composer
Jos Kunst was first and foremost a thinker; all of his work, whether music, poetry, essays, or research, revolved around the connection between the maker, the object and the observer.
related works
Solaire : for piano, 1961 / Jos Kunst
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Piano
Scoring:
pf
In Paradisum : for ensemble, 1999-2000 / Jan Vriend
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Large ensemble (12 or more players)
Scoring:
fl(pic fl-a) ob(eh) cl cl-b fg cfg 2h trp trb perc pf hp 2vl 2vla 2vc cb
Sinfonia da camera : 1980 / Rob du Bois
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Wind ensemble (9 or more players)
Scoring:
2223 4000
Into the earth : brass ensemble / David Porcelijn
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Wind ensemble (9 or more players)
Scoring:
0000 4442 2perc
Ermita : for wind ensemble, 1992 / Kim Bowman
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Wind ensemble (9 or more players)
Scoring:
2222 4211
composition
Elements of Logic [IV-72] : for wind ensemble / Jos Kunst & Jan Vriend
Other authors:
Vriend, Jan
(composer)
Description:
Program note (English): In Elements of Logic comes another hobbyhorse into play: the phenomenon of ambiguity. Ambiguity plays a crucial role in every succesful work of art that exploits 'surprise' and double meanings. It requires a certain craftiness, that is, a dexterity of multidimensional thinking and insight, so that the slight-of-hand works in practice as well as in theory. An example: end = beginning is a commonly-used trick in classical music, where the last note/harmony of a phrase is the first note/harmony of the next, new phrase. But high = low, much = little, loud = soft, fast = slow, dynamic = startic, etc., are also effective musical double meanings. And let's nog forget the enharmonic link between keys, a textbook application of ambiguity. Elements of Logic has yet another facet to its history, one that comes from activities and experiments within ASKO itself. Briefly, it is the need, or the challenge, to make the compositional process as objective as possible. In a jointly-composed
work, choices and decisions must be motivated and justified in clear language. Just as the performers of a work, in order to come to an unanimos interpretation, need clear instructions to complement their musical intuition. With today's musical culture dominated by a sickly vagueness with regard to musical inspiration and musical feeling, this was an understandable reaction. The idea that music is a product of brains as well as intuition is difficult for the masses to digest, for they prefer to worship the divine hand of a mysterious rather than faces the banalities that composition as craftmanship demands. - JAN VRIEND