Jacques Burtin
Encyclopedia
Biography
After studying Literature and Art at La Sorbonne (Paris), he was introduced to the koraKora
Kora may refer to:* Kora , a stringed musical instrument of West African origin* Kora , a New Zealand reggae band** Kora , Kora album released in 2007* Kora , a type of pilgrimage in the Buddhist tradition...
by brother Dominique Fournier at the Abbey of Bec Hellouin (Normandy, France) and by brother Dominique Catta, composer and choirmaster of the Keur Moussa Monastery (Senegal). He began to compose for the kora, solo pieces as well as duets with Western instruments.
His works are inspired by spiritual authors like St. John of the Cross or Etty Hillesum
Etty Hillesum
Esther "Etty" Hillesum was a young Jewish woman whose letters and diaries, kept between 1941 and 1943 describe life in Amsterdam during the German occupation...
, writers like Georges Simenon
Georges Simenon
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret.-Early life and education:...
or Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature...
, painters like Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
or Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist. His career in art began as a graffiti artist in New York City in the late 1970s, and in the 1980s produced Neo-expressionist painting.-Early life:...
, or photographers like Nan Goldin
Nan Goldin
Nancy "Nan" Goldin is an American photographer.-Life and work:Goldin was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the Boston, Massachusetts suburb of Lexington, to middle class Jewish parents whose ideas, moderately liberal and progressive, were put to the test when on April 12, 1965 their eldest...
ou Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus March 14, 1923 – July 26, 1971) was an American photographer and writer noted for black-and-white square photographs of "deviant and marginal people or of people whose normality seems ugly or surreal." A friend said that Arbus said that she was "afraid.....
. He collaborates with artists, dancers and poets and conceives interdisciplinary performances.
Jacques Burtin is also involved in improvised music and has given concerts based on improvisation with French panflute player Jean-Claude Mara, Japanese koto player Damien Harada, Los Angeles based harpist Susan Allen, and French saxophonist Tullia Morand.
In 2004, he was invited by the Paul Verlaine University (Metz, France) to participate to the Colloque sur l’Art du Peu (Seminar on the Art of the Few) : he gave a solo kora performance based on haikus and wrote La Tentation du peu. (The Temptation of the Few).
May 12, 2006, his music was featured among the works of twelve composers from around the world in Sonic Channels, a concert hosted by the New School University and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.
He gives seminars on Improvisation and Interdisciplinary Creation in the Faculty of Fine Arts School of the University of Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain, and collaborates with Spanish Choreographer Alicia Gómez Linares.
Since 2006, Jacques Burtin plays the gravi-kora and composes for this instrument. He gives kora and gravi-kora master classes and works on kora pedadogy.
Jacques Burtin writes, produces and directs experimental short films as well as documentaries on contemporary artists. His film "Ce qui me perd me sauvera" ("What Damns Me Saves Me") was selected for the "Short Film Corner" of the Festival de Cannes 2011.
Musical works
- 1986 - Ballade de l’île d’Yeu, for solo kora
- 1988 - L’Annonce à Zacharie (The Announcement to Zacharias), for viola and kora
- 1989 - Tant et tant d'amour (A Love so great, so deep), suite for flute and kora inspired by Georges SimenonGeorges SimenonGeorges Joseph Christian Simenon was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret.-Early life and education:...
's autobiography Mémoires intimes. - 1989 - La Passion selon saint Jean (The Passion according to Saint John), oratorio for tenor, kora and two narrators
- 1990 - Le Maître du Haut Château (The Man in the High Castle), suite for piano, kora, saxophone and synthesizers inspired by Philip K. DickPhilip K. DickPhilip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
’s novel. - 1991 - Le Jeu des perles de verre (The Glass Bead Game), suite for flute, viola, guitar and three koras inspired by Hermann HesseHermann HesseHermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature...
’s novel. - 1992 - Ave Maria for soprano a capella
- 1993 - Les Nus bleus (Blue Nudes), suite for solo flute inspired by the paper cutouts of Henri MatisseHenri MatisseHenri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
- 1996 - L'Amour - Musiques pour Thérèse (Love - Music for Thérèse), suite for kora, recorder, cello and kotoKoto (musical instrument)The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
- 1997 - Music for Michael LonsdaleMichael LonsdaleMichael Lonsdale , sometimes billed as Michel Lonsdale, is a French actor who has appeared in over 180 films and television shows....
