PhD research project: Inventing New Marimba Performance from the West African Balafon Music Practice
VIEW Dissertation
Song Barica performed by Youssouf and Kassoum Keita. Videotaped in field study in Mali, village Konsankuy January 2012.
Song Barica patterns and melody performed by Youssouf and Kassoum Keita. Videotaped in Field study in Mali, village Konsankuy January 2012.
Concert program βIn the Heat of the Momentβ
The aim of this practice-based project is to search for new performance perspectives for the marimba (invented in 1910s) by inquiring into the West African music tradition--the balafon of the Bobo and Bamana tribes living in Mali and Burkina Faso.
Through a triangulation of research methodologyβparticipant-observation (lessons with local musicians and interviews), literature (African ethnomusicology, phenomenology in music and music embodiment) and artistic practice (analyses and experiments in music)βI have gained insights on describing the artistic experience of stepping into the "unknown" balafon world. It is a discussion on how I have overcome the obstacles of learning, performing and listening to balafon music, and how these new experiences renewed and enriched my original artistic practice and ideas. Due to oral tradition, the balafon polyrhythm and melodic materials are embodied in forms of bimanual (two-hand) coordination patterns rather than symbolic representation. Music-making is largely informed by the performer's motoric sensory, and body movement is given a crucial role in music communication and sensory perception.
The second purpose of this research is, therefore, to apply these balafon practices in the Western performance. Most preceding Western composers and performers have initiated music projects to adapt the African musical materials to their creative processes, e.g. "Drumming" (Steve Reich, 1971), but barely a work grows out of an inquiry into the embodied performance practice of the non-Western genre. This yields artistic outcomes of five commissioned compositions for the marimba and a concert program "In the Heat of the Moment".
Keywords: marimba, balafon, body movement, music embodiment.
Concert program βIn the Heat of the Momentβ
Mal/oxin Suite | Michiel De Malsche
Transposons | Cheong Li
El Perjurio de la Nieve | Juan AlbarracΓn
Sound Portrait V | Enric Riu
Inner Sight Etudes | Cornelia Zambila
Mal/oxin Suite Michiel De Malsche (Belgium) shares his afro-funk and Yaki-da grooves with full energy; Transposons Dr. Cheong Li (Hong Kong) makes a scientific metaphor to the idiomatic musical element embeds in the balafon music, which is constantly changeable in position, capable to re-creation and reverse mutation; El Perjurio de la Nieve for four hands on marimba, Juan AlbarracΓn (Argentina) creates a retrograde journey back to the historic moment when the Africans first meeting the Western musical practices, the bombarding moment of rhythmic patterns and style; Sound Portrait V Enric Riu (Spain/Canada) uses graphical score to frame the time structure and bodily movement of the performer; Inner Sight Etudes Cornelia Zambila (Romania) investigates into the sensorial experience of the performer leaving her comfort zone (the change of marimba to balafon) by setting up a blindfolded performance.
Duo Antwerp is formed by two outstanding performers: Adilia Yip (marimba/percussion) and Daniel BellovΓ (bass clarinet), who always believe in the enormous potential of this unique combination. Through original works from contemporary composers and classical arrangements, the Duo extends the amazing possibilities of marimba and bass clarinet in both musical interpretation and high technical level. Every concert of the Duo is an enjoyable musical experience full of creativity and cultural excursions. Website: www.duoantwerp.com
Programs (click titles below for more details)
The Modern Sound of Wood β International program for Bass Clarinet and Marimba
The Bracket Percussion v.z.w.
is an international percussion collaboration with percussionists Ricardo Lievano Flores, Juan Carlos Bonifaz and Ilya Dynov. Established in Antwerp since 2010, the Brackets has formed a creative interdisciplinary artistic platform that combines Western percussion music with Chinese, Mexican and African cultures and music traditions, theatre and contemporary art.
