Jozef Van Wissem

Devoted to what he terms “The Liberation of the Lute,” his compositions for the instrument have involved a dynamic mix of conceptual, minimalist, classical and improvisational strategies. Over the last two decades, he has used cut-and-paste tactics, created palindromic compositions by playing pieces forwards and then backwards and used field recordings and free improvisation to create a sound world that is at once meditative and surprising, new and arcane. He composes mirror image melodies that step up and then back down seemingly without end His music therefore does not have a traditional linear progression, nor leads to a climax, it rather stays on the same level of intensity. It doesn’t demand concentrated listening, as it will bring the listener in a state of concentrated listening. His work is uncluttered and direct, witha viscerally hypnotic and emotional impact, and delivered with an ascetic intensity reflected both in his Biblical titles and his No Wave influences.Van Wissem is able to bridge the language of 17th century music with that of the 21st century without compromising the timbre and resonance of traditional lute playing techniques. An incessantly touring musician, van Wissem's hypnotic live shows have taken him all over the world. He has records out on Important Records and his own Incunabulum label and has collaborated with James Blackshaw, Keiji Haino and Jim Jarmusch amongst others. Van Wissem studied lute in New york with Pat O'Brien and released a classical lute CD " A Rose By Any Other Name" consisting of anonymous lute pieces. He lectures on 'the liberation of the lute' ( At Harvard, Wesleyan University, Mills College amongst others) and was commissioned by the National Gallery of London to compose a sound piece to Hans Holbein's painting "The Ambassadors". The work is featured more and more in documentaries and feature films and so on. He also composed 12 pieces for lute and voice for the new Sims Medieval video game.

User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL....

READ MORE