestros de las más grandes catedrales españolas. Sus villancicos resonaban por toda la ciudad en las fechas indicadas para la navidad y sus cantatas poseían un estilo de lo más moderno e inventivo para la época en esta región de España.

UN POCO MÁS SOBRE SU VIDA

De la Puente nació en una familia acomodada. Siendo así su primer contacto con la música sacra fue a los 11 años al entrar como seise en la catedral de Toledo (muy cerca de Madrid), una de las catedrales españolas con más prestigio y riqueza en el momento. Allí pasó 8 años de su vida empapándose del estilo italiano procedente de la capital española debido a su cercanía geográfica con esta.

¿QUÉ TIENE DE ESPECIAL DE LA PUENTE?

Desde 1711 comenzaría la longeva colaboración entre Juan Manuel de la Puente y Luis Francisco López de Contreras, virtuoso bajonista de la catedral de Jaén. Así, Juan Manuel de la Puente comienza a escribir partes independientes para los instrumentos que acompañan la voz. Y en el caso concreto de la escritura para bajón pasa de ser un mero apoyo para la voz a tener cierto protagonismo. La calidad de López de Contreras hace que el uso de su instrumento adquiera un matiz solístico y virtuoso poco usual en la época.

¿DÓNDE ESCUCHARLO?

Gracias a la Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla y al grupo ‘’Al Ayre Español’’ podemos disfrutar de algunas grabaciones de cantatas y villancicos de este fantástico compositor, como por ejemplo la cantata ‘’La llama más divina’’ disponible en YouTube; Un aria a dúo con unos recitativos muy placenteros y originales, posee el estilo italiano que tanto me fascina y que reconozco en obras de Stradella o dall’ Abacco.

¿CÓMO HA INFLUIDO EN MI?

El descubrimiento de la Puente me ha alentado a querer tocar alguna de sus obras con el bajón, que no es un instrumento que de primera vista me llamase mucho la atención.

Además, al ser un compositor de mi país natal puedo entender completamente el significado de los textos de las obras musicales, los cuales eran pensados para el pueblo y recogen acciones y sentimientos de la vida popular tratando de divulgar por encima de todo la devoción y la teología.

Sin embargo, en un futuro cercano me gustaría avisar a compañeros para tocar y grabar juntos esta música. ¡Así que estad atentos a mis redes personales y la de Theresia para poder escuchar pronto una de sus obras para bajón!

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Choosing a Historical Instrument: the Making of my Viola, Bertha.

By Ciara Sudlow - August 22, 2023
It took her a while to find her ideal viola, but it was worth it: find out how our ambassadress Ciara had a special viola made for her.
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She may look like your average viola at first glance, but most violists look at her with wary eyes and ask why on earth I play an instrument with such unusual dimensions. Maybe it is a little crazy, but I will explain my reasoning and logic – or perhaps lack thereof!

The ‘average’ modern professional viola has a body around 40cm long, with ribs about 3.5cm tall. Violas have a lot more variation than violins even in modern form, but the general measurements are taken from Cremonese instruments, many of which were cut down or adjusted in the 19th century. This is not to say that a viola of these dimensions is not historically accurate, more than likely there were instruments made to these dimensions, but there was also a huge amount of variation between instruments and makers, which is not reflected in today’s ensembles.
Bertha was inspired by a viola in the Kunsthistorische Museum in Vienna, which caught my eye on a visit in November. This instrument was made in 1707 by Johann Michael Alban (1677-1730). From Bolzano, Italy, he moved to Graz in 1700. The viola is in original condition, with no modifications. The back is 45cm long, but it has a substantially shorter neck than average to make it manageable to play.

Historical InstrumentI had noticed other similarly large instruments in other museums around Europe – in Basil, London, and recently Berlin. There is huge variation in the sizes and shapes of violas in these museums. Of course, one argument which has been made many times is that mostly the unplayable instruments end up in museums. But this could not be true, as there are Stradivarius, Guarneri violins worth millions in these same cabinets, as well as Stainer and Amati instruments. The unique instruments with unusual dimensions were clearly treasured in their prime, and luckily managed to survive for us to see them in the present day (if only we could hear them played regularly too!). It is certainly true, though, that they fell out of fashion or preference in the 19th century, which may be why they ended up in museum collections rather than the instruments of professionals. I fully understand why this is the case after playing the most recent concert with Theresia in Geneva, it was considerably more difficult to play the Beethoven symphony septet arrangement on my viola!

The concept of tenor vs alto viola is also very interesting – at what point is a viola a tenor? And did they recognise this distinction at the time? Or were they simply all variations on the same instrument? Perhaps this is a rather lengthy topic for another blog…

Bertha was inspired by the Alban viola, but was not a direct copy. I had detailed discussions with luthier Koen Boschman about what I was looking for in an instrument, and we worked from there.

Pre-varnishing pictures

The instrument ended up being 44 cm long, with a rib height of 6 cm – almost double the normal height! The neck was shortened to 12,5 cm, making the string length quite similar to an average viola. A shorter neck changes the perception of where positions are on the instrument – 3rd position on Bertha feels like 4th position on an average viola. But the standard string length makes it easier to source strings, and also less difficult to swap between instruments if needed. The larger rib depth also makes it easier to play the instrument holding it lower down on the chest rather than the shoulder, this was important to me in order to play earlier repertoire comfortably and in an informed manner.

The resulting instrument

Bertha has a huge sound, with so much resonance on the G and C strings. The tone is more like a cello, blending incredibly well in ensembles, but also has endless power when required. So far, the only downside is in playing solo repertoire with a continuo group that includes a cello. The tone of the viola and cello blends a little too well, and the instrument doesn’t cut through in the way that a smaller viola might.

There is a common misconception that in order to have the best and most historical instrument it should be an original, this is widely desired within the industry, with the alternative being an exact copy of an old instrument. However, these same old instruments being played in the baroque era were new then, often a bit experimental, and for the most part, were not copies of other maker’s instruments. This led to more variation, progress in the design and form of instruments in the violin family, and personally I find it very exciting and interesting to see dramatically different forms of an instrument. Why do we all want copies of these early instruments, with no variation or experimentation? Should we replicate an instrument of the baroque era? Or instead replicate the values and intentions of makers at that time? To me, the intentions and reasoning behind an instrument is far more important than it being a direct copy of something. Having an open mind, and approaching a luthier who can be creative and less restricted to the standardised models is so important. They must be willing to work with musicians on creating something new. As musicians, we are artists, creators, and what is more valuable in art than having your own individual voice. Bertha certainly won’t be the only viola I ever own or play in my life – I plan to constantly keep my ears open to new sound prospects, and continue in my journey of embodying the musical ideas in my mind. We will see what direction this takes.

As performers in the modern day, we must select instruments with slightly different criteria – we have to be practical and take into consideration that we must perform such a large range of styles, and that most of us can’t afford ten or more different instruments to cover all bases precisely. Let’s not use this as an excuse, rather an opportunity to learn more about how instruments developed, and to have instruments made that are historically and culturally informed, fit for purpose. Question the standards, respectfully question everything your teacher tells you, and more than anything – question your own assumptions.

Lets embrace the values of the music we play, celebrate diversity, creativity, and experimentation in the music industry. Remember the values of the pioneers of historical performance practice, and constantly seek new and exciting ways of expressing the music we love.

If you would like to see more examples of tenor violas, and read a bit about some of the surviving original instruments, check out here.

And why Bertha you might be wondering? Well, she’s got to have a name!

