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Karakorum: a Medieval Musical Journey

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Karakorum: a Medieval Musical Journey DIRECTOR'S NOTE KARAKORUM A MEDIEVAL MUSICAL JOURNEY Constantine Costi that shifts and turns to create an awe-inspiring aural landscape. Why was William chosen to go on this journey? Michael’s adaptation has fused historical record He certainly wasn’t the first choice of Louis IX with emotional empathy. In the process of or Pope Innocent IV to go east on behalf of the adapting he asked himself, how would I feel if I Christian world. had to go on this dangerous journey? Nervous? Giovanni da Pian del Carpine left Europe for the Overwhelmed? Exhilarated? PROLOGUE SCENE 3 – Batu Kahn Mongol Empire in 1245. The Pope presented him Anyone who has travelled to a foreign city knows Spoken introduction by the Narrator Ural with the daunting task to criticise the Mongols for that feeling of sensory overload. New sights, Miserere mei Deus their previous acts of violence against Christians. smells, sounds, and faces that make you wonder, SCENE 1 – Leaving home It’s amazing he made it back alive. Vexilla Regis “Am I dreaming?” Ay! Dieus Salve Regina Between 1245 and 1251 André de Longjumeau I’m sure William felt the same way. The Black Sea was sent to Constantinople by Louis IX, and Pope SCENE 4 – The storm Innocent IV ordered him to Syria to deliver letters William would have been out of his depth and Sri Devi Ashtottara Shata Namavalih to a Mongol envoy. struggling, and yet, simultaneously enchanted Credo in unum Deum and enlightened. As you, or I, or anyone we know, SCENE 2 – Travelling Other friars, Lawrence of Portugal, Ascelin of would be today. through a strange land SCENE 5 – Finding the Lombardy and (the somewhat casually named) Loving the beauty of Layla Armenian monk David and Mark, were all sent East before William. Perhaps this is the power of all great art: the realisation that despite the vast distances of time Pos anc no-us ualc amors Heart Beating in the steppes So why William? and place human beings are largely the same. Ave Regina Caelorum His credentials were hardly as impressive as A Solis ortus cardine André de Longjumeau who spoke Arabic and Chaldean (a language widely spoken in the SCENE 6 – A feast Middle East of the time). Tang Tang In contrast, William was an unremarkable monk from an obscure village in northern France. Drinking Song Louis’ reasoning to send William to Karakorum Veni Sancte Spiritus remains unknown. SCENE 7 – The debate at Karakorum This mystery struck me. Vision of the Beloved I realised that this is not the story of an The Debate at Karakorum extraordinary monk. It’s the story of an ordinary man thrust into an extraordinary endeavour. SCENE 8 – Farewell Working with Paul Dyer and the Australian Veni Veni Emmanuel Brandenburg Orchestra alongside La Camera delle Lacrime is a distinct joy. The beating heart With hearts high of this evening is the music. Much like the vast plains, mountains and oceans William traversed, 12 the music is a journey through a distant world 13 14 15 A Simple Monk with a Higher Purpose William of Rubruck was a Flemish Franciscan monk sent on the journey of a lifetime. His idea, to travel and preach to the Mongol Empire, though supported by the King of France, Louis IX, was born from a simple purpose. It was to fulfil an oath. A clear set of instructions handed down by the head of his order, Saint Francis of Assisi, who venerated poverty and saw the natural world as the mirror of God. The Franciscan monks were bound by vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and a will to live in charity for all mankind. They also took the responsibility of announcing God throughout the world. For William, this meant pilgrimaging to distant lands never walked by Christians. In the face of innumerable dangers, he tested his faith, and, in turn, tested the faith of the unconverted. And in keeping his word, he left for the East with little more than official letters and a promise to report what he saw. His pilgrimage would last almost three years. He was also the first European to visit the Mongol capital of Karakorum on the Orhon River. On his return, he endeavoured to write an Itinerarium or journal in which he recounted his voyage. As for William himself, it cannot be said we know a huge amount about the man, other than from English philosopher Roger Bacon who speaks of the monk in the geographical section of his Opus maius (1267). On a long road to the Eastern World A Journal of things seen and unseen William’s journey would start from humble beginnings. The monk was most likely Before departing, King Louis instructed William to keep a record of everything he from the small village of Rubrouck, near Saint-Omer in today’s northern