"Farewell to Philosophy" by Gavin Bryars

[dream_weaver]

WRCJ is a Detroit area based Classical and Jazz radio station. Each weekday, at noon, is featured a Midday Entrée which consists of a selection of music and a recipe to enjoy with it.

Listening to the station, just after lunch on Friday, I found myself enjoying the music and wondered what it was called, and found it was a piece composed by Gavin Bryars entitled “Farewell to Philosophy.

The featured entrée was called Philosopher’s Stew. The description has a contemporary philosophical flavor to it:

 "This stew is known as Filosoof (philosopher) in Dutch, because like philosophy, you can take it in any direction. You see, this dish was traditionally a flotsam and jetsam of leftovers. I use lentils to thicken the stew, but you could add potato flour instead. Add apples or prunes if you don't want to use quinces. Whatever you fancy."

During an interview with the composer, the following exchange shed some insight on the title:

klassiknet: If we look at your cello concerto, there is a movement called "the philospher" and the work has a program title "Farewell to Philosophy". Is this acoustical research from Haydn to Bruckner or are you saying good-bye to Western philosophy and hello to Zen Buddhism?

Bryars: I did that as a personal journey when I was a philosophy student and working as a jazz musician, so I moved from philosphy to music. Composing music was a way of saying "Farewell to Philosophy." Still, when I was studying Western philosophy I was most interested in some aspects of Wittgenstein which can become quite mystical. Later, there was Zen Buddhism. I found more value in that on a personal level, specially in that it made possible a spiritual experience without invoking God.

The piece is done in a minor key, and is somewhat melancholic. In response to the question: “If you heard this music in the background of a movie you were watching, what would the movie be about?”, I was told “A sad romance movie where someone close had passed away.” How apropos, if the composer thinks he is can actually say goodbye to it.