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The day I discovered Baroque Jam Sessions 

By Laurène Patard-Moreau - August 3, 2023
Never be afraid of trying new things: find out how our ambassadress Laurène discovered the beauty of breaking down barriers by taking part in an early music jam session.
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Never be afraid of trying new things: find out how our ambassador Laurène discovered the beauty of breaking down barriers by taking part in an early music jam session.

Read the French version

In June 2022, I was living in Montréal, Canada, where I had just finished my bachelor’s degree in modern violin at university. I was about to leave the country to go back to Europe to start a Masters degree in baroque violin. Early music was about to become a big part of my life and I had just decided a few months before to fully dive into it. I was enjoying my lasts days in Québec and the beginning of summer when I saw the programme of the Festival Montréal Baroque. This festival was taking place in the neighbourhood Le Plateau, the weekend before I had to fly. Perfect timing. I texted some friends to invite them to join me and we went to listen to some concerts. The following day, I looked again at the programme and something aroused my curiosity: Baroque jam sessions in a bar. It was written below «all musicians welcome, bring your instruments». I decided to go that evening, and I must say that this was one of the best musical experiences I took part in.

The bar was in a long and narrow space, at the end of which there was a small stage. The organizers had brought a harpsichord, some music stands, and a lot of scores. The principle was simple: anyone could pick a score and sightread it with others, while the public was drinking, talking, and eating.

When I arrived, I took a seat with my friends and ordered a drink. None of them were musicians, and I was really shy to take out my instrument. I always need some time to observe things before I decide to do something. So I took my time, talked to a few people, met musicians that I knew and then, after some (necessary) encouragement from the others, I decided to join the jam. Everyone was very friendly, there were students of my age but also professional musicians or teachers. And what I liked the most, is that there were no boundaries between us. Age, profession and social status didn’t matter at all. We were just musicians playing together. In French we always make a distinction between the informal pronoun «Tu» and the formal «Vous», according to the status of the person we are talking to. And I am used to using «Vous» when I talk to teachers or professionals. But there, I said «Tu» to everyone, and it felt so natural. After one hour and the end of the last concert of the day, more people arrived and the bar started to fill. Sometimes it was loud and people were almost not listening, and sometimes it was incredibly quiet. The magic of music is that some pieces provoked energy and made people talk louder or laugh, and other pieces made the audience quiet and calm, as they were listening carefully. The atmosphere could change within a few seconds. When my friends decided to go home, I stayed and continued playing until late.

The next day was my farewell party. I met my friends in a park and told them about the jam evening. I was really enthusiastic and they were curious about it, so we decided to go together during the evening. One brought his viola, one other his guitar and I had my violin. It was the last day of the festival and the atmosphere felt really different. When we arrived, there were many more people than the day before. And instead of playing inside, there were playing outside, in the backyard of the bar, a piece for orchestra. 5 violins, violas, 2 cellis, trumpets… And many more people listening! Children were playing in the backstreets and everyone was smiling. After a few pieces it started to rain and we decided to go inside. I think I stayed until 2am with my friends, playing all night long. Going from the audience to the stage, and from the stage back to the audience, we didn’t see the time passing.

I remember very well how I could feel the audience, their presence was something real. While we were playing they were drinking beers, listening or talking, laughing at our mistakes, and asking for more. That evening, almost the entire baroque scene of Montréal was in this bar and I felt incredibly where I belonged. I felt that was the way I wanted to do music. Without boundaries between listeners and players.

French version

Le jour où j’ai découvert les Jam Session de musique baroque

En juin 2022, je vivais à Montréal au Canada, et je venais de finir ma licence de violon moderne à l’université. J‘allais quitter le pays pour revenir en Europe afin de commencer un Master en violon baroque. La musique ancienne allait devenir une grande partie de ma vie et je venais de décider quelques mois auparavant de m’y plonger pleinement. Je profitais de mes derniers jours au Québec et du début de l’été lorsque j’ai vu le programme du Festival Montréal Baroque. Ce festival se tenait dans le quartier du Plateau, le week-end avant mon départ. Timing parfait. J’ai alors écrit à quelques amis pour leur proposer de venir avec moi, et nous sommes allés écouter des concerts ensemble. Le jour suivant, je regardais a nouveau le programme et quelque chose a immédiatement attisé ma curiosité : Jam Session baroque dans un bar. Il était écrit en dessous “tous les musiciens sont les bienvenus, amenez vos instruments”. Je décidais d’y aller le soir même, et je dois dire que c’était une des meilleurs experiences musicales auxquelles j’ai pu participer.

Le bar était dans une longue salle étroite, au bout de laquelle il y avait une petite scène. Les organisateurs avaient amené un clavecin, des pupitres, et beaucoup de partitions. Le principe était simple: tout le monde pouvait choisir une piece et la déchiffrer avec les autres, pendant que le public buvait un verre, parlait, et mangeait.

Quand je suis arrivée, je me suis assise avec mes amies et j’ai commandé à boire. Elles n’étaient pas musiciennes, et moi j’étais trop timide pour sortir mon instrument. J’ai toujours besoin de temps pour observer les choses avant de passer a l’action. Donc j’ai pris mon temps, j’ai discuté avec quelques personnes, retrouvé des musiciens que je connaissais, et après quelques encouragements (nécessaires) de la part de mes amies, je décidais de rejoindre la Jam. Tout le monde était très accueillant, il y avait des des étudiants de mon âge, mais aussi des professionnels et des professeurs. Ce que j’ai le plus aimé, c’est qu’il n’y avait pas de frontières entre nous. L’âge, la profession, le statut social ne comptaient pas du tout. Nous étions simplement des musiciens jouant ensemble. En français on fait toujours une distinction entre le pronom informel “tu” et le plus formel “vous”, en fonction du statut de la personne à laquelle on parle. Et je suis habituée à vouvoyer les professeurs ou a les professionels. Mais cette soirée là, j’ai tutoyé tout le monde et ça m’a semblé tout à fait naturel. Après une heure, et la fin du dernier concert de la journée, plus de personnes sont arrivées et le bar a commencé à être bien rempli. Parfois c’était bruyant et les gens n’écoutaient pas beaucoup la musique, et à d’autres moments c’était incroyablement calme. La magie de la musique c’est que certaines pièces provoquaient de l’énergie et faisaient parler les gens plus fort ou même rire, et d’autres rendaient le public très calme, comme si ils écoutaient attentivement. L’atmosphère pouvait changer en quelques secondes. Quand mes amies décidèrent de rentrer, je restais et continuais de jouer très tard.

Le jour suivant, j’ai fait mon pique-nique d’Adieu. J’ai retrouvé mes amis dans un parc, et je leur racontais alors ma soirée. J’etais très enthousiaste et eux, curieux, donc nous décidèrent avec quelques uns d’y retourner le soir meme. L’un amena son alto, un autre sa guitare, et j’avais mon violon. C’était le dernier jour du festival et l’atmosphère me parut vraiment différente. Quand nous sommes arrivés, il y avait beaucoup plus de monde que la veille. Et au lieu de jouer a l’intérieur, ils jouaient a l’extérieur, dans la cour à l’arrière du bar, une pièce pour orchestre. 5 violons, altos, 2 violoncelles, trompettes… et encore plus de gens qui écoutaient ! Les enfants jouaient dans la ruelle et tout le monde souriait. Après quelques pièces, il commença a pleuvoir et on décida de rentrer. Je pense que je suis restée jusqu’à 2h du matin avec mes amis, à jouer toute la nuit. Allant du public a la scène, et de la scène, au public, nous ne voyions plus le temps passer.

