Giorgio Battistelli
Experimentum Mundi (Opera di musica immaginistica)

THE REVIEW

The cooper bends his staves, the carpenter saws wood, the pastry chef is busy with flour and egg yolk: but this time on a stage, in front of an audience. The bricklayer mixes lime, the blacksmith strikes the iron, the knife grinder sharpens the blade... and all this is music.

Giorgio Battistelli must have had quite the imagination when he wrote this imaginary music for 16 artisans in 1981 (he was 28 at the time) with the intention of bringing some traditional artisan activities to the stage with their gestures and noises that become the sounds of a strictly organized theatrical/musical piece (lasting just under an hour).

"Experimentum Mundi": an experiment of doing because it draws inspiration from homo faber, from the man who works with his hands, whom Battistelli reimagines as a musical subject. Alongside the group of artisans, he includes 4 female solo voices, an actor who quotes passages from Diderot and D'Alembert's Encyclopedia describing the work and tools before the audience, and a percussionist.

Even just describing this music, one can understand its percussive outcome: the artisans on stage, all amplified with their equipment, cannot produce defined sounds or orchestral blends, so they focus on rhythm and dynamics (pianissimos opposed to fortissimos), forming a rich ensemble of unconventional percussion.

For thirty years, "Experimentum Mundi" has been performed in theaters, concert halls, and even in public squares across the five continents, becoming a rather rare case of successful contemporary music. Some of the artisans who participated in the first performances have passed down the practice of this musical piece to their children or to the continuers of their craft, following the best tradition of trades from the past.

And although the idea behind the experimentum might be more successful than the musical result itself, this is a work that with every listen or performance transports us for an hour to an unexplored territory. Is there a "craft music" genre in DeBaser's list? No... never mind. As for "Experimentum Mundi," we will have to settle for calling it imaginary music, or just music... and that's all.