Dolphins.
One of the most unique creatures of the Planet.
Several extensive researches examine their hardly
explainable figures; many of these can be read.
The fact that their 20 knots rushing in the water is
supported by a dermal-controlled thermodynamic swirling-distribution system is
only one point of technical curiosity.
They can also hear up to 200 kHz and with their sonar they
are capable of perfect long-distance 3D sensing.
Facts that their brain’s structure is unclear in the respect
of evolution; and their cortical areas are related in a different way; and they
also have a paralimbic lobe. These are rather biological questions...
The real miracle is their behavior, mental- and emotional
intelligence.
That they learn inexplicably fast often extremely
complicated things. That they laugh when they “accidentally „ push the tender
into the water. They have extremely strong ties with people. Although it’s
unclear how; but they have convincing healing capabilities in different mental
problems. The number of dolphin therapy treatments in the world is now
tens of thousands.
Their problem-solving capabilities are so complex that
dolphins were used extensively in reconnaissance tasks by military. US Navy has
replaced some of them to robotic submarine recently.
There are several stories about people who were rescued by
dolphins from drowning or a shark attack.
One of the oldest of them is the one about Arion’s escape by
Herodotus.
In Sicily, in the golden age of the Lydian Empire an ancient
Eurovision Song Festival was organized which was won hands down by the famous
lyric-player Arion who had also swept all the prizes. Sailing homewards he was captured by pirates who wanted to
kill him. Airon’s last wish was to play his kithara. Praying to
Apollo he threw himself to the water where dolphins suddenly appeared and
rescued him by swimming with him to the shore.
Pirates were killed by the storm of course.
Many centuries later, a Spanish composer Luis de Narvaez
without any false modesty mentions in passing in the preface of his six-volume
Los seys Libros del Delphin collection that he learned this music straight from
Arion...
This became the famous Dolphin Book which is one of the
few surviving of vihuela music.
1530s, Spain, Valladolid, this was the place where Luis de
Narvaez - who was actually known as the best player of plucked instruments -
lived and worked.
We are in the age of Charles V., in the age of the
inexplicable high rising of the culture including musical life.
Vihuela. What is it exactly? Vihuela de mano is a plucked
instrument, a sort of ancient guitar. But why doesn’t the Renaissance lute is
used which golden days we are in? The question is quite righ, but not in Spain.
Please remember, not long after the Reconquista, the lute was still the instrument
of the occupation Arab armies, therefore vihuela was an autocratic plucked
instrument, a form of political protest.
When we grasp it we can realize almost immediately that the
only similarity to the guitar is the form nothing more. It’s much smaller and
very light weight, thin-wall structure, with gut strings and beautiful rosette.
Extremely soft sound, practically it’s a room instrument which brings forth
that its glory was on the wane shortly due to the madness of volume
enhancement.
Its tone is a flood of delicacy which can not be compared to
anything else. Rich in overtones, intimate and it has an interesting wooden
feeling. One of the most living sound that can come out of a human-made
instrument. Rediscovering has done; it’s the favourite instrument of
today’s Early Music. Although in Hungary our backwardness is alarming; almost
all of the great lute performers render a tribute with a record.
In 1987 Hopkinson Smith recorded this disk on which he
presents a selection from the Dolphin Book.
Right at the beginning it’s a bunch of two voices fantasy;
serious stuff and not so easy. There’s a very unique, multiple stage
melodiousness in them. At the first hearing it’s pleasing than after several
hearings it seems as if the arcs of melody and the counterpoints would move and
we pay attention to something else. Then it goes so deep that we will know it
in thousands. Like a dolphin-encounter;
we will definitely remember of it.
The first notation; in which there are free variations –
“differentias” as they say so – is the well-known Las Vacas; we’d already
talked about it.
My huge favourite is track 14 – O Gloriosa Domina – which is
a variation line for an old hymn.
It’s very special; quiet extravagant thing. If we didn’t see
the year, we would be mistaken 450 years beforehand. You can feel the strict
method and the tremendous freedom in the same time. Yes; that’s the way Early
Music works.
And let’s not forget the legendary Mille Regres from which
we happen to know that it was the personal favourite of the Emperor Charles V.
He was obsessed with this. I totally understand him. Let’s listen it carefully
since in its middle there’s a beautiful change of chord which can stop the
movement of the starts.
Hopkinson Smith is a big shark who can perfectly speaks the
language of dolphins. On this track he was only 41 but he had already been
among the best lute-players.
The vihuela? It’s always a nice ceremony when I
take it in my hands. I really love it. As it comes to tuning I’m always
surprised how beautiful it sounds.– He said.
It’s a nice straight performance; meditative and leads us to stop
and reflect. It tells complicated stories and sometimes it only delights with
its beautiful tone.
There are many ways we can achieve musical experience.
Sometimes it just rushes us; there’s love at first sight. Some of the melody
you don’t like at all for the first hearing but it becomes your favourite after
all. And sometimes it just touches us lightly; yes; that’s the way our
beautiful [Hungarian] language says it. Touch. Whether on a small surface it
creates a sensation.
Like the dolphin-touch.
Maybe Narvaez was right... something leaked out from Arion’s
spirituality, from dolphins and from the endless ocean.
Translated by Kránicz Adrienn
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Thank you for the images.
Especially the first one - I was unable tto find the source.
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