Je me souviens très bien la manière dont je pouvais sentir la presence du public, c’était quelque chose de réel. Pendant qu’on jouait ils buvaient des bières, écoutaient ou parlaient, riaient de nos erreurs, et en redemandaient. Ce soir là, presque toute la scène baroque de Montréal était dans ce bar et je me suis sentie incroyablement à ma place. J’ai senti que c’était de cette manière que je voulais faire de la musique. Sans barrières entre les musiciens et le public.

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Ambassadorship Program part two:
meet the new Ambassadors of Theresia

By Emilia Campagna - July 5, 2023
Laurène Patard, French violinist, Ciara Sudlow, Irish/Australian violinist and violist and Javier Sanchez Castillo, Spanish bassoonist, are the musicians that will represent Theresia as part of the Ambassadorship Program.
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Theresia has three new Ambassadors!

Laurène Patard, French violinist, Ciara Sudlow, Irish/Australian violinist and violist, and Javier Sanchez Castillo, Spanish bassoonist, are the new flag bearers who will have the honour of representing Theresia in their home countries as part of the Ambassadorship Program.

What is the Ambassadorship program?

The Ambassadorship program was launched in 2022 as part of the EU-funded project EMPOWER. At the core of the project is the idea that music needs people who study and play it, but also people who can disseminate, communicate and promote music. And not necessarily they have to be different groups of people, like professional musicians on one and communication professionals on the other hand. Actually, gaining soft skills in the field of communication can empower young musicians and help them build solid careers. This is at the heart of The Ambassadorship program of which trying to engage new audiences –  especially young people – is an important part. To do so, over the course of three years, a total of nine young musicians, representing nine different European countries, are asked be Ambassadors and Ambassadresses, embodying and conveying the core values of classical music and its importance for their countries. A heartfelt THANK YOU to our first three Ambassadress – Anna Krzyżak, Irina Fârtat and Lena Ruisz – who have completed their tasks. Now, it is the turn of three new Theresians to champion hip-music.

Let’s meet the new ambassadors

We have already met Laurène Patard-Moreau, French violinist who studied in Toulouse and moved to Canada in 2019 for a Bachelor in Modern Violin. Now focusing on HIP, Laurène currently lives in Amsterdam and she is passionate and curios about many things, as she told us in her interview.

Laurène Patard-Moreau

Ciara Sudlow, Irish/Australian violinist and violist, is studying a masters in historical violin and viola at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam who has a Bachelor of Music Honours (First Class) in Baroque Violin performance from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. She came to historical performance practice from a background in playing traditional Irish music. We are looking forward to knowing more about her and see her at work as an Ambassadress!

Ciara Sudlow

Last but certainly not least, we’d like to introduce you to Javier Sanchez Castillo, the very first wind player and male to be Ambassador for Theresia. He defines himself as an “enthusiastic musician who loves baroque music. Since I was 12 years old, I was sure that I wanted to achieve a life dedicated to music, particularly in early music. I am currently finishing my studies for a master’s degree in modern bassoon, combined with a minor in baroque and classical bassoon.”

Javier Sanchez Castillo

Ambassadors at work

Our ambassadors’ journey began with an intensive multi-day workshop in which communication experts of the wider Theresia team at Fondazione ICONS showed them how to use key communication tools, such as social media, blogs, filmed videos, and graphic design to promote their activities. In the coming months, they will be busy implementing communication strategies to develop, and promote HIP projects that mainly targeted at young audiences in their home country. Parts of their journeys will be published on the blog and we look forward to featuring these new voices. Follow us for more updates!

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Out of an early musician’s toolkit: sight-reading

By Léna Ruisz - May 12, 2023
As an early musician, it's important to be strongly skilled in sight-reading. Read the valuable tips from Theresia's Ambassadress Léna Ruisz
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Happy 10th anniversary to me! It’s hard to believe that it’s been a decade since I began my journey with the baroque violin. In honour of this milestone, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my journey so far and share some of the insights I’ve gained along the way.

When I first started playing the baroque violin, I quickly realised that it was about more than just mastering the instrument, gut strings, bows, pitches and tuning systems. It was about individual interpretation, sound, colour and understanding of music. With this approach comes freedom – and responsibility. How do we use it well?

This question came up in a quartet rehearsal last year, and since then I was asking around among my colleagues discussing the essential skills that an early musician needs, and how to improve them. The brainstorming session resulted in a list of skills, literature, and pieces that are believed to be important for any early musician – with a focus on repertoire for violinists.

Sight-reading

As an early musician, it’s important to have a strong foundation in sight-reading. This skill allows us to tackle last-minute gigs, late-night sight-reading sessions, and projects where we may not have had much preparation time. But it’s not just about being able to navigate the technical aspects of the music. Sight-reading is also a great way to get to know the instrument and the basic repertoire, form an opinion about different styles of music and develop our own musical taste. It can also help us to show confidence in performances, as we are able to take on unfamiliar pieces with ease.

To improve sight-reading skills, it is helpful to practice it regularly, even if it’s only for a short amount of time as part of your daily routine. A practice buddy is also great to have, as this can make the sight-reading sessions even more fun and takes the pressure out of it – not to talk about the benefits that frequent sight-reading sessions can bring to the table as an ensemble! In my experience, the sound, focus, listening skills, and overall performance might greatly improve…

In order to have a better overview, I came up with a list sorted by the instrumentation of the pieces, so there is something for everyone in every setting!

Solo repertoire

Are you new to the baroque violin and still need to find out how the bow works and how gut strings react? Then the relatively simple but entertaining pieces of the Dutch tune collection Musyk Voor De Fiool might be just the thing for you! Tartini’s L’arte del arco rightly bears the ever-cursed nickname L’arte del Trillo. In these 50 variations on a Corelli melody, you will not only master the bow but also build up some respectable muscles in your left hand.

My personal favourite, which I have played again and again since the beginning, is Guillemain’s Amusement pour le violon seul, which literally means “having fun with the violin.” I can definitely confirm the fun part, but I might add, that the gradually more difficult pieces lead to 12 Capriccios, which sometimes even put Paganini in the shade.

Practising sight-reading in the solo repertoire should not, of course, consist only of technical pieces. For those who prefer to experiment with solo pieces outside the realm of Bach, solo Sonatas by Pisendel, solo Fantasies by Telemann or the Passacaglia by Biber are worth a look.

Duo literature

It is a bottomless pit, for almost all violin schools from the 18th century were written in a form in which teacher and pupil could play together – and the duo literature of this period is also extraordinarily rich. This is not only fun but also helps to develop intonation when playing with others or to match the sound (which can be very useful if the two violins playing also have a quartet together, for example).

Besides the obvious choice of Spohr‘s or Baillot‘s Violin Schools, the book of 8 Canons Mélodieux by Telemann, and the duo collections by Guignon and Leclair are all great choices for a sight-reading session!

Solo and continuo literature

This is perhaps the richest of all the categories, so I won’t even attempt to give an overview – I’ll just mention some of my selections when it comes to basic pieces: Beginner pieces in this category include Corelli’s Op.5 Nos.7-12 and Veracini’s Op.1, while more advanced pieces might include Corelli’s Op.5 Nos.1-6, Veracini’s 12 Sonate Accademiche, Op.2, and Telemann’s 12 Sonate Metodiche. One can look at the repertoire of Vivaldi, Händel – Francœur and Senaillé on the French side – but the list is endless.

