Here's a blast from the past - a call for applications for fellowships at the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfen- büttel! I was there 21 years ago (!) when I fancied myself a sort of dix-huitièmiste. I was working on the contexts for Kant's "anthropology," especially the theory of the temperaments. This was a slight mismatch - I have a way of always being a little out of step wherever I go - as HAB is the part of the German National Library devoted to the 17th century! No worries, Göttingen, the 18th century hub, was a pleasant local train ride away. And in Wolfenbüttel I got to consort with the spirit of Leibniz, who established the library. But this ad takes me back to the main reading room, which turns out to be a marvelous space for concerts, the velum of the old book covers creating a warm almost buzzing resonance I think I'm still remembering. Highlight was a recital by Pieter Wispelwey of Bach's suites for solo violoncello. I can feel it still, across the centuries.Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Centuries past
Here's a blast from the past - a call for applications for fellowships at the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfen- büttel! I was there 21 years ago (!) when I fancied myself a sort of dix-huitièmiste. I was working on the contexts for Kant's "anthropology," especially the theory of the temperaments. This was a slight mismatch - I have a way of always being a little out of step wherever I go - as HAB is the part of the German National Library devoted to the 17th century! No worries, Göttingen, the 18th century hub, was a pleasant local train ride away. And in Wolfenbüttel I got to consort with the spirit of Leibniz, who established the library. But this ad takes me back to the main reading room, which turns out to be a marvelous space for concerts, the velum of the old book covers creating a warm almost buzzing resonance I think I'm still remembering. Highlight was a recital by Pieter Wispelwey of Bach's suites for solo violoncello. I can feel it still, across the centuries.