's play Vous m'appellerez Petite Thérèse - 1998 - La Traversée de Bilbao, dedicated to Nan GoldinNan GoldinNancy "Nan" Goldin is an American photographer.-Life and work:Goldin was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the Boston, Massachusetts suburb of Lexington, to middle class Jewish parents whose ideas, moderately liberal and progressive, were put to the test when on April 12, 1965 their eldest...
, for voice, saxophone and tapes. - 1998 - Music for Benoît Lardières’s play Les sept vies d’Homère Petitbois (The Seven lives of Homère Petitbois)
- 1999 - Où est ton coeur, est la musique (Where is your Heart, is Music), for accordion and kora
- 2001 - Eloge de la Lumière (Praise for the Light) for kora, violin and electric guitar
- 2001 - Apuntes de Eduardo Chillida (Eduardo Chillida’s Notes), for a violin, a kora, a dancer and a narrator
- 2001 - Six chants syldaves (Six Syldavian Songs), for cello and kora
- 2002 - Music for Algis Arlauskas’s film Carta a mi madre (A Letter to my Mother)
- 2002 - Lumière du monde (Light of the World), improvised suite for synthesizer, sampler and a Tibetan bell
- 2003 - Nouveaux chants syldaves (New Syldavian Songs) for viola and kora
- 2004 - Your Shadow Will Shine - Requiem Notebook, electroacoustic music - a Tribute to Victims and Survivors of 9/11 and other terrorist attacks
- 2006 - One Thousand Sources, for solo kora
- 2006 - Days Of Wonder, suite for solo kora, inspired by the Book of Poems by Grace SchulmanGrace Schulman-Life:She studied at Bard College, and graduated from American University in 1955, and from New York University with a Ph.D.She is Distinguished Professor of English at Baruch College, CUNY...
- 2007 - L'Or jeté au fleuve (Gold thrown into the River), Kora Sonata No.1, in memory of Yves KleinYves KleinYves Klein was a French artist considered an important figure in post-war European art. He is the leading member of the French artistic movement of Nouveau réalisme founded in 1960 by the art critic Pierre Restany...
- 2007 - Music soundtrack for seven art documentaries by Vincent Gille (on the works of Max ErnstMax ErnstMax Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was one of the primary pioneers of the Dada movement and Surrealism.-Early life:...
, Joan MiróJoan MiróJoan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
, Sophie CalleSophie CalleSophie Calle is a French writer, photographer, installation artist, and conceptual artist. Calle's work is distinguished by its use of arbitrary sets of constraints, and evokes the French literary movement of the 1960s known as Oulipo. Her work frequently depicts human vulnerability, and examines...
, Paul KleePaul KleePaul Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered both a German and a Swiss painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was, as well, a student of orientalism...
, the Menil CollectionMenil CollectionThe Menil Collection, located in Houston refers either to a museum that houses the private art collection of founders John de Menil and Dominique de Menil, or to the collection itself...
...) - 2008 - Le Chant de la Forêt (The Song of the Forest), suite for kora, gravi-kora, flute and viola
- 2010 - Une clarté, une voix, un parfum... (A Brightness, A Voice, A Perfume...), Kora Sonata No 2
Documentary and experimental films
- 1977 : L’Innocence du grand large, an experimental film written, produced and directed by Jacques Burtin and Vincent Gille, Super 8, 20’20
- 1977 : Corps à corps, an experimental film written, produced and directed by Jacques Burtin and Bruno Montpied, Super 8, 12mn
- 1979 : Préface, an experimental film written, produced and directed by Jacques Burtin, Super 8, 41mn
- 1981 : Les Vacances de Platon, an experimental film written, produced and directed by Jacques Burtin and Vincent Gille, Super 8, 15mn
- 1982 : Magnificat, an experimental film written, produced and directed by Jacques Burtin and Vincent Gille, Super 8, 11’30