These pieces are not only great musical and technical challenges, but also give a chance to get used to reading manuscripts and first editions, which can be a valuable skill in itself…

I hope these insights and recommendations are helpful for other early musicians out there. It’s been a rewarding journey for me, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what the next 10 years have in store!

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How to make and edit a video in 4 easy steps

By Irina Fârtat - January 31, 2023
Want to make and edit a video but don't know how? In this tutorial, Theresia's Ambassadress Irina Fartat helps you start filming, in four easy steps.
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Want to make and edit a video but don’t know how? In this tutorial, Theresia’s Ambassadress Irina Fartat helps you start filming, in four easy steps.

Last October I had my first opera production with Theresia Orchestra.

It was a very interesting experience, and as I was working and rehearsing during the residency, I was thinking how lucky I was to be a part of a project like that. I realized that not everyone gets to see the “making of” of an opera production, and that it’s a pity because it is a really interesting process. During a show, one can only imagine how many people are working behind the scenes in order to have a successful concert.

So I came up with the idea of making a video presenting the people involved in an opera production. A simple video that anyone could understand, even someone who never studied classical music, or that has never been in an opera house in their life. Through this video, I also wanted to encourage people who would consider going to an opera concert, but are maybe intimidated because it’s a new experience.

And here it is!

You must understand that this idea came up right in the middle of a rehearsal, while I was already in Rieti, a small town in Italy. I was lucky enough to have attended the ambassador workshop at the beginning of my year as an Ambassadress of Theresia, where I learned some basic skills of video shooting and editing. However, I only had my iPhone with me as a recording device, I didn’t have a microphone, or any recording device to isolate the sound. Even though I didn’t believe that I would find microphones in Rieti, I actually managed to find one, and I was able to make the video.

I am in no way an expert in video making. I am still a bit intimidated in the whole process, but I am learning a bit every day. So, I was thinking that by sharing the little experience I have with the video editing, I will motivate someone who, like me, was a bit intimidated in the whole process. And, who knows, some of you may discover a new passion for filming.

Step 1: What is your video about?

Do you want to film yourself practicing? Maybe you discovered a great practicing way that will help others as well, and you would like to make a tutorial? Or you would like to take an interview from someone you admire? Or make a short documentary.
There are so many ideas to be shared with the world. It would be a pity to keep them all for ourselves. After you came up with your idea, make a small plan for your video. Is it a storyline? Does it need an introduction and an ending? Will you include pictures in it as well? The possibilities are endless.

Step 2: Have the equipment ready

Your smartphone already has a great camera, and a microphone. However, your iPhone’s microphone will pick out every sound, so in order to focus the sound on one objective, investing in a microphone will be a great idea. It doesn’t have to be a fancy one, I bought mine from one of those gadget shops that are literally everywhere. The price was about 20 Euros, and it really worked. You can also order it online if you are planning your video shooting in advance, and don’t get spontaneous ideas like me.

Don’t worry if you can’t find a microphone, though, the microphone from your earbuds works as well.

Step 3: 3…2…1…ACTION! This is the most fun part.

Go on and discover the world through your camera! The world is your oyster, use your creativity and your curiosity.

You can either film a longer video, and cut parts of it in the editing process, or film small videos and put them together later. Just make sure that you have more than one take, as things may go wrong, and you might realize when editing that you can not use what you filmed (sound off, image too bright, too dark, your finger was on the lense etc.).

Step 4: Time for editing

Now it is the time to use what you filmed and switch the parts around like a puzzle until everything falls into place. If you have an iphone or a Macbook, you can use iMovie, TikTok is also pretty good when it comes to video editing, and I also recommend CapCut. Again, use your creativity, you can edit the light, increase or decrease the volume of the sound, add text, add stickers, add anything you think will improve your video and make your creation complete. There is no wrong way to do it, and you will have a public for anything you may choose to do. My recommendations:

  • Vertical or horizontal? Consider in advance on what channel you will post your video. For YouTube the best is a horizontal layout, while on TikTok or Instagram the best is a vertical one.
  • The duration: How long will your video be? On YouTube, the maximum video length is 12 hours, on Instagram a newer update allows you to post videos under 15 minutes, and TikTok has a limit of 10 minutes. However, take in consideration the short attention span of our generation if you want your video to be super catchy and easy to watch.
  • Use captions/subtitles: People watch video on their phones and may not always have their sound on, or we have to consider people who are not able to hear, or simply someone who might not understand the language spoken in the video. I personally got really frustrated with this one until I found an app that allowed me to use subtitles for a vertical video format. I even made a little frustration song. You can find it here.I finally found a free and easy to use app, that I mentioned above, CapCut. Besides adding subtitles, you can use it to edit the whole video.
  • Be yourself! As I said before, use your creativity and imagination and just be yourself. The more fun you are having, and the more invested you will be in the process of creation, the better your video will turn out. Just have fun and good luck!

I have learned so much from every video I made. I am sure I will learn even more in the future, so I encourage you to just give it a go. Maybe you will find that video making is your passion, and it will stimulate your creativity and imagination.

So just go for it and 3…2…1…ACTION!

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Everything you wanted to know about
gut strings, but were afraid to ask

By Léna Ruisz - November 15, 2022
When a curious violinist begins to explore historical performance practice, gut strings are one of the first topics to come up. Let's find more in the post of Theresia's Ambassadress Léna Ruisz
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Read the post in German
Read the post in Hungarian

When a curious violinist begins to explore historical performance practice, gut strings are one of the first topics to come up. Before the era of metal strings, musicians used a material that may surprise the uninitiated: as early as the Egyptian Dynasty, strings were made with intestines from sheep, cattle or other animals. The first violins and their predecessors bore four pure gut strings; it was not until the end of the 16th century that the G strings were wound with silver or copper wire to produce a richer, more resonant sound. The arrangement with one wound and three pure gut strings remained standard for a long time, until about three centuries later, when the technology for making a sufficiently thin wire to wind the D string was invented. The A-string was the last of the four strings to be changed from pure to wound gut – Pirastro developed the first wound aluminium gut A-string in 1951. Because of their thin gauge, gut E strings were never wound, and pure gut strings were used well into the twentieth century. The appearance of the first steel E-string is dated to around 1910, but it only became popular after the Second World War, when sheep gut started to be in short supply.

Choosing the right strings for the instrument requires a lot of experimentation and highly probable E-string snap in the face when playing, but the reward is great – a sweet, vibrant sound favoured by great artists like Pablo Casals and Kreisler. If you think of Eugene Ysaÿe‘s solo sonatas for violin for instance, you may want to bear in mind that he was the last world-famous violinist to play on gut E, A and D strings throughout his active career. Even Jascha Heifetz, one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, claimed that the only way to produce a truly personal sound on the violin was to use gut strings – or at least a mixture of them; he chose a silver wound gut G string, an unwound D and A string and a steel E string. Just imagine, all the great violin concertos, like the ones by Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Brahms, were written for gut strings!
However, they come at a price – they are much more “alive” than their metal colleagues; one has to get to know them very well to achieve the “sweet and personal sound” mentioned above. For that reason, let us now discuss some of the most fundamental questions on this topic!

How should I store them?

The arch-enemy of gut string is humidity. Be sure to keep them in an airtight place – the original plastic packaging in the pocket of the violin case is a great choice.

How to take care of my strings?

Properly stored gut strings require no special care. However, if the weather is exceptionally dry, a few drops of almond or olive oil applied to the strings overnight can make a big difference in avoiding the annoying buzzing and whistling that such conditions often cause. I always carry a small bottle of oil with me, just in case.

Should I pre-stretch them?