PERCUSSIVE SENSE TIME
Ricardo Lievano Flores (Mexico) | Juan Carlos Bonifaz (Mexico/Belgium)
ο»ΏCombining Western classical music with rhythms from Latino, African to Chinese percussion, the musicians present different senses of time and grooves on one stageβSamba festivity, elements of nature and nostalgic feelings inside our memories.
VLINDERS (2013-16)
A musical puppet theater for children, based on βThe Butterfly Loversβ, a traditional love tragedy from China
De Grote Post Oostende 2016
VLINDERS trailer
Premiere @Peremeke bibliotheek
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Hantrax, Yip & De Malsche is een samenwerking tussen de experimentele muziekproducer Hantrax, de klassieke componist Michiel De Malsche en marimbavirtuoos Adilia Yip. Hun stuk 'Cellophane Skies' is een eclectische compositie geschreven voor marimba, piano en synths.
Cellophane Skies is een debat over de verschillende benadering van uitvoering en muziekgenres, maar tegelijk een zoektocht naar raakpunten.
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Hantrax, Yip & De Malsche is a collaboration between experimental music composer Hantrax, classical music composer Michiel De Malsche and marimba virtuoso Adilia Yip.
Their piece Cellophane Skies is an eclectic composition written for marimba, piano and synths.
Cellophane skies is a musical discussion on mutualities and differences in approaching musical practice and genres.
Hantrax (bio) www.hantrax.com
Michiel De Malsche (bio) http://www.michieldemalsche.com
Description ππππππ ππππππ ππππππ ππππππππ
Solo Repertoire
*Commissioned by Adilia Yip
Wind Across Mountains (1992) | Keiko Abe VIDEO
Voice of Matsuri Drums (1992) | Keiko Abe VIDEO
*Sound of Silence for marimba and motion (2018) | Chan Ming Chi
Xylophonie I (1983) | Klarenz Barlow VIDEO
*Transposons (2017) | Cheong Li VIDEO
*Mal/oxin Suite for marimba solo (2016) | Michiel De Malsche VIDEO
*El Perjurio de le Nieve for marimba duo (2016) | Juan AlbarracΓn VIDEO
*Inner Sight Etudes (2015) | Cornelia Zambila
*Sound Portrait V for marimba solo (2014) | Enric Riu
MAKYO for marimba and String Orchestra (or piano) (1990) | Wim Henderickx
Concerto for Marimba and Wind Band (2007) | David R. Gillingham VIDEO
Concert for Marimba (2005) | RamΓ³n GarcΓa VIDEO
Concerto for Marimba and Strings (2006) | Emmanuel SΓ©journΓ©
Libertango (2002) | Astor Piazzolla, arr. Eric Sammut VIDEO
*For All Seasons We Celebrate εζζ Ά for marimba, glasses and multi-percussion (2013) | Choy Hei-man Bernadette
*All Day Climax for solo marimba, tape and urban Hong Kong (2009) | Choy Hei-man Bernadette SOUND
Duo Antwerp repertoire
Searching (1986, revised 2005) for marimba and bass clarinet | Wim Henderickx SOUND
Controverse (1983) for bass clarinet and percussion | Jacqueline Fontyn SOUND
From Far and Near (1990) | Wilfried Westerlinck VIDEO
**Inkling of Zephyr (2018) | Chris Hung VIDEO
**Tempus Fugit (2018) | Bart Verstraeten SOUND
**Aroma Del Sur double concerto of bass clarinet, marimba and wind ensemble (or string ensemble) (2017) JosΓ© Susi LΓ³pez
**Farnese Bridge FantasΓa Concertante for marimba, bass clarinet and wind orchestra (or sym. orch.) (2016) | Ramon Garcia VIDEO SOUND
**The Spanish Dream MalagueΓ±a for marimba, bass clarinet and wind orchestra (or sym. orch.) (2016) | Pere Sanz SOUND
**Spanish Watercolor (2016) | Josep Roda (Spain)
**Chinese Watercolor (2016) | Josep Roda (Spain)
**Danzas del Mar (2016) | Santiago Pelaez (Spain)
**Tango Milonga (2015) | Josep Roda (Spain)
**ClarimBass (2015) | Juan Bautista Meseguer (Spain)
**Duende (2015) | Eduardo Nogueroles (Spain)
**Inmanencia (2015) | Enrique Rodilla (Spain)
**The Spanish Dream (2014) | Pere Sanz (Spain) VIDEO
**Ballade (2014) | Jose Alama (Spain) VIDEO
DiΓ legs Subtils (1990) for percussion and bass clarinet | Salvador Brotons VIDEO
