 | |
| Barbara Thornton (1950-1998) |
“I want to be a performer, not an authority—these are two separate identities in the medieval world. The authority (auctoritas) writes from the highest viewpoint with the aim of establishing steadfast truths and principles. Though I have mentioned often that we look to practical treatises for practical guidelines, the musical treatises of the period provide the underlying philosophical ground for everything we do, and we move entirely within that context, acknowledging it freely. This is the function of auctoritas: to remain in contact with the “higher spheres,” as exemplified by Pythagoras, Aristotle, Plato, Augustine, Boethius, Cassiodorus, etc. As a performer, I wish to embody the philosophies of the art naturally, almost unconsciously; other than that, I am a collection of techniques, observations, and experiences. In a teaching capacity I think of myself as a transmitter: I pass on the material in human, not written form. I supposedly thereby stimulate the imagination (mine included). With what? With the poet’s images and the musician’s music; only to the extent that my imaginings help the original material are my personal images of any importance. Principally, the goal is to reach and “empower” the independent imagination of the other person. Once it is operative, the hunt for the poet’s path and the life of his images is shared equally [. . .] I cannot take away a student’s own hunt for meaning in the material, nor can I create it. Nor should I put myself in a position, by playing auctoritas, of depleting my own imaginal energies. Look to the poems themselves, and learn to feel, feel, feel through modes—you will find the elated, disappointed, consummated, frustrated traces of other people looking for “poetic truth.” You will find the best possible company for your quest. There are the tracks and traces to follow. I try to teach how to see the tracks, how to hunt with them.”
No comments:
Post a Comment