Speaking from experience, a used or properly pre-stretched string can prove very useful in the event of a string emergency. Spohr suggests in chapter 3 of his Violinschule (1833) to stretch the upper three strings on a spare violin by winding them slowly up to the note C5 and leaving them overnight. This method has worked wonderfully for me; with a slight modification on the top string – I tune it to D5 instead.

A great piece of advice from Spohr

There are tiny frays on the string — what to do with it?

On the E string, there is a possibility that they may predict a string snap, but in general they are not a reason to be worried. However, it is advisable to trim them with a small pair of hand scissors or nail clippers so that the fingers do not make them bigger. Frequent oiling of the strings can prevent this from happening. If string breaks are suspiciously frequent, it’s worth checking the tiny (often bone) part between the fingerboard and the peg box; sometimes a small but sharp edge of the top nut can weaken or cut the strings.

Any special care while tuning?

Yes! The baroque violin (or classical violin) has no fine tuners, so all adjustments must be made with the pegs. This can mean extra tension and more movement – before you put on a new string, take a 2B pin and rub the groove on the bridge and also the groove leading into the pegbox. This ensures that the string can move freely without pulling the bridge to an angle that could cause the violin to break if it falls. Check the angle and position of the bridge frequently!

How do I put up a new string?

During our last workshop with the Theresa Ambassadresses, we decided to make a video about it – watch it on our YouTube channel and let us know if you found it useful!

 

German version

Alles, was du schon immer über Darmsaiten wissen wolltest, aber nie zu fragen gewagt hast

Wenn neugierige Violinisten anfangen, sich mit historischer Aufführungspraxis zu beschäftigen, ist das Thema der Darmsaiten eines der ersten Themen, dem sie begegnen.

Vor der Entwicklung der Metallsaiten verwendeten Musiker ein Material, das die Neulinge überraschen könnte: schon in der ägyptischen Dynastie wurden Saiten aus Därmen von Schafen, Rindern oder anderen Tieren hergestellt. Die ersten Geigen und ihre Vorgänger waren mit vier Darmsaiten besetzt; erst gegen Ende des 16. Jahrhunderts wurden die G-Saiten mit Silber- oder Kupferdraht umsponnen, um einen reicheren, volleren Klang zu produzieren. Die Kombination aus einer umsponnenen und drei reinen Darmsaiten blieb lange Zeit Standard, bis etwa drei Jahrhunderte später die Technik zur Herstellung eines ausreichend dünnen Drahtes zum Umspannen der D-Saite erfunden wurde. Die A-Saite war die letzte der vier Saiten, die von der reinen auf die umsponnene Darmsaite umgestellt wurde – Pirastro entwickelte 1951 die erste umsponnene Darm-A-Saite mit Aluminium. Wegen ihrer geringen Stärke wurden E-Darmsaiten nie umgewickelt, und reine Darmsaiten wurden bis weit ins zwanzigste Jahrhundert hinein verwendet. Das Erscheinen der ersten E-Saite aus Stahl wird auf etwa 1910 datiert, aber sie wurde erst nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg populär, als Schafsdarm Mangelware war.

Die richtigen Saiten für das Instrument zu finden, erfordert viel Experimentieren, aber die Mühe lohnt sich – ein strahlender, lebendiger Klang, der von großen Künstlern wie Pablo Casals und Kreisler bevorzugt wurde. Wenn du zum Beispiel an Ysaÿes Solosonaten für Violine denkst, fällt dir vielleicht ein, dass er der letzte weltberühmte Geiger war, der während seiner gesamten aktiven Karriere auf E-, A- und D-Saiten aus Darm spielte. Selbst Jascha Heifetz, einer der einflussreichsten Musiker des 20. Jahrhunderts, war auch der Meinung, dass die einzige Art und Weise, einen wirklich persönlichen Klang auf der Geige zu erzeugen, der Verwendung von Darmsaiten bedarf – oder zumindest in einer Mischung davon; er wählte eine silberumsponnene Darm-G-Saite, eine unumsponnene D- und A-Saite und eine E-Saite aus Stahl. Stell dir vor, alle großen Violinkonzerte, wie die von Mendelssohn, Beethoven und Brahms, wurden für Darmsaiten geschrieben!
Sie haben jedoch ihren Preis – sie sind viel “lebhafter” als ihre Kollegen aus Metall; man muss sie sehr gut kennen lernen, um den oben erwähnten “strahlender, lebendiger Klang” zu erreichen. Kommen wir deshalb nun zu einigen der grundlegendsten Fragen zu diesem Thema!

Wie sollte ich sie aufbewahren?

Der Hauptfeind der Darmsaiten ist die Feuchtigkeit. Bewahre sie unbedingt an einem luftdichten Ort auf – die Original-Plastikverpackung in der Tasche des Geigenkastens ist eine gute Wahl.

Wie soll ich meine Saiten pflegen?

Richtig gelagerte Darmsaiten benötigen keine besondere Pflege. Wenn das Wetter allerdings außergewöhnlich trocken ist, können ein paar Tropfen Mandel- oder Olivenöl, die über Nacht auf die Saiten aufgetragen werden, einen großen Unterschied machen, um das lästige Schnarren und Pfeifen zu vermeiden, das unter solchen Bedingungen oft vorkommt. Ich habe immer ein kleines Fläschchen Öl bei mir, nur für den Fall.

Sollte ich die Saiten vorspannen?

Ich spreche aus Erfahrung, dass sich eine gebrauchte oder richtig vorgedehnte Saite im Falle eines Saitennotfalls als sehr nützlich erweisen kann. Spohr schlägt in seiner Violinschule (1833) vor, Saiten auf einer Ersatzgeige zu spannen, indem man sie langsam bis zum Ton C aufzieht und über Nacht liegen lässt. Ich habe diese Methode für die beiden oberen Saiten erfolgreich angewendet.

Die Saite hat winzige Fransen – was ist damit zu tun?

Bei der E-Saite besteht die Möglichkeit, dass sie einen Saitenriss vorhersagen, aber im Allgemeinen sind sie kein Grund zur Panik. Es ist jedoch empfehlenswert, sie mit einer kleinen Handschere oder einem Nagelknipser zu kürzen, damit die Finger sie nicht vergrößern. Häufiges Einölen der Saiten kann dies vermeiden.

Gibt es Besonderheiten beim Stimmen?

Ja! Die Barockgeige (oder klassische Geige) hat keine Feinstimmer, daher müssen alle Korrekturen mit den Wirbeln gemacht werden. Bevor du eine neue Saite aufziehst, nimm einen 2B-Stift und reibe die Rille am Steg und auch die Rille, die in den Wirbelkasten führt ein. Dadurch wird sichergestellt, dass sich die Saite frei bewegen kann, ohne den Steg in einen Winkel zu ziehen, der bei einem Sturz zum Bruch der Geige führen könnte. Überprüfe den Winkel und die Position des Steges regelmäßig!

Wie ziehe ich überhaupt eine neue Saite auf?

Während unseres letzten Workshops mit den Theresa-Ambasadresses haben wir entschieden, ein Video darüber zu machen – schau es dir auf unserem YouTube-Kanal an und lass uns wissen, ob es hilfreich für dich war!

 

Hungarian version

Minden, amit tudni akartál a bélhúrokról, de féltél megkérdezni

Amikor egy kíváncsi zenész elkezdi felfedezni a historikus előadási gyakorlatot, a bélhúrok helyes használata egy fontos téma, ami szóba kerül – az egyik első nagy különbség a modern és barokk hangszerek között.

