The Inquisitive Musician / Stedelijk

The Inquisitive Musician at the Stedelijk Museum (photos by Ernst_van_Deursen)

The Inquisitive Musician
The struggle for precedence between the Kunstfeifer and the Common Players presented in a sparkling new comedy

A project by Cindy Bernard
Translated and adapted by Cindy Bernard and David Hatcher
Music director: David Watson

The Inquisitive Musician is an adaptation of a 17th century satire attributed to Johann Kuhnau, Bach’s predecessor as cantor of Leipzig, Germany. The satire pits itinerant “beer fiddlers” against the official city sanctioned “Kunstpfeifer” (or “art piper”) in an argument over who is the better musician and has the right to perform and be fairly compensated. The struggle arises out of the challenge of an economically strained populace to compensate musicians for their labor—a familiar story which continues to this day.

The roles are populated by artists, musicians and writers who identify with the struggle represented in the play which is presented as a staged read with video and live music.

The Stedelijk Performance, presented in conjunction with the Holland Festival, June 22-23, 2013
Curated by Hendrik Folkerts

The Cast:
Prologus / Pickelhering: Steve Heather
Bona: Hilary Jeffrey
Count Musophilus: Frans de Ruiter

The Beerfiddlers:
Snortel-Hänsel / Käthe: Felicity Provan
Bocks-Märten / Bailiff: David Watson
Pechmann / Waschebleil: GW Sok
Schiefer-Barthel / White Horse: Seamus Cater

The Kunstpfeifers:
Paulis Harmonicus: Thijs van Leer
Enantius: Alison Isadora

Cast: The Comedy of Washesbleil,
Dick Hebdige, Dave Muller, David Watson, Mike Watt, Marnie Weber, Ami Tallman

View additional performances at Tonic in NY and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
View related exhibitions, press and journal posts