France. heard and saw; after all, this was to be a momentous journey. And to his credit, In 1253, King Louis the IX of France (St Louis) was in Palestine, continuing his William’s journals can be said to have an almost scientific precision. However, crusade. On May 7, 1253, William left from the bustling streets of Constantinople William’s Itinerarium was written in Vulgate Latin and is not organised thematically. with his companion Bartholomew of Cremona, a fellow Franciscan monk. One The result is a sporadic, yet incredibly detailed series of descriptions of the natural must wonder if either man knew just how far they had to voyage. After reaching the landscape, its peoples and their customs. William even takes time to discuss the Crimean town of Sudak they secured wooden carts and oxen, braving the elements strange animals he passed, including the ‘yak’ and horned sheep that would later to reach the camp of Batu Khan, the fearless Mongol ruler of the Volga River. take its name from Marco Polo. William's fascination with other religions is also However, their stay was short-lived. They were instructed to travel a further 5,000 apparent as he gives invaluable descriptions of Mongol shamanism, Nestorian miles to meet the Möngke Khan at the court of Karakorum in central Mongolia. And Christians in Mongolia, and is also the earliest Western writer to provide a so, riding on horseback, they set off on September 16, 1253. It was on this journey description of Buddhism. that they faced tremendous hardship. Freezing cold, starvation, and dangerous roads plagued their steps. They would go north of the Caspian and Aral seas to the Talas River, through the Cailac Valley, and to the great plains of Mongolia, The Religions on the journey finally reaching Karakorum. They remained there until July 10, 1254, engaging in theological debates and numerous attempts to convert the Khan’s people. On the William of Rubruck’s journey would culminate in a great theological debate that journey home, they took a more northerly route arriving in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, occurred in the Court of Karakorum on May 30, 1254. The discussion was held 16 on August 15, 1255. between different faiths, namely Nestorian Christians, Buddhists and Muslims. 17 The population of the city contained a microcosm of the religious diversity of the The Sounds of Karakorum: some period instruments used in this concert Mongol empire. Shamanism, the Mongolian indigenous religion, was practised, as well as Islam brought by Muslim traders in earlier centuries. Buddhism was very The KAMANCHE, played by Martin Bauer, is a four-stringed bowed popular in the city at this time too, as was Nestorian Christianity. To put the event instrument common in Iran (Persian Music) and in other Middle into perspective, we need to briefly discuss the religions mentioned above. Eastern and Arabic traditions. It can be found all over the near and middle east, and in countries such as Azerbaijan and Russia. It The Muslim faith centres on the worship of the Prophet Muhammad, viewed by has a resonance box made of hardwood, such as walnut, which most branches of Islam to be God's final messenger. Muhammad was sent to is covered with a very thin young goat’s skin. Its wooden bridge is confirm the monotheistic teachings of those such as Adam and Abraham who curved to allow bowing separate strings. Some resonance boxes came before him. The Buddhists, on the other hand, worship the Buddha, a former are made of a whole piece, and some, in Iran, are made of several Prince who suddenly realised that conditioned experiences could not provide strips bound together. The neck is also made of a very hard wood lasting happiness or provide protection from suffering. Further away, the Mongolians and is attached to the resonance box, and has pegs at the top end Kamanche practised a folk religion known as Shamanism, an animalistic and shamanic to tune the strings. At the bottom end, there is a spike, which is teaching adopted in surrounding regions since the dawn of recorded history. used to hold the instrument upright as it is played. Traditionally, the Shamanism was an all-encompassing spiritual belief that traversed medicine, most common tuning is a series of fifths, like the western violin. religion, and nature, by using male shamans (boo) and female shamanesses (ugdan) as conduits between the human and spiritual world. And finally, there were the The ERHU played by Yan Li is a two-stringed bowed Nestorian Christians, a sect originating in Asia Minor and Syria after their leader, instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, often referred to as Southern Nestorius, was condemned. They stressed the independence of the divine and Fiddle or Chinese violin.
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