A fémhúrok korszaka előtt a zenészek olyan anyagot használtak, amely meglepheti a beavatatlanokat: már az egyiptomi dinasztia idején birkák, szarvasmarhák vagy más állatok beleiből készítettek húrokat. Az első hegedűk és elődeik négy nyers bélhúrral rendelkeztek; csak a 16. század végén kezdték a G húrokat ezüst- vagy rézhuzallal megfonni, a gazdagabb, felhangdúsabb hangzás érdekében. Az egy fonott (G) és három tiszta bélhúr (D-A-E) kombinációja egészen három évszázaddal későbbig szabványos maradt; ekkor találták fel a D húr fonásához elegendő vékonyságú huzal előállításának technológiáját. Az A-húr volt az utolsó a négy húr közül, amelyet nyers bélhúrról fonott bélhúrra cseréltek – Pirastro 1951-ben fejlesztette ki az első fonott alumínium-bél A-húrt. A vékonyságuk miatt a bélből készült E-húrokat soha nem fonták, és a nyers bélhúrokat egészen a huszadik századig használták. Az első fém E-húr megjelenése 1910 körülre tehető, de csak a második világháború után vált népszerűvé, amikor a birkabélből hiánycikk lett.

A megfelelő húr kiválasztása a hangszerhez sok kísérletezést igényel, de nagyon megéri – sokszínű, egyéni hang lesz a fáradozás jutalma, amelyet olyan nagy művészek kedveltek, mint Pablo Casals vagy Fritz Kreisler. De gondolhatunk akár például Ysaÿe hegedűre írt szólószonátáira is; érdemes észben tartani, hogy ő volt az utolsó világhírű hegedűművész, aki aktív pályafutása során végig bélből készült E-, A- és D-húrokon játszott. Még Jascha Heifetz, a 20. század egyik legjelentősebb zenésze is azt állította, hogy a hangszeren csak úgy lehet igazán személyes hangzást elérni hogyha bélhúrokat használunk – vagy legalábbis ezek keverékét; ő ezüsttel fonott G-bélhúrt, és fonatlan D és A húrt, valamint egy fém E-húrt választott. Szédületes elképzelni, hogy az összes nagy hegedűversenyt, például Mendelssohn, Beethoven és Brahms hegedűversenyeit bélhúrokra írták!
Ennek azonban ára van – a bélhúrok anyagukból adódóan “élettelibbek” mint fémből készült társaik; nagyon jól meg kell ismerni őket ahhoz, hogy elérjük a fent említett sokszínű és személyes hangzást. Álljon tehát itt pár alapvető kérdés a témában!

Hogyan tároljam a húrjaimat?

A bélhúrok ősellensége a nedvesség és a pára. Mindenképpen tartsuk őket légmentesen zárva – az eredeti műanyag csomagolás a hegedűtok zsebében kiváló választás.

Hogyan gondoskodjak a húrokról?

A normál körülmények között tárolt húroknak nincs szükségük extra törődésre – kivéve, ha játék közben sípolni kezdenek a túl száraz levegő miatt; ebben az esetben néhány csepp olíva- vagy mandulaolaj jól jöhet. Én mindig tartok magamnál egy kis üvegcsét az ilyen esetekre; egy éjszakai olajfürdő a húrokon csodákra képes.

Érdemes bejátszani őket előre, akár még használat előtt?

Tapasztalatból mondom; egy előre bejátszott húr nagyon jó szolgálatot tud tenni egy vészhelyzetben. (mindenkinek van legalább egy hajmeresztő húrszakadás-története…) Louis Spohr, a 19. század egyik legjelentősebb tanár-zeneszerző-hegedűművésze 1833-ban írt Hegedűiskolája harmadik fejezetében ad egy érdekes tanácsot; egy használaton kívüli hangszeren érdemes a nyers bélhúrokat (tehát a D-, A-, E-húrokat) az egyvonalas C-hangra felhangolni, és éjszakára otthagyni. Ez a módszer nálam bevált; egy kis módosítással a felső húr esetében – én az E-húrt az egyvonalas D-re hangolom.

Pici foszlányok/szálak vannak a húron. Aggódjak?

Ha az E-húr kezd foszlani – talán. Sokszor egy hirtelen szakadást jeleznek ezek az apró szálak, főleg, ha direkt a vonó alatt, vagy a fogólap sokszor használt részén jelennek meg. Hogy ne szaladjanak tovább, egy körömolló vagy körömcsipesz segítségével érdemes lecsippenteni őket. A húrok gyakori olajozása megelőzheti ezt a problémát. Ha gyanúsan sokszor szakadnak a húrok, érdemes megvizsgálni a fogólap és a kulcstartó közötti pici (sokszor csont) részt, a nyerget; néha egy itt kilógó apró, de éles él gyengíti vagy vágja el a húrokat.

Mire figyeljek, ha hangolok?

A barokk (és klasszikus) hangszereknek nincsenek finomhangolói; csak a kulcsokat tudjuk használni. Ez veszélyes tud lenni az extra feszültség és nagyobb mozgástér miatt – fontos a hídon és a nyeregnél lévő barázdát alaposan begrafitozni egy minimum 2B-s ceruzával – így jobban fog csúszni a húr, és nem fogja magával húzni a hidat. Érdemes gyakran ellenőrizni a híd dőlésszögét és helyzetét, mert egy lecsapódó híd akár be is törheti a hegedű fedőlapját!

Tippek egy új húr felrakásához?

A legutóbbi Theresia-Workshopon úgy döntöttünk Anna-val és Luca-val, hogy készítünk erről egy videót – a YouTube-csatornánkon meg is nézheted – reméljük, hasznosnak találod!

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A talk about well-being
Three easy tips to improve a busy musician’s life

By Irina Fârtat - November 2, 2022
Mental and physical health is not taken too seriously by many musicians. Our ambassadress, Irina, is inviting you to improve your well-being.
‍

Mental and physical health is not taken too seriously by many musicians. Our ambassadress, Irina, is inviting you to improve your well-being.

Read the post in Romanian

Do you feel like you will never be good enough? Are you a bit too self-critical, and do your friends label you as a “perfectionist”? Do you have trouble remembering when you had your last vacation? What about your last free day? Are you prioritising work over food or sleep? Do you take other people’s opinions a bit too seriously?

If you answered yes to more than one of these questions, you might be a musician.

We often hear that physical pain is sometimes normal when playing many hours per day, and that practising as many hours per day as possible is an ideal we should strive for. In the end, many of us end up with physical injuries, sometimes irreversible, that will, eventually, force us to quit what we love doing the most.

Mental and physical health is not a priority for many musicians; we don’t learn to take care of ourselves and our health. How do we expect to carry everything on our shoulders and still have the resources to give back to the music and our audience? How does one give, if their “reservoir” is getting emptier and emptier?

Some years ago I watched an interview with Arthur Rubinstein. He was in his late years and was talking about his youth and his experience with music. He was talking about how important it is for a musician to have interests in life other than music, how one has to explore art, to get time to read, and to enjoy life, so we have something we can express and get to enjoy the music ourselves. I invite you all to watch this interview, it is a trustworthy source of inspiration.

In my experience as a musician and as a human being, I also had to deal with work, music, and a toxic mentality around; I played and practised until I got physical injuries and eventually burnout. At some point, I was forced to make my well-being a priority, because I realised that if I had kept going in that way, I would have ended up with serious problems that would eventually stop me from playing and enjoying music.

