Oscar van Dillen
Oscar van Dillen was born 25 June 1958 in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
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Introduction
Ever since I graduated april 2002 in classical composition, with the composition (including live video-projection) Memos for a new Millennium for Disklavier with player which was part of my final exam portfolio, I have been finding ways to work with artists in different disciplines: museal theater, sculpture, 3D live animation, fashion design, animation movie, video installation, as well as a new string quartet to Joris Ivens' film “De Brug” from 1928. Since 2006 I have regularly worked with Canadian poet, artist and filmmaker Clive Holden, on various projects: films, surround-sound video-installations and web-based art, all aiming at an equality between sound and vision. Many times it was the music which inspired a project, as was the case in the animation film Forecast were the music was conceived and composed as the actual story-teller to the storyboard before the actual visuals were created. Works were commissioned by various institutions.
I come from a family of architects, with strong interests in art. As a child I visited an enormous variety of architectural masterpieces and saw also, among other things, the large exhibitions of the works of Jeroen Bosch, of Brancusi and of Giacometti in the Netherlands. I grew up on a rather remarkable musical diet consisting of Baroque and 20th Century music, supplemented by Jazz and World Music, receiving music education since I was 7 years old. Having a strong connection to the visual arts in general, after high school I started out studying architecture while never being without (parallel at times) music study as well. I decided finally to not pursue a career as a visual artist (I also painted and had had a first exhibition in a multidisciplinary cooperation with later fellow composer Isak Goldschneider) but instead devote all my time and energy to the creation of music.
I am a member of Componisten 96. My "official" musical studies concern North Indian classical music, Jazz, Medieval music, Renaissance music and Western classical music. Personally I have a strong link in general to the actual performance of music, not solely because I have performed myself both as a flutist and conductor, but especially since in my opinion the performer is the ultimate person to create the reality of what music is: a real-time art. My own musical scores bear witness to this, see for this also what Ulrich Dibelius' wrote about my Chamber Symphony De Stad in his article “Komponisten im Sog des Globalen. Zu einigen Veränderungen” (MusikTexte - Heft Nr. 117, 2008).
My work is strongly inspired by World music. My melodic treatment is highly influenced by Indian classical music, as is my treatment of musical time in the broadest sense. My rhythmic treatment is both additive and divisive in nature, and can be traced to many rhythmic traditions especially in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Balkans. My harmonic treatment, refined by studies ranging from Medieval music to Wagner, from Pygmy music to the works of John Coltrane, ever originating in concentrated listening to overtones in intervals, voices or instruments, is a synthesis of anti-tonality with an expanded intuitive modality. I am always looking for special timbres created by simultaneous sounds, as can be seen in my scores, which contain many subtle playing instructions. My form treatment is free yet clear: awareness of form is created purely by memory, and I deliberately use many silences as well. To create music, especially as a composer, one needs to let go of all thinking in "fixed systems", whether known or new - and rather control such matters as discipline, method and attitude instead, as these are inwardly-directed parameters. I consider music to be primarily a real time-art as well as a real-time art, intended to allow listeners to participate live in the creation, as co-perceivers, satisfying three basic human "instincts": wonder, inquisitiveness and a sense of delight.
All Art Creates Content, and Music could perhaps be the only human "language" which explains itself immediately in the very process of listening.
Since 1997 I have been teaching at Codarts University for the Arts, Rotterdam, where I developed the Academy-minor “World Music Composition in Practice”, there I also teach (Western: Jazz and Classical) music-theory and am a thesis-counselor.
This page below will collect short biographies of Oscar van Dillen for use in program notes:
Short biographies for use in program notes
Concerning 2 Cameras @ Sea and collaboration with Clive Holden
With specialist studies in Classical North Indian and Medieval music since 1977, as well as training in Jazz, World- and Classical Western music, theory and composition, Rotterdam composer Oscar van Dillen (*1958) has a very broad background from which to draw, both in his works and as a professor of music at Codarts University for the Arts. With Mathematics and Architecture among his other studies, he can be regarded as a specialist with a universalist background. He was recommended as "a knowledgeable polyglot, and a philantropic world citizen", as he served on the international board of directors of Wikimedia, the foundation behind Wikipedia.
