On Wednesday, March 6th, a small crew of our students, accompanied by producers and directors Dr. Maria Luskay and Professor Lou Guarneri, visited the famed Metropolitan Museum of Art (or the MET) to gather important details on music’s relationship to cultural sustainability.
The MET boasts one of the world’s largest and most diverse collections of instruments. The plethora of objects features over 5,000 pieces from six continents, serving as a direct testimony to cultural and heritage preservation. Recognizing music as a principal aspect of nearly any culture, the MET notes that musical traditions are largely continued due to their connection to global events such as war, trade, immigration, and enslavement. The subject of our documentary, the Viola da Terra, is one of many instruments affected by these forces and has ultimately been safeguarded by those who pass it down through its construction, teachings, and word of mouth.
Our team had the pleasure of interviewing some trailblazers in traditional music preservation, each offering valuable viewpoints when asked about defining cultural sustainability and its importance.
“We are moving into a sort of new era of international experience, where I think a lot of people today look for their identity in tradition, leave their own traditions, and are finding new traditions while trying to grapple with the tension between tradition and expressing themselves in their own way,” said Daniel Wheeldon, Collections Manager of Musical Instruments.
David Freeman, Educator in Music
Manu Frederickx, Conservator for Musical Instruments, claims that traditions are important in human connection yet can always change. David Freeman, Educator in Music, believes that tradition is most meaningfully passed from hand to hand, ear by ear, and mouth by mouth. Bradley Strauchen-Scherer, Curator of Musical Instruments at the MET, spoke directly to the viola da terra, calling it a vehicle of cultural identity and a national voice.
The entire PaceDocs team deeply appreciates the insights shared by our gracious interviewees and thanks them and their entire department for enlightening us with their knowledge and allowing us to film at such an integral place for our documentary topic.
Next week, the entire crew finally hits the ground in the Azores, starting in São Miguel, where we will interview more pioneers in musical tradition. Stay up to date on our social media pages, @pacedocs.