Travel Souvenirs for the Keyboard: Vogler’s Transcultural Soundscapes

(English)

This lecture-recital explores the boundary-blurring keyboard works of Georg Joseph Vogler (1749–1814), highlighting how his Pièces de clavecin (1798) and related collections reflect a transnational and transcultural musical vision. Vogler’s “travel souvenirs” incorporate melodies he collected in his travels from Africa, China, and across Europe, drawing on his Polymelosproject—an early attempt to engage with non-European musical traditions. While his work reveals a remarkable openness and curiosity, it is equally shaped by the exoticism and distortions of the colonial-era European gaze. Vogler’s adaptations often reflect a stylized or imagined version of the ‘Other,’ underscoring the asymmetries of power embedded in eighteenth-century cultural exchange. This paper coincides with Anders Muskens’ artistic exploration and first-ever recording of these works. Through performance and critical analysis, it reconsiders Vogler’s place within Enlightenment-era musical cosmopolitanism—acknowledging the problematic frameworks he operated within, while celebrating his rare and forward-looking effort to cross musical borders.

Free admission – Donations welcome