- 1982 : Brèves, an experimental film produced and directed by Jacques Burtin and Vincent Gille, written by Vincent Gille, Super 8, 10mn
- 1984 : Neuf Lettres, an experimental film written, produced and directed by Jacques Burtin, Super 8, 23’33
- 1997 - Autoportraits (Selfportraits), an experimental film written, produced and directed by Jacques Burtin, with Agnès Rivière, Vincent Gille and Jacques Burtin, music by Jacques Burtin, Hi8, 4:3, 34mn
- 2005 - Transmigration, a documentary film on the Czech artist Filomena Boreckà, written, produced and directed by Jacques Burtin, DV, 4:3, 15mn
- 2005 - L'autre regard (The Other View), a documentary film on the painter Alexandre Hollan, written, produced and directed by Jacques Burtin, music by Jacques Burtin, DV, 4:3, 19mn
- 2005 - Les Carnets d’Enza, a documentary film on Enza Palamara’s work, written, produced and directed by Jacques Burtin, music by Jacques Burtin, DV, 4:3, 28mn
- 2010 - Un souvenir d'enfance de Valery Larbaud, an experimental film written, produced, directed and performed by Jacques Burtin, music by Jacques Burtin, DV, 4:3, 2mn
- 2010 - Bilbao Dream, an experimental film written and directed by Jacques Burtin, produced by Iñigo Lopez and Jacques Burtin, with Mónica Serrano, Robin Caballero and Javier Cortés, music by Jacques Burtin, HDV, 16:9, 6mn
- 2011 - Ce qui me perd me sauvera ("What Damns Me Saves Me"), an experimental film written, produced and directed by Jacques Burtin, music by Jacques Burtin, 16:9, 7mn
- 2011 - Le Dernier Kodachrome ("The Last Kodachrome"), an experimental film written, produced and directed by Jacques Burtin, with Valérie Maes, Joseph Morder, Elina Labourdette, Enza Palamara, Philippe Bernier et Gabor Deshors, music by Jacques Burtin, 16:9, 37min
Writings
- 1991 - Sacres, nine prose poems, La Goutte d'Eau, Paris
- 2004 - La Tentation du Peu (Temptation of the Few), in Actes du colloque de Metz 2004, Christine Dupouy Editor, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2008
- 2005 - Sang céleste - Lettre à Filomena Boreckà (Celestial Blood - Letter to Filomena Boreckà)
- 2008 - Le Dialogue de la forêt (The Dialog in the Forest), a conversation with Odile Portal
- 2009 - Chemins de l'art, chemins de l'âme - Musique, art et prière (Paths of Art, Paths of Soul - Music, Art and Prayer), an Introduction to the 3 Cd Box Set Le Jour des Merveilles, Bayard Musique
- 2002-2010 - De la improvisación (About Improvisation), notes on improvisation for the Fine Arts Students of the Basque Country University
Discography
- 1990 - Jacques Burtin, Promenades heureuses - Le Maître du haut château, La Goutte d'Eau
- 1991 - Jacques Burtin, Le Chant des étoiles", Rosée de Lumière
- 1993 - Jacques Burtin, Noir & Or, Rosée de Lumière
- 1994 - Jacques Burtin, Kora à l'Abbaye du Bec-Hellouin (Le Chant intérieur), Studio SM
- 1995 - Jacques Burtin et Jean-Claude Mara, Psalmodies, Mara Productions
- 1996 - Jacques Burtin, L’Amour (Musiques pour Thérèse), Studio SM
- 1997 - Jacques Burtin & Soeur Claire Marie Ledoux, Une Rosée de lumière (Saint François et Sainte Claire d’Assise), with the voices of Béatrice Agenin and Michael LonsdaleMichael LonsdaleMichael Lonsdale , sometimes billed as Michel Lonsdale, is a French actor who has appeared in over 180 films and television shows....
, Studio SM - 1998 - Jacques Burtin, Comme un cercle de feu sur l'eau, Edition limitée
- 2001 - Jacques Burtin & Barbara Marcinkowska, Méditation Kora et Violoncelle, Bayard Musique (re-issued in 2010)
- 2003 - Jacques Burtin & Michel Michalakakos, Méditation Kora et Alto, Bayard Musique
- 2008 - Jacques Burtin, Le Chant de la forêt, with Jean Ferrandis and Michel Michalakakos, Bayard Musique
- 2009 - Jacques Burtin, Le Jour des merveilles, Bayard Musique
Sheet music
- 1988 - Une Rosée de lumière - Neuf pièces pour kora, Monastère de Keur Moussa
- 1994 - Le Chant intérieur - Pièces et suites pour kora, Editions Musicales Studio SM
- 2010 - Joies soudaines - Oeuvres pour kora 1988-2010, chez Marie Chantal Froment