1

Bake Society newsletter

Society for the study of performing arts world wide

WORDS FROM THE EDITORS On your screen is the second edition of the Bake society newsletter. In this issue, we will inform you about the upcoming conference on the topic of Mu-sic & oppression, organised by the Bake society and the KNVM. Furthermore, we will present to you the results of the Worldmusic meeting in Rotterdam (1 December 2011) and we will advise you on interesting conferences and other projects. We hereby take the opportunity to repeat our invitation to you, Bake mem-bers: you are most welcome to send in contributions for the next edition. If you would like to share your musicological interests and information with the other Bake members, please contact the editors: Jaco van den Dool: jacovandendool@gmail.com Sieta Neuerburg: s.a.neuerburg@gmail.com

International Conference: MUSIC, OPPRESSION AND RESISTANCE

2-3 March 2012 Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The Royal Society for Music History of the Netherlands (KVNM) and The Bake Society for Performing Arts Worldwide invite you to attend their two-day interna-tional conference on the topic of Music, oppression and resistance which will be held on 2 and 3 March in Am-sterdam. Music has always accompanied battle. The trum-pet called soldiers to arms, drums set the pace to which soldiers marched into the battlefield. In our time, too, when battles are fought with high-tech equipment ra-ther than swords or bare hands, soldiers ex-pose them-selves to music to let their adrenaline flow.

At the same time, music is always vulnerable to censor-ship. Especially during times of war and oppression, some types of music are not allowed to be played or lis-tened to. Apparently, the power of music is such that it can threaten or weaken the hold political systems have on people. However, music can also pacify by reinforcing solidarity and creating community. We are happy to announce in this Bake News-letter the selection of speakers who will participate in the conference (see page 2 and 3). We are honoured that professor Morag J. Grant (Göttingen University) will deliver the key note speech. —CONTINUES ON PAGE 2—

TOPICS:

Congress: Music, oppression and

resistance

Verslag ‘Dag van de wereldmuziek’

Music Freedom Day at Tropentheater

Things to do

VOLUME 2 || ISSUE 1 || FEB 2012

2

Morning session – World war and music 09.30-10.00 Registration (Nieuwe Doelenstraat 16) 10.00-10.15 Welcome and introduction 10.15-11.15 Presentations: Anna Windisch (Alberta & Vienna) examines community singing in American movie theatres during the First World War (from the American war entry in 1917), when the illus-trated song was utilized as a tool for propaganda. Abby Anderton (Ann Arbor, Michigan) examines how the Berlin Philharmonic was subjected to the will of the Ameri-can occupational government after World War II, as at the same time the orchestra struggled to shed its former associ-ations with National Socialism. 11.15-11.45 Break 11.45-12.45 Presentations: Joseph Toltz (Sydney, Australia) will speak on the cultural activities, and function and place of everyday song in the Terezin ghetto (1941-1945). Since the 1970s when violinist Joza Karas rediscovered compositions from Terezin in the Prague Jewish Museum, a body of literature has been gen-erated on this unique programme of cultural life. Ulrike Petersen (Hamburg & Berkeley) looks at the limited success of the Reichstelle für Musikbearbeitungen in “Aryanizing” (classical) works of music, through Viennese cabarettist Rudolf Wey’s unfinished 1944 edition of Lehár’s Der Rastelbinder (1902). Weys’ case shows that musical the-atre could be a lifeline for authors under the Nazi regime. 13.00-14.00 Lunch 14.00-14.30 Musical workshop Afternoon: two parallel sessions – Contemporary issues Parallel session (1) 14.30-15.30 Presentations: Mojca Kovačič (Slovenia) presents historical facts about the withdrawal of bells and prohibitions of bell ringing in Slove-nia. She relates narratives about the consequences of such repression, highlighting a period of the communist regime, linking it to present-day forms of resistance against bell ringing. With reference to the conflict in Kosovo, Alma Bejtullahu (Slovenia) asks how a censored music of the oppressed be-comes part of the revolt, resistance and eventually a com-panion in a violent engagement.

