Photo: Josef Sudek (1896–1976), from the portfolio Svàty Vit (1928)
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Poets don’t invent poems
The poem is somewhere behind
It’s been there for a long time
The poet merely discovers it
~ Jan Skácel ~
Josef Sudek (1896-1976), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, was gifted with an extraordinary intuition for knowing where such poetry was to be discovered. Throughout a career that spanned sixty-five years Sudek not only showed a devoted persistence to wait for that rare instant when poetry would reveal itself but also possessed an artistic vision and ability to capture it with unrivalled romantic lyricism. Regarded as one of the masters of photography in the twentieth century and aptly named the “Poet of Prague”, Sudek managed to convey the spirit of his beloved city and its timeless romance and grandeur like no one else. The symbiotic relationship between light and shadow fascinated him and would characterize his work throughout his career, often resulting in images that showed a rich diversity of shadow tonalities and light as being an almost physical presence in his photographs. Photography however wasn’t his initial destination until losing his right arm in World War I. As a bookbinder’s apprentice Sudek already was a keen amateur photographer when he was called up for military service in 1915, but losing his arm and thus not being able to devote his life to bookbinding forced him to look for a different profession. Back in Prague he met Jaromir Funke, an abstract photographer, and finally became a professional photographer himself.
Everything around us, dead or alive, in the eyes of a crazy photographer mysteriously takes on many variations, so that a seemingly dead object comes to life through light or by its surrounding. And if the photographer has a bit of sense in his head maybe he is able to capture some of this – and I suppose that’s lyricism.
~ Josef Sudek ~
In 1924 Sudek was commissioned to photograph the reconstruction of the St. Vitus Cathedral. The subsequent four years Sudek would spend endless amount of time exploring and studying the cathedral, trying to reveal all its details and secrets with painstaking thoroughness of which we see two breathtaking examples above and below. This photographic series shows the dusty gloom of the cathedral brushed by streams of sunlight falling in through the windows and penetrating the medieval interior, shrouding the cathedral in romanticism and spirituality. Each photograph is carefully composed based on comprehensive sketches and his detailed knowledge of the cathedral. One of his apprentices once noted how the photographer exactly knew on which day of the year the light would pour through the windows at his desired angle for him to make his intended photograph.
Photo: Josef Sudek (1896–1976), from the portfolio Svàty Vit (1928)
Sudek’s well known passion for music greatly inspired his work. Especially Mozart, Smetana, Dvořák and Janáček (to whom he even devoted his last project) were composers he deeply admired and according to his own words showed up in his work like a reflection in a mirror. For this post however I’ve made a playlist with my own personal interpretation of this specific series on the St. Vitus Cathedral. The sense of timelessness and romanticism that is so profoundly conveyed by these photographs was my guidance for compiling this playlist, which draws heavily on the timbre of the organ, minimalism and drone principles. As if the rays of sunlight piercing through the cathedral were translated into music.
One of my favourite pieces of minimalism is Charlemagne Palestine’s Schlongo!!!daLUVdrone, a meditative magnum opus on solo pipe organ that creates a symphony of overtones and perfectly sets the mood for the rest of the mix. Palestine’s unconventional methods of playing on the church pipe organ involves putting pieces of paper between the keys to hold them down in order to create an overwhelming whirlpool of sonority. At first it might sound motionless but the longer you listen the more details there are exposed, eventually revealing a complex structure of overtones swirling together. The piece as presented on CD is a 75 minute fragment of the original three-hour performance on Valentine’s Day 1998, which is not very practical for this playlist so it’s featured here as a 15 minute excerpt. Still plenty to get drowned in and to set the right tone for this mix.
The sound of the organ is extended throughout the subsequent two pieces until we reach Danish sound artist Jacob Kirkegaard’s piece of sonic time layering. Inspired by Alvin Lucier’s groundbreaking work I Am Sitting in a Room, Jacob recorded silence in four rooms in and around Chernobyl. He then played back those recordings of silence in the same rooms, which he again recorded. Repeating this process up to ten times eventually created a multi-layered drone, different for each room, that is not only interesting on a conceptual level but also musically engrossing. Kirkegaard’s piece of silence-put-to-sound effortlessly blends into the exquisite tape manipulations and field recordings of Graham Lambkin and Jason Lescalleet. Even the most pop-oriented listener will find beauty in this wonderful composition after having ventured the preceding thirty-five minutes of organ drones and ambient recordings.
Roughly five minutes into their piece the delicate remains of a choir are subtly incorporated into the recording which forms a natural introduction for the subsequent piece, a choral work of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Eventually the mix comes to a halt with the Icelandic drones of Hildur Gudnadóttir, BJ Nilsen and Stilluppsteypa. Named after the Buddhist shrine in Kandy, Sri Lanka, this composition mixes together cello drones, field recordings and electronics. Perfectly paying tribute to the spiritual elements contained in Sudek’s photographs of the St. Vitus Cathedral.
If you take photography seriously you must also get interested in another art form. For me it is music. This listening to music shows up in my work like a reflection in a mirror. I relax and the world looks less unpleasant, and I can see that all around there is beauty, such as music.
~ Josef Sudek ~
- Charlemagne Palestine - Schlongo!!!daLUVdrone (excerpt)
Schlongo!daLUVdrone (Solo Pipe Organ) (Organ of Corti, 2000)
- Eluvium - Ostinato
Copia (Temporary Residence, 2007)
- Winter Family - So Soon
Winter Family (Sub Rosa, 2007)
- Jacob Kirkegaard - Church
4 Rooms (Touch, 2006)
- Graham Lambkin / Jason Lescalleet - Listen the Snow is Falling
The Breadwinner (Erstwhile, 2008)
- Arvo Pärt - Magnificat
Te Deum (ECM, 1993)
- Stephan Mathieu - Promenade
Radioland (Die Schachtel, 2008)
- Machinefabriek - Wintervacht
Stottermuziek (Self released, 2006)
- Hildur Gudnadóttir, BJ Nilsen and Stilluppsteypa - Temple of the Holy Tooth
Second Childhood (Quecksilber, 2007)
Stream playlist
Download playlist
Previously featured in this series:
- Is There a Way Out to Paradise?
- Of Beauty Reminiscing
Recommended reading:
Josef Sudek: Poet of Prague (Aperture Monograph)
160 page hardcover including 130 tritone images and essays by Anna Farova