I am no life coach/guru or whatever they are called. I’m learning from my mistakes and trying to improve the quality of my life would love to share a few tips that have helped me and continue to help in my day-to-day life:

1. Same as in music, pauses are very important.

In my bachelor, a teacher showed us a study done on a couple of musicians: after 10 minutes of practice, mistakes would slip in. He was suggesting splitting a practice session into 10-15 minutes followed by a 5-minute break. A break would mean stretching or mental practice. Scrolling on social media doesn’t really help with recovery.
Don’t wait until you are tired to take a break. When you get to the point of physical or mental fatigue, it is already too late. Split your practice session or work into sections, and take small breaks in between.

2. Find a physical activity you like, and make it part of your life.

It is no secret that working out, besides having many health benefits, helps diminish stress, increases your focus and improves your overall quality of life. I’ve been listening to a neuroscience podcast lately, where it was very nicely explained how one very accessible way to get rid of the stress chemicals in your brain is through 30 minutes of physical activity a day, which will raise your heart pulse. The type of physical activity recommended in the podcast was jogging, however, I am not a big fan of that. If you can’t go jogging or don’t like going to the gym, you can find a lot of types of workouts on YouTube. What I enjoy doing when I don’t have the time and space to do a proper workout, is the walking-in-place workouts from YouTube channel Growwithjo.

3. Try to have one free day per week. No practising involved.

It is also really important to relax. What would a music piece be like without pauses? I bet nobody would manage to play it until the end, and the music would not even be that beautiful. Try to have a day, or at least half a day, just for yourself. Plan a day trip around the town where you live, hang out with your friends or family, watch a movie, go to a museum, try a new recipe, go to a coffee shop with a good book and enjoy your well-deserved free time! After all, they say that even God took a day off after creating the world.
If you are a freelancer, and you get unexpected projects, and you have to teach on the side as well, or even have a part-time job in order to survive, having a day for yourself might not be so easy.

I realise that there are so many other tips and tricks to have a more balanced life. My tips will not instantly change your life. There are so many other issues in the music world that affect our life and will have to change in order to change the quality of our life. We can start by taking care of ourselves first, so we can have the energy to change the world. After all we only get one body, so we have to take good care of it in order to do all the things we want and have to do.

 

Romanian version

O discuție despre bună stare: 3 sfaturi simple pentru a îmbunătăți viața unui muzician ocupat

Sănătatea mentală și fizică nu sunt luate prea în serios de mulți muzicieni. Ambasadoarea noastră, Irina, vă invită să vă luați un moment și să acordați o șansă bună stării.

Simți că nu vei fi niciodată suficient de bun? Ești un pic prea autocritic, iar prietenii tăi te etichetează drept “perfecționist”? Ai probleme în a-ți aminti când ai avut ultima vacanță? Dar ultima ta zi liberă? Pui munca înaintea hranei sau a somnului? Iei opiniile altora un pic prea în serios?

Dacă ai răspuns cu „da” la mai mult de una dintre aceste întrebări, s-ar putea să fii muzician.

Ni se spune uneori că durerea fizică este normală atunci când cântăm mai multe ore pe zi și că a studia cât mai multe ore pe zi cu putință este un ideal spre care ar trebui să tindem. În cele din urmă, mulți dintre noi ajungem să suferim leziuni fizice, uneori ireversibile, care, în cele din urmă, ne vor forța să renunțăm la ceea ce ne place cel mai mult să facem.

Sănătatea mentală și fizică nu reprezintă o prioritate pentru mulți muzicieni, nu învățăm cum să avem grijă de noi înșine și de sănătatea noastră cu adevărat. Cum ne așteptăm să ducem totul pe umeri și să avem totuși resursele necesare pentru a dărui înapoi atât muzicii, cât și publicului nostru? Cum poate cineva să ofere, dacă ,,rezervorul” său este din ce în ce mai gol?

Cu câțiva ani în urmă am urmărit un interviu cu Arthur Rubinstein. Era la o vârstă înaintată și vorbea despre tinerețea sa și despre experiența sa în domeniul muzicii. Vorbea despre cât de important este pentru un muzician să aibă și alte interese în viață în afară de muzică. Cum trebuie să explorăm arta, să ne facem timp să citim și să ne bucurăm de viață, astfel încât să avem posibilitatea de a exprima și de a ajunge să ne bucurăm noi înșine de muzică. Vă invit pe toți să urmăriți acest interviu, este o adevărată sursă de inspirație.

În experiența mea ca muzician și ca om, am avut și eu de-a face cu serviciul, cu muzica, cu mentalitatea toxică în jurul cântatului și al studiului, până când m-am ales cu leziuni fizice și, la un moment dat, cu burn-out-ul. La un moment dat, am fost obligată să pun bună starea mea pe primul loc, pentru că mi-am dat seama că, dacă aș fi continuat în felul acela, aș fi ajuns să am probleme grave care, în cele din urmă, m-ar fi împiedicat să cânt și să mă bucur de muzică.

Nu sunt un life coach/guru sau cum li se mai spune. Învăț din greșelile mele și încerc să-mi îmbunătățesc calitatea vieții, și mi-ar plăcea să îți împărtășesc câteva recomandări care m-au ajutat și continuă să mă ajute în viața mea de zi cu zi:

 

1. La fel ca în muzică, pauzele sunt foarte importante.

Pe vremea când eram la facultate, un profesor ne-a arătat la un curs, un studiu făcut pe câțiva muzicieni, în care după 10 minute de studiu începeau să se strecoare greșeli. El ne sugera să împărțim o sesiune de studiu în 10-15 minute, urmate de 5 minute de pauză. O pauză ar însemna stretching, sau studiu mental, scroll-ul pe rețelele de socializare nu ajută cu adevărat la recuperare.
Nu aștepta până când ești obosit pentru a lua o pauză. Când ajungi la punctul în care ești obosit fizic sau mental, este deja prea târziu. Împarte-ți sesiunea de studiu sau lucrul în secțiuni și ia mici pauze între ele.

2. Găsește o formă de activitate fizică care îți place și fă-o parte din viața ta.

Nu este un secret că a face sport, pe lângă faptul că are multe beneficii pentru sănătate, ajută la diminuarea stresului, crește concentrarea și îmbunătățește calitatea generală a vieții. Am ascultat de curând un podcast despre neuroștiință, în care se explica foarte frumos cum o modalitate foarte accesibilă de a scăpa de substanțele chimice de stres din creier este prin 30 de minute de activitate fizică pe zi, care să crească ritmul cardiac. Tipul de activitate fizică recomandat în podcast era jogging-ul, însă eu nu sunt un mare fan al acestuia. Dacă nu poți face jogging sau nu îți place ori nu ai posibilitatea de a merge la sală, poți găsi o mulțime de feluri de exerciții pe youtube. Ce îmi place să fac atunci când nu am timp și spațiu pentru a face un antrenament în adevăratul sens al cuvântului, sunt exercițiile de mers pe loc de la growwithjo.

3. Încearcă să ai o zi liberă pe săptămână. Studiul este exclus.

Dacă ești freelancer și primești proiecte pe neașteptate și mai trebuie să și predai în paralel, sau chiar să ai un job part-time pentru a supraviețui, să ai o zi liberă pentru tine s-ar putea să nu fie atât de ușor.
Este foarte important să te mai și relaxezi. Cum ar fi o piesă muzicală fără pauze? Pun pariu că nimeni nu ar reuși să o cânte până la sfârșit, iar muzica nici măcar nu ar fi atât de frumoasă. Încearcă să ai o zi, sau cel puțin o jumătate de zi doar pentru tine. Planifică o excursie de o zi în împrejurimile orașului în care locuiești, petrece timp cu prietenii sau familia, du-te să vezi un film, mergi la un muzeu, încearcă o rețetă nouă, mergi la o cafenea cu o carte bună, și bucură-te de binemeritatul timp liber! La urma urmei, se spune că până și Dumnezeu și-a luat o zi liberă după ce a creat lumea.