15.30-15.45 Break 15.45-16.45 Presentations Cornelia Nuxoll (Göttingen, Germany) discusses field re-search among former Sierra Leone rebels to explore the relevance and impact of music in their lives as soldiers dur-ing the 1990s civil war there. Fabienne van Eck (Netherlands & Jerusalem) looks at the theme of culturally sensitive music education in conflict areas, through her own experiences as a workshop leader and trainer in the Middle East and Africa. Parallel session (2) 14.30-15.30 Presentations: The popularity of Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng (1964-1995) transcended national barriers from Taiwan to Communist China as well as Japan, during the Cold War period. Chench-ing Cheng (Peking & Edinburgh) examines how the pulse of an era can be felt by focusing on its popular music. Caroline Waight (Cornell, Ithaca) considers two different performances of German singer Nina Hagen’s song, Du hast den Farbfilm vergessen (“You forgot the colour film”). She identifies satire of the GDR’s attempts to build national identity and explores the contingency of irony in the oppres-sive political environment of East Germany.

15.30-15.45 Break 15.45-16.45 Presentations Protest songs: Andrea LaRose (Erlangen, Germany) uses transcription and analysis of improvisations from recordings of Frederic Rzewski’s oeuvre to examine how the political manifests at every level of his music. Klaus Kuiper (The Hague & Amsterdam) gives instances of music used as an instrument of torture or irritation, includ-ing at Guantanamo Bay, in several wartime situations, and curiously the playing of classical music in public spaces to chase away jobless youngsters. Plenary 16.45-17.15 Discussion 17.30-18.15 Drinks and music 18.45 Dinner —CONTINUES ON PAGE 3—

MUSIC, OPPRESSION and RESISTANCE Program Friday 2 March

3

09.00 - 09.30 Registration (Nieuwe Doelenstraat 16) 09.30 - 09.35 Introduction 09.35 - 10.20 Keynote speech The keynote speech of Morag J. Grant (Göttingen, Germany) will look at how to theorize the role of music and mu-sicality in war, offering a possible framework for such a theory from the perspective of social musicology. 10.20 - 11.20 Presentations Jan van Belle (Netherlands) reports on three periods of censorship of music in Afghanistan. The consequences of these periods left deep wounds in Afghan musical life, which even today are still apparent. Miriam Brenner’s contribution (Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Utrecht) is on the evolution of Tuvan music in the (post) Soviet era. She shows how music was regulated from the heart of Moscow to the outskirts of the steppe through a culture and music mandate. Tuvan music styles and genres faced near extinction because of the harsh enforcement of the mandate 11.20 - 11.35 Break 11.35 - 12.35 Presentations Frank van den Berg (Netherlands) compares musical censorship policies in Portugal, Spain and Greece during the reactionary dictatorships of respectively Salazar, Franco and Metaxas. Joe Stroud (Edinburgh) considers the legislation in Germany, Great Britain and Sweden which is designed to estab-lish a boundary between freedom of expression and hate crime, and the impact this has on bands associated with the extreme-right music scene. 12.25 - 13.00 Discussion 13.00 Lunch 14.00 Music Freedom Day at the Royal Tropical Institute. For general information see Music Freedom Day. For Saturday afternoon’s programme see next page.

MUSIC, OPPRESSION and RESISTANCE Program Saturday 3 March

Venue: University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Doelenstraat 16, 1012 CP Amsterdam Registration fees: Members (Bake or KVNM) € 25 Friday 2 March (incl. lunch & drinks) € 25 Saturday 3 March morning programme (incl. lunch & drinks) Non-members € 30 for Friday 2 March (incl. lunch & drinks) € 30 Saturday 3 March morning programme (incl. lunch & drinks) Students € 15 for Friday 2 March (incl. lunch & drinks) € 15 Saturday 3 March morning programme (incl. lunch & drinks) All: € 25 for Friday’s diner

Bake members can register in advance by transferring the registration fee to: BAKE VER ONDERZ OP GEBIED UITV KUNSTEN ING 5018633

For payments from outside the Netherlands:

BIC: INGBNL2A IBAN: NL47INGB0005018633 Non-members and students will register and pay at the conference Please note that the programme for Music Freedom Day is organised takes place at the Tropentheater, Linnaeusstraat 2, Amsterdam (see also next page).