Oscar van Dillen's musical works are being performed worldwide. Perhaps the Chamber-Symphony de Stad is his best known work, released 2003 in Germany on CD, with the composer conducting the work. In the Netherlands he worked with film directors Pieter Jan Smit and Adriaan Lokman. His collaboration with Clive Holden goes back to the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2005. After a screening of Trains of Winnipeg their first encounter immediately led to a frank and lively discussion. This inspiring first meeting gradually developed into a close friendship, and since 2007 they are collaborating on the project Utopia Suite, of which 2 Cameras @ Sea (the musical composition subtitled Waves and Tides) is the latest production.
(September 2008 - 217 words)
Articles by Oscar van Dillen
A growing collection of writings...
Films by Oscar van Dillen
- Shores
- A visual fantasy inspired by the work of Isolde Venrooy.
- Oscar van Dillen 2011
Venrooy's canvas "Where do I pick up my last minute" (2011) has such a unique scope of scale that it is almost impossible to capture it in a photograph, so I decided to film it. At low speed, and with enhanced contrast and image processing, to me it became something like a small voyage along what Carl Sagan used to call "The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean". Combined with the music of Stefan Micus playing the Sho (Ocean Part IV, 1986), this short film gives a personal view on the original work by Isolde Venrooy.
See films for more...
On the teachings of Oscar van Dillen
Observations by Marcella Di Troia
Observations on a Western music theory lesson.
Concerning the aspects of this lesson, I found out that the teacher’s articulation was very good, he spoke very clearly. The volume of his voice was good too. I noticed that he was speaking with melody according to his expression and the things he insisted on. The language used was English.
His appearance was very good. Actually I would say that it was an exemplary appearance. Regarding to his gesture, he used a lot his hands, it was very representative. For instance, when he wanted to show that it was good, he did thumb up or when they had to pay attention: index up! His face was very expressive, with a lot of mimicry. When the teacher designed somebody to answer to his question, he always showed up to whom he was asking by a clear sign of the head. It was very nice to see that every time he was saying something, he also expressed it by moving arms and hands. For example, when he was talking about violin, he was drawing the violin with his hands and arms, he mimed it! His eyebrows moved a lot too when he spoke.
The teacher was peacefully sitting to play piano for student to train their ears. The teacher always gave the student feedbacks, especially when it was positive. When the student made a mistake, he took it easy with fun and explained the mistake very clearly by showing in a positive way, and be very objective in his answer. Sometimes, he was saying that it was not perfect by joking. And the student interacted easily, I think, because of that. If the student didn’t understand after his first explanations, the teacher moved to the board. He used all the space he needed really well.
The teacher was also open-minded, the student could express his/her point of view, and the teacher didn’t interrupt. I noticed too, about feedbacks, that the teacher was suggesting, explaining why, what or where to find solutions to their problem to improve. He always asked for a response when he gave an advice, like: “ok?” or “Do you understand?” I didn’t find a lot of feedback situations from student and teacher apart what I already wrote, it was most of the time, exercises and the pupil had to answer to it and if it wasn’t correct, the teacher took time to explain what was the mistake by questioning the student, then if the student didn’t understand yet, the teacher gave some ways to found the answer. If the student made a mistake, the teacher sometimes said: “No” but always in a sympathetic way, a bit funny. The pupils seemed really invested.
After ear training, they made a break and I like that the teacher, before the last exercise, said: “last one before we have a break”. I think it was nice to say it to motivate a little bit when they are not so much.
After break, the teacher started to write down exercises on the board and the student had to do it on paper. The teacher checked if everything was good student by student with hands on the back and didn’t hesitate to reach the personal zone to explain the mistake, if they did.
Students were very implicated and paid attention on everything. Every student was very quiet and made what they had to do when the teacher was explaining something.
I really enjoyed observing this lesson, I found it very interesting and inspiring for maybe something I would like to make, to experiment in the future.
(published with permission)
