Music in the Church

We were at a concert at Notre-Dame-de-la-Visitation church. I hadn't noticed these windows before. What an inviting message to musicians - this place welcomes live music.



The window in the opposite wall also had a musical instrument as the theme of the window. Both, in fact, featured instruments from the past. The acoustics in the church are great for small ensembles. The church is wood, not stone so the sound is bright without being overly reverberant.



Today's concert featured Passiflore, an ensemble made of up 3 violins (sometimes 2 violins and 1 viola) and basso continuo. The repertoire they chose was delightful and beautifully played. The music muses must have been happy.

Tiffany Glass

Anyone who reads this blog knows I go to many concerts. I have always loved the arts - music, dance, visual arts... Just this week I have been to three events: a concert led by Tanya Laperrière for Pallade Musica - of string quartets, the ballet Coppelia and then a concert by Les Boréades of Neapolitan Baroque music which was held in Salle Bourgie, part of the Musée des Beaux Arts de Montréal. The concert hall was once a church (the Erskine and American) and these windows were installed in the church, but restored when the museum renovated the building. I had attended concerts in the church. At one of the many memorable concerts, I sat in the front row  - the performer, Jordi Savall was almost in hand-shaking distance. It felt like he was playing just for me.

While I love to hear concerts by visiting groups, I am spoiled living in Montreal, where we have some of the finest musicians specializing in early music. I am doubly spoiled as many of them also teach at CAMMAC and I have had the privilege of being coached by many of them. In last night's lineup - 5 of the 8 musicians have spent Early Music Week there and I have had 4 of them as coaches. Knowing them as teachers, as friends adds to the pleasure of hearing them perform.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++
About the windows from http://www.mbam.qc.ca/en/museum-district/claire-and-marc-bourgie-pavilion/

Eighteen of the twenty Tiffany windows were created during the heyday of the famous Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company in New York, between 1897 and 1904. The ensemble was one of only two commissions by Tiffany in Canada and one of the few surviving religious series in North America.

Vendome Metro Station

Vendome Metro Station, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

I love the way light transforms things. The sun was streaming through the stained glass, making the steel sculpture glow. By chance I had just read an article about a stained glass artist who embeds solar cells in her work. The windows have a double function of providing beauty as well as providing power. Be sure to look through the photographs of Sarah Hall's work in the linked article. It is a wonderful marriage of art and science.

Musical Window

Musical Window, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I often go to concerts in Redpath Hall at McGill, but usually at night. An afternoon concert allowed me to admire the stained glass windows. This is the top part of one of three long windows. Music has had a place in universities since the Middle Ages when music theory was taught as one of the liberal arts. The men under the musician are composers - the names that can be seen are Pergolesi, Purcell, Palestrina and Monteverdi. I suspect, the white wigged gentleman is none other than Bach.

Should that be true, he was looking down on a concert of music by his son, C.P.E. Bach whose music has echoes of his father's, but in a very different style. A young harpsichordist, Mahan Esfahanis directed the orchestra from the harpsichord and then played incredibly.
Learn about him here.

Day 288: Studio Du Verre

Day 288: Studio Du Verre, originally uploaded by susanvg.

As I was walking from my car to a concert in my favourite church in Old Montreal, I passed this shop selling stained glass objects. I love the intensity of colour in stained glass as well as its luminosity as the light shines through. I thought of a conversation I had earlier in the day with one of my colleagues about art and craft. She directed me to the PBS web site Craft in America and the incredible objects that people create. When is something art and when is it craft - and are we using craft in a pejorative sense? Is an artist a craftsperson? Is a craftsperson an artist? Surely the stained glass windows in Chartres are more than craft - they demonstrate incredible artistry. A beautiful piece of pottery, a hand-blown piece of class can certainly be works of art.

I guess to me - craft is the set of skills we need to produce something - we even refer to the writer's craft. Art is that intangible that enters the piece making it unique. We each look with our own eyes and appreciate and understand based on our aesthetic sense, our background, our culture etc. We may each draw the line in a different place. Much of what you see in this window would be more a demonstration of a craftsperson's skill. It becomes art when it touches a person's soul.

Day 249: Art in the Metro

Day 249: Art in the Metro, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I often travel on the metro (our subway system) and am struck by the lovely art in some of the stations. What this photograph doesn't show is that on the adjacent wall there is a huge advertisement for iPods. I wonder which attracts more attention. The stations, like stations in cities I have travelled in, have a succession of ads plastered around. Montreal has limited them a little more than some places. Does it devalue the work to have it juxtaposed beside advertising? I don't think all art work should be in museums; I love to see art in urban settings. I just wonder what other people see.

If you want to learn more about the art in Montreal's metro, visit this link. There I learned that this piece is called Hommage aux fondateurs de la ville de Montréal and is by artists Gaboriau and Osterrath. It is located in the Berri-UQAM station.

Day 167: Stained Glass

Day 167: Stained Glass, originally uploaded by susanvg.

When I bought my house over twenty years ago, it was really by fluke. I wasn't looking for a house just in this area. However, my brother-in-law, who was 25 years older than I, was a friend of the owner and had always raved about it. Coincidentally, I had gone to high school with the owner's son. When my real estate agent suggested seeing the house, I jumped on the chance, more out of curiousity than because I thought I would buy it. When I saw it, it just seemed right. The owner was thrilled that someone he knew was acquiring his beloved home.

Mr. E. had an extensive art collection. This piece of stained glass hung on the wall in the dining room. He left it for me, saying that the dining-room would just not be right without it.

I subsequently learned more about the artist, Eric Wesselow, an innovative glass artist, whose technique of layering glass instead of using lead became known as the Eric Wesselow System. He phoned me once, wanting to come and photograph the work, but unfortunately, he passed away before this could be arranged. Lovely as this looks in my dining room, I don't think I'll be leaving it behind when I move.

If you are interested in learning more about Eric Wesselow, read this article.