**Mixik Balamil (2014) | Eva Lopszyc (Argentina)
**Hiperbrevedades (2014) | Enric Riu (USA/Spain)
**Tres Mundos para dos jugadores (2014) | Geoffrey Alvarez (England)
**Le Reve du Jaguar (2014) | Alexandre Ouzounouff (France)
**Belchite Duo (2013) | Manuel Morcillo (Spain) VIDEO
Five Bagatelles for marimba, vibraphone and bass clarinet (1987) | Philip Parker (United States) SOUND
Divertimento (1976) | Akira Yuyama (Japan) VIDEO
Arrangements by Duo Antwerp for marimba and bass clarinet duo
Spanish Dance No. 5 Andaluza (1890) | Enrique Granados (Spain) VIDEO
Tango (1890) | Isaac Albeniz (Spain) VIDEO
Suite Popular Espanola (1914) | Manuel de Falla (Spain) SOUND
Pequena Czarda (1949) | Pedro Iturralde (Spain)
Libertango (1974) | Astor Piazzolla (Argentina)
Oblivion (1984) | Astor Piazzolla (Argentina)
Arrangements for marimba and percussion
Asturias for marimba solo (1883) | Isaac Albeniz | arranged in 2014
Pagodes for four percussionists on keyboards and metallic instruments (1903) | Claude Debussy | arranged in 2011
CD release: balafon and marimba recorded for "Fingerprints #3"
Organizers: Composers Archipel Vlaanderen (ComAV), Klara and Flanders Arts Institute. T
he project collects the fingerprints of Flemish and Brussels composers, a CD album of 21 short pieces paint a picture of composing Flanders today.
The compositions were recorded by Klara β the Belgian radio station for classical music β in Studio Toots and will be used for live broadcast. The album is also available on iTunes. Fingerprints #3 was made possible with the support of Sabam for Culture.
ReSoXy: Re-Sounding the Xylophone Collection from the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren (Belgium)
ReSoXy focuses on the music practice and intangible cultural heritage of the forgotten and declining musical instrument collections of the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Africa Museum), Tervuren.
The project is studying the xylophone collection, which includes 159 instruments of different cultural origins, constructions, and musical sounds. Collected by ethnographers, colonial administrators, and expeditors, the RMCA has acquired over 9,000 musical objects and 37,000 musical recordings from Central and sub-Saharan Africa since the end of the 19th century.
Situated at the intersection of societal, cultural, and academic domains, ReSoXy investigates the intangible cultural heritage of the museum's xylophone collectionβmusical sound, performance practice, and techniqueβthat may have been overlooked and misinterpreted in past scientific endeavours.
This project website serves as a platform for facilitating decentralized approaches to co-creation and participatory creative actions. You can play the instrument via an interactive virtual keyboard and download the sound samples for your music projects. Through this website, we aim to revive and recreate the instrument collection for everyone. https://resoxy.africamuseum.be/en
We will reflect together on the contemporary meanings and roles of the cultures and instruments that were erased and fragmented by colonization through co-creation activities, leading to the development of new ideas on the restitution and decolonization of ethnographic museum collections. Follow our creative activities on: https://www.youtube.com/@TheManzaXylophoneProject