{"id":111342,"date":"2025-01-29T12:29:27","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T17:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=111342"},"modified":"2025-01-29T13:00:01","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T18:00:01","slug":"interview-multi-instrumentalist-jeff-bird-talks-hildegard-von-bingen-february-toronto-concert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/01\/29\/interview-multi-instrumentalist-jeff-bird-talks-hildegard-von-bingen-february-toronto-concert\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Multi-Instrumentalist Jeff Bird Talks About Hildegard von Bingen And His February Toronto Concert"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bird (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bird will be performing his unique interpretations of the music of Hildegard Bingen in Toronto on February 9. The concert at ArrayMusic is a continuation of Bird\u2019s fascination with the works of the 12th century mystic.<\/p>\n

He explored her music on his 2016 album Felix Anima, arranged for harmonica, electric guitar, and shruti box. The shruti box originates from India. Similar to a harmonium, it uses a system of bellows to produce a drone sound.<\/p>\n

We spoke to Jeff about his unique take on the centuries old music.<\/p>\n

Jeff Bird<\/h2>\n

Jeff Bird has been active in the music industry for more than three decades, and has recorded folk, jazz, world, and electronic music, among others, over 18 albums. He plays the fiddle, bass, harmonica, mandolin, vocals, percussion, among others.<\/p>\n

Jeff is also a producer and composer, and is probably best known for his work with the Cowboy Junkies in their iconic Trinity Sessions album.<\/p>\n

The Interview<\/h3>\n

\u201cSince university, back in the last millennium, I was introduced to early Western music,\u201d Bird explains. That\u2019s when he first listened to Renaissance and medieval music, which struck an immediate chord. \u201cI feel like I might have lived there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hildegard von Bingen, per se, wasn\u2019t part of the curriculum during his student days at the University of Guelph in the 1970s. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t hear this stuff,\u201d he says. But, his curiosity had been ignited, and he continued to explore the era\u2019s music. \u201cMy interest in that music was kindled.\u201d It wasn\u2019t until bout the 1980s that he actually discovered Hildegard von Bingen and her luminous choral works.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was love at first listen.\u201d The music has an enduring beauty that separates it from the ordinary. \u201cThere are always those that rise to the top,\u201d he says of her compositions. While he pursued many other types of music across multiple projects, von Bingen\u2019s music was always at the back of his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took me a while to come to perform it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he points out, her compositions consist of vocal music. \u201cSinging isn\u2019t my strong suit,\u201d he laughs. It took a while to hit on the right approach. \u201cI\u2019d been playing harmonica for years.\u201d Using the breath-driven instrument seemed the perfect choice. \u201cHer music is very much about breath.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding the shruti box also makes sense. \u201cIt\u2019s the same technology as the harmonium,\u201d he points out. It\u2019s in the same family as the accordion and concertina. \u201cThey all use reeds that are moved by air.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shruti box itself is typically used as accompaniment for flute or vocals in classical Indian music. The technology originates in China with the sheng, which inspired the European harmonium, which then, as a portable instrument, made its way to India through missionaries and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt went to India,\u201d he says, \u201cit became a shruti box.\u201d As he explains, the performer can control the pitch, but not play a melody per se. It\u2019s in the same family as the harmonica, as it turns out. \u201cThey were just made to be played together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not everyone, though, has a shruti box around to experiment with. \u201cI\u2019ve always been a collector of instruments,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s in my house, and one day, you put them together.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a pretty good argument for collecting instruments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was surprised at how well it works.\u201d He pumps the shruti box with one hand. \u201cI can actually use that in the same way as I\u2019m breathing with the harmonica.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Jeff Bird\u2019s Felix Anima:<\/em><\/p>\n