Registration

4

Debate about music censorship worldwide and the role of the Internet, Tibetan music and film ‘Tibet in Song’. On Saturday, March 3 Tropentheater in Amsterdam presents a program to ask international attention for Music Freedom Day. On this day there will be an international focus on music censorship worldwide. In the afternoon from 02.00 PM onwards there will be a discussion about the Internet paradox of censorship in music, and a performance by the Tibetan singer Namgyal Lhamo. The film Tibet in Song by Ngawang Choephel will be shown in the evening, starting at 7.30 PM. The theme of this Music Freedom Day is "the internet paradox: music censorship and distribution possibilities." Where Internet gives opportunities to musicians in exile to distribute their music, on the other hand it is also a tool for censorship. Think of iTunes that for example tells artists to change titles of their music. In the afternoon there is a debate with the following speakers: Francisco van Jole (internet journalist), Mina Saadadi (born in Iran and founder of ShahrzadNews.org, a news site about issues which are ignored in Iran) and Frank Kouwenhoven (China expert). The Tibetan singer Namgyal Lhamo, also called the Nightingale of Tibet, will give a performance. She received several music awards including the Tibetan music prize in 2007 in the category of best female singer. Since 1980 Namgyal Lhamo lives in the Netherlands. This afternoon program has a free entrance, but reservation is required at (020) 500 5688. The performance of Namgyal Lhamo is a nice transition to the evening programme: the film Tibet in Song, which starts at 7.30 PM. Followed by an interview with Christa Meindertsma, director of Prince Claus Fund (subject). The Soeterijn Café offers tapas between program components. The film Tibet in Song (2008) is both a celebration of traditional Tibetan folk music and a harrowing journey into the past fifty years of cultural repression inside Chinese controlled Tibet. Director and former Tibetan political prisoner, Ngawang Choephel, weaves a story of beauty, pain, brutality and resilience, introducing Tibet to the world in a way never before seen on film. The beauty of traditional Tibetan folk music is showcased through a variety of working songs, songs about family and the beauty of the land. These rarely seen performances are deftly juxtaposed against startling footage of the early days of the Chinese invasion and a concise explanation of the factors leading to the Dalai Lama's flight into exile in 1959. Ngawang Choephel sets the stage for a unique exploration of the Chinese impact on Tibetans inside Tibet. What follows is a heartbreaking tale of cultural exploitation and resistance, which includes Ngawangs' own eventual imprisonment for recording the very songs at the center of the film. Tibet in Song provides raw and uncensored look at Tibet as it stands today, a country plagued by Chinese brutality, yet willing to fight for the existence of its unique cultural heritage. Tibet in Song is directed by Ngawang Choephel, and contains both original music composed by Ngawang himself, and an array of traditional folk songs sung by native Tibetans. The film is English and Tibetan spoken and has English subtitles. Tropentheater organizes this program in collaboration with Freemuse - World Forum on music and censorship - from Copenhagen and Bake Society: The Performing Arts World Wide. Debate and concert: beginning 14.00 pm, admission free, reservation is required via the box office of Tropentheater (020) 500 5688, first served. Film Tibet in Song starts at 07.30 PM, entrance fee: 9.00 euros (reduction price: 8.00 euros). Venue: Tropentheater, Linnaeusstraat 2, Amsterdam Tickets and information: 020-5688 500 and www.tropentheater.nl

Music Freedom Day at the Tropentheater Amsterdam

5

DAG VAN DE WERELDMUZIEK

1 december 2011

Van Snoeien komt Bloeien?

