Music in Braille
Lisette Wesseling explains the nuts and bolts of working with music in braille.
- Music in Braille
Lisette Wesseling explores Louis Braille's adaptation of his six-dot reading and writing system for the blind to represent the language of music. (41′44″)
- Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3 | Embed
Braille is an important component in many blind peoples’ lives, and some of those blind people are musicians.
In the programme Louis Braille’s adaptation of his six-dot reading and writing system for the blind to represent the language of music.
Braille awareness consultant for the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind, Lisette is also a soprano and studied voice in Auckland, Melbourne and London, with a special interest in early music – and she uses Braille music. Lisette is joined by Stephen Bennett, Ken Joblin, Àine Kelly Costello, Moya Michalachis and Wendy Richards.
2009 was the bicentenary of the birth of Louis Braille and as well as celebrating this, Music in Braille marked the start of the 2009 New Zealand Foundation of the Blind’s annual Blind Week appeal.
Supplementary Audio
One in Five for 1 February 2009
Marking the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth: putting the case for Braille and accessible website technology.
One in Five on 01 Feb 2009, Radio New Zealand National
One in Five - Sunday, 07 Jun 2009
The Blind community celebrates the Braille renaissance and one of its senior citizen tackles the new technology and old-style bureaucracy.
One in Five on 01 Feb 2009, Radio New Zealand National
Music details
Blind musicians/composers’ names are in bold
fain ARR. LEE - You brought a new kind of love to me
Julian Lee (pno), jazz group (part of an interview with Les Andrews 15/07/75) (RNZ Sound Archives)
RODRIGO - Pastorale: Allegretto, from Concierto Madrigal (6)
Ricardo Gallén, Joaquín Clerch (gtrs), Asturias SO/Maximiano Valdés (Naxos 8.555842)
FRESCOBALDI - Madalena a la croce, from Primo Libro D'arie Musicale, No 6
Lisette Wesseling (sop), James Tibbles (hschd) (RNZ)
VIERNE - Naïades, from Fantasy Pieces Op 55
Winfried Bönig (org) (Motette MOT 50814)
LANGLAIS – Assez lent, from Five Pieces for flute & organ (1)
Bent Larsen (fl), Peter Langberg (org) (Classico CLASS CD 428)
BENNETT - Journeys
Stephen Bennett (pno) (Digital Flower CDJ 001)
VIERNE - Légende, from Two pieces for Viola & Piano
Odile Carracilly (vla), François Kerdoncuff (pno) (Timpani 2C 2098)
WILSON - You are born in us again
Rachel Gillon (vc), recorder player, Mike Wespel-Rose (vc, gtr) (NZ Hymnbook Trust)
CHOPIN – Scherzo No 2 Op31
Bernard d’Ascoli (pno) (Musimuse 2009/2)
PORTER ARR. LEE - Easy to Love
Julian Lee, Crombie Murdoch (pns), jazz group (part of an interview with Les Andrews 15/07/75) (RNZ)
Davis - You are my Sunshine
Ray Charles (vc & pno), backing group (Rhino R2 72859)
LANGAIS - Hommage à Louis Braille
Agnés Robert (sop), Jérôme Leboullengerr (pno) (Musimuse 2009/2)
LEGUAY - Madrigal VIII, from Two Pieces
Alain Huteau (perc) (Musimuse 2009/2)
VIERNE - Ave Maria
Choir of Westminster Cathedral/James O’Donnell, Joseph Cullen (org) (Hyperion CDA 66898)
RODRIGO - Lento, from Hymns of the Neophytes Qurán (2)
Jaime Martin (fls), soloists from Exeter Philharmonic Choir/Raymond Calcraft (EMI 557117)
CHOPIN - Nocturne No 17 in B major Op 62/1
Bernard d’Ascoli (pno) (Athene 23201)
Information
Louis Braille
(January 4 1809 - January 6 1852)
Produced by Shelley Wilkinson
References and links:
John Tighe’s quote is from: Pioneering a Vision: Ken Catran and Penny Hansen
Published by the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind
Private Bag 99941, Newmarket, Auckland
