Colin wrote:
For those who are interested, here is the link to the sound file of
Christopher Hogwood playing the HG from the massive
Wow, that really hurts the ears.
I am in the historic preservation industry, that is, heritage
conservation of the built environment, in other words, I am involved in
fixing up old buildings. Authenticity of re-creation is an important
issue in my life. Though I know already here in the USA we do not have
any old buildings, the oldest stuff we have being earth mounds and such.
Regardless, this recording reminds me of a few friends that came along
to do a demonstration one year of how to use an adze. They had never
seen anyone use an adze and had no idea that anyone might actually know.
That did not stop them from doing a demonstration of what they thought
an adze should be used like based on their having found one to play
with. They used it in such a manner that they could easily have chopped
into their legs.
In the audience was someone who actually knew how to play with an adze.
Years later I met a fellow from the Chech Republic who has studied
hewing marks on 14th century cathedrals and can tell things form that
like if the adzer was left-right handed, if the log was adzed on ground,
on trestles, or with one or two adzers. When an axe or adze is put in
this fellows hands he can build an entire building with the one tool.
The traditional log techniques of Romania arae no longer practiced in
Romania, but they migrated and continue to be practiced in western
British Columbia. So when the Romanians decided to revive their
traditional craft they went to Canada to learn, and brought Canadians to
them to teach.
Which goes to comments on quality of tools (not unlike instruments). A
group of Japanese timber framers were brought over to Boston to
reconstruct a temple structure -- the American timber framer assigned to
the museum project could not figure out the pieces. Though the Japanese
that arrived were famed as the best at their trade they showed up with
rusty cheap looking battered tools. When they went to work though they
were simply amazing. The American timber framer was perplexed how they
could get such good work out of such a lousy collection of tools. After
several weeks of talking back n' forth with them, and some translating
help from his wife, they finally told them that the secret was that
these were the tools that they had been handed when they were in the crib.
As to authenticity of sound, or authenticity of any interpretation of
the past, there is great deal of thought and work on the subject
particularly where it applies to the recreation of cultural heritage. I
have a friend in Poland whose doctoral thesis has to do with the
recreation of the heritage environment of sound. It is not all music to
be recreated... the sound of an ox cart as well as a wind mill or church
bells. It may be something like John Cage trying to hear the 17th
century on the common street. I hope to see him in Krakow on April Fools
day.
As to this recording, it is so atrocious that one would imagine that our
ancestors had very poor taste in sound and therefore we must be much
more superior to them. It is always a boon to the idea that humans are a
progressive species, always moving towards a better brighter future,
particularly when we can pull out a rendition of the past that makes it
sound so incredibly horrid.
I will save this one to play when I need to drive the raccoons out of
the attic.
Best,
Gabriel