Op de ‘Dag van de wereldmuziek’ op 1 december 2011 in Rotterdam klinken niet al-

leen vrolijke geluiden. Tijdens een kringgesprek, georganiseerd door de Bake Society

in een van de lokalen van het WMDC, spreekt een aantal beleidsmakers en managers

van verschillende culturele instellingen hun zorgen uit over de bezuinigingen in de

culturele sector.

Frits Zwart ziet donkere wolken boven het NMI (Nederlands Muziekinstituut)

hangen. Vanaf 2013 moet dit instituut het met 40% minder subsidie doen om het

letterkundig erfgoed te bewaren. Een kant en klare oplossing is er eigenlijk niet. De

sprekers storen zich vooral aan de negatieve boodschap vanuit de overheid. Het be-

titelen van kunst en cultuur als een ‘linkse hobby’ en het verhogen van de Btw op

toeganskaartjes voelt als een regelrech-

te oorlogsverklaring.

Deze bijeenkomst is echter niet

bedoeld om weer eens lekker te klagen.

Nee, er moet gezocht worden naar

oplossingen. Een van de oplossingen ligt

in het zoeken naar een binding tussen

vraag en aanbod.

Het Zuidpleintheater heeft zich

bijvoorbeeld met een publieksgerichte

aanpak onmisbaar gemaakt in de wijk.

Door het zoeken naar verbindingen met

het bedrijfsleven hebben we gelijk de

andere oplossing te pakken. Er zijn cash

cows nodig. Juist in deze tijd willen

banken hun goede wil tonen en daar

moet de culturele sector op inspringen.

Naast verbindingen zoeken, is bundelen het sleutelwoord. Het wordt tijd dat

de culturele sector meer gaat samenwerken, een signaal afgeeft. “Waarom vecht

iedere instelling alleen voor zichzelf? Wordt het niet eens tijd dat we onze krachten

gaan bundelen?” Er klinkt instemming in de kring. De boodschap is helder; er moet

verandering in denken komen. Waar zijn andere instellingen mee bezig? Waar zijn de

aanknopingspunten?

Vandaag blijkt dat, hoe pijnlijk de bezuinigen ook zijn, de culturele instellingen elkaar

weten te vinden.

Misschien komt van snoeien wel bloeien?

6

ABOUT BAKE SOCIETY

The Bake Society for the study of performing arts world wide, named after the illustrious mu-sicologist and singer Arnold Bake, organises conferences, seminars and workshops. The society publishes the proceedings of its conferences in the new 'Bake Society Series' and has a digital journal: 'Bake Online'.

The society is open to all professionals in the field; scholars, teachers, perform-ers, organizers, critics, publicists, students. There are no restrictions to becoming a member - it is open to all who subscribe to the goals of the society; furthering studies of and undertaking projects in “the world of music | music of the world”. Students get a reduced fee.

You can find us at http://bakesociety.wordpress.com/

THINGS TO DO

Bake Spring Meeting Bake’s yearly Spring meeting will be held on Saturday 12 May 2012. More information on venue and topics will follow soon.

ISME World Conference on Music Education This Summer, the International Society for Music Education organises its 30th world confer-ence in Greece. Conference title: ‘Music Pædeia: From Ancient Greek Philosophers Toward Global Music Communities’. Date: July 15-20, 2012. Location: Thessaloniki, Greece

2012 Jaar van het Immaterieel erfgoed (2012 Year of Intangible Heritage) The Dutch government is expected to sign the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) before long. As a starting point for a new policy with regard to intangible heritage, the Dutch Center for Folk Culture and Intangible Heritage (Nederlands Centrum voor Volkscultuur en Immaterieel Erfgoed) has declared 2012 the Year of Intangible Heritage. On 15, 16 and 17 February, an international congress will be held on this topic in Deurne. (Information in Dutch only.)

Beeld voor Beeld Festival The 23rd edition of the Beeld for Beeld Festival will be held from 29 May to 3 June 2012 in Leiden and Amsterdam. The topic of this year’s festival is ‘After the war’, or the role of Media in Conflict and Post –Conflict Situations.