Îmi dau seama că există atât de multe alte sfaturi și metode de a avea o viață mai echilibrată. Sfaturile mele nu vă vor schimba instantaneu viața. Există foarte multe alte aspecte în lumea muzicii care ne afectează viața și care trebuie să se schimbe astfel încât să ni se schimbe calitatea vieții. Putem începe prin a avea grijă de noi înșine mai întâi, pentru a avea energia necesară de a schimba lumea. La urma urmei, nu avem decât un singur corp, așa că trebuie să avem grijă de el pentru a face toate lucrurile pe care ni le dorim și pe cele pe care suntem nevoiți să le facem.

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Looking for my stars

By Irina Fârtat - September 13, 2022
Irina Fârtat writes how Theresia helped her find her purpose as a musician, despite a full blown pandemic
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How Theresia helped me find my purpose as a musician, despite a full blown pandemic

Read the post in Romanian

“All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travellers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems… But all these stars are silent. You-You alone will have stars as no one else has them.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – The Little Prince

Since March 2020 the world went bonkers, and so did my musical life.

I could see my projects slipping through my fingers one by one, and the plans that I’ve made for the future, changed all of a sudden. When the pandemic hit, I told a friend that I didn’t see how the situation would get so messed up that I would not finish my degree in June, then go back to my country, and go on with my life and my music plans. Actually, I got my degree at the end of September; when I went back to my country in November, I got Covid, and my motivation slowly went down, not being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

How can you stay motivated, practicing in your living room for almost two years? Why would you want to keep playing when it’s clear that your life does not depend on it? Life goes on with music, or without it. It’s probably sad to realise that, when you have spent most of your life around the idea that music is the most important thing for you. It’s sad when you realise that you can live without concerts, even though it feels like a messed up parallel reality.
How does the world change if you do historical performance practice? Why would you play in front of a camera and do online concerts? What’s the point of making music if you have nobody present to make music with, or make music for? Making video collages only motivated me for a little while. Do we actually need music and culture when people are losing their jobs, getting sick, and dying? I needed to find some light, or some motivation to cling to. People went through worse than this, and musicians still did their job, but how do you make music a priority in moments like this?

One of the few things that sparked my music motivation was having projects within Theresia Orchestra.

I am so lucky to be a part of this talented group of young musicians from all over the world, to be got to work with some of the most renowned and inspiring conductors and musicians from the early music world.
By going to each project after the one-year break we had because of the pandemic, I discovered that music is something that gives me a purpose. It’s something that as soon as I get far from, I start feeling down, life gets boring, and without a purpose. Slowly I realised that it’s ok if the music is just for myself. It doesn’t have to change the world, or end the pandemic, it’s ok if it just helps me go through the rough periods in my life, by helping me let out feelings, or express myself. It’s something I took for granted for many years, because I was so close to it, but sometimes we need to get some distance from things to get the chance to miss them. Only then we find the real value and meaning, and we start choosing them with purpose.

The world will follow its own course, but I am responsible for myself first, of finding what makes me happy and what I need. And at the end of the day, if by doing what makes me happy I will impact others, that is a great bonus.

 

Romanian version

În căutarea stelelor mele: Găsirea unui scop în a fi muzician.

„Stelele nu sunt la fel pentru toţi oamenii. Pentru unii, cei care călătoresc, stelele sunt călăuze. Pentru alţii, sunt numai nişte luminiţe. Savanţii văd în ele doar probleme. Pentru businessmanul meu, erau bucăţi de aur. Însă toate stelele acestea nu au grai… Numai pentru tine stelele vor fi ca pentru nimeni altul…”

Din martie 2020 lumea a luat-o razna, la fel și viața mea muzicală.

Am văzut cum proiectele mele mi-au alunecat printre degete unul câte unul, iar planurile pe care mi le-am făcut pentru viitor, s-au schimbat dintr-o dată. Când a izbucnit pandemia, îi spuneam unui prieten că nu vedeam cum situația ar putea fi atât de dezastruoasă astfel încât să ajung să nu îmi termin studiile în iunie, apoi să mă întorc în țara mea și să-mi continui viața și planurile muzicale. Până la urmă, am absolvit la sfârșitul lui septembrie; când m-am întors înapoi în România în noiembrie, am făcut Covid, iar motivația mea a scăzut încet-încet, neputând să văd lumina de la capătul tunelului.

Cum rămâne motivat studiind în sufragerie timp de aproape doi ani? De ce ai vrea să să continui să cânți când este clar că viața ta nu depinde de asta? Viața merge mai departe cu sau fără muzică. Este trist să realizezi asta, după ce ai petrecut cea mai mare parte a vieții tale în jurul ideii că muzica este cel mai important lucru pentru tine. Este trist când îți dai seama că poți trăi fără concerte, chiar dacă realizarea asta se simte ca o realitate paralelă și ciudată.

Cu ce schimbi lumea doar pentru că faci interpretare istorică? De ce ai cânta în fața unei camere de filmat și de ce ai face concerte online? Care este rostul de a face muzică dacă nu ai pe nimeni cu care să cânți, sau pentru care să cânți? Crearea de colaje video m-a motivat doar pentru o perioadă de timp. Chiar avem așa mare nevoie de muzică și de cultură atunci când oamenii își pierd joburile, se îmbolnăvesc și mor?

Aveam nevoie să găsesc o sclipire de speranță, o fărâmă de motivație de care să mă agăț, ca să pot continua. Omenirea a trecut prin lucruri mai rele decât acesta, iar muzicienii și-au făcut totuși treaba, dar cum poți face din muzică o prioritate în astfel de momente?

Unul dintre puținele lucruri care mi-a stârnit motivația muzicală, au fost proiectele în cadrul orchestrei Theresia. Sunt atât de norocoasă să fac parte din acest grup talentat de tineri muzicieni din întreaga lume, de a avea ocazia să lucrez cu unii dintre cei mai renumiți și interesanți dirijori și muzicieni din lumea muzicii vechi. Mergând la fiecare proiect după pauza de un an pe care am avut-o din cauza pandemiei, am descoperit că pentru mine, muzica este ceea ce îmi oferă un scop în viață. Este ceva de care, de îndată ce mă îndepărtez, încep să mă să mă simt deprimată, viața devine plictisitoare și fără scop.

Încet-încet am realizat că este în regulă dacă muzica este ceva doar pentru mine. Nu trebuie să schimbe lumea sau să pună capăt unei pandemii, este în regulă dacă mă ajută doar să merg mai departe, să trec prin perioadele dificile din viața mea, ajutându-mă să îmi exteriorizez sentimentele, sau să mă exprim. Este ceva ce eu am luat de bun timp de mulți ani, pentru că am fost atât de aproape de ea, dar uneori trebuie să luăm o anumită distanță de lucruri pentru a avea șansa de a le simți lipsa.

Abia atunci le găsim adevărata valoare și semnificație și începem să le alegem cu un scop. Lumea își va urma propriul curs, dar eu sunt responsabilă în primul rând de mine însămi, de a găsi ceea ce mă face pe mine fericită, și de a găsi ceea ce am nevoie. Iar la final, dacă făcând ceea ce mă face fericită voi avea un impact pozitiv asupra altora, acesta este un mare bonus.

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