Helicography

Part art history essay, part experimental fiction, part theoretical manifesto on the politics of equivalence, Helicography examines questions of scale in relation to Robert Smithson’s iconic 1970 artwork Spiral Jetty. In an essay and film made to accompany the earthwork, Smithson invites us to imagine the stone helix of his structure at various orders of magnitude, from microscopic molecules to entire galaxies. Taking up this invitation with an unrelenting and literal enthusiasm, Helicography pursues the implications of such transformations all the way to the limits of logic. If other spirals, from the natural to the man-made, were expanded or condensed to the size of Spiral Jetty, what are the consequences of their physical metamorphoses? What other equivalences follow in turn, and where do their surprising historical, cultural, and mechanical connections lead? This book considers a number of forms in order to find out: the fluid vortices of whirlpools, hurricanes, and galaxies; the delicate shells of snails and the threatening pose of rattlesnakes; prehistoric ferns and the turns of the inner ear; the monstrous jaws of ancient sharks; a baroque finial scroll on a bass viol; a 19th-century watch spring; phonograph discs and spooled film; the largest open-pit mine on the planet. The result is a narrative laboratory for the “science of imaginary solutions” proposed by Alfred Jarry (whose King Ubu also plays a central role in the story told here), a work of fictocriticism blurring form and content, and the story of a single instant in time lost in the deserts of the intermountain west.

Ariane consolée par Bacchus and François Couperin’s early writing for the viol

Ariane consolée par Bacchus, newly discovered by Christophe Rousset and the only surviving cantata attributed to François Couperin, is scored for bass voice, obbligato bass viol and continuo. Because Couperin passionately engaged with Italian music, scholars have long assumed that he would have composed cantatas, but until now none had been known to survive. His choice of bass voice and viol, an unusual combination in the French cantata repertory, opens several avenues for investigation. A precursor to his choice of bass voice and viol can be found in his petits motets, some of which date from the 1690s, and the verset Deus virtutum convertere (1705). Although bass voice and solo viol do not yet appear together in a single work, Couperin’s writing betrays his interest in new Italian music and in composing for the viol. Some Italianate features that appear in the early sacred works can also be found in Ariane consolée par Bacchus.

Viol

The viol is a five-, six-, or seven-string instrument made of wood and most commonly played with a bow, though it may also be plucked or struck. It comes in a variety of sizes, from high treble or pardessus down to contrabass (violone). As its Italian name, viola da gamba, implies, the instrument is customarily held upright between the legs. Common morphological characteristics of instruments in the viol family include a flat back and a slightly curved top. A bridge, usually fairly low and gently arched, supports the strings. The usually thin and wide neck features adjustable frets (typically seven), though other combinations are possible. Instruments related to the viol, such as the baryton or lirone, additionally accommodate a range of sympathetic strings. The belly of the instrument includes a soundhole on either side, often C-shaped, F-shaped (like a violin), or flame-shaped; anomalous sound holes are also present in historical exemplars, as are rosettes or other carved features. According to some early commentators, the viol was the first Western stringed instrument to utilize a soundpost, a feature that contributed to the resonant sound for which the viol family is noted. The origins of what we in the 21st century call the viol are still somewhat obscure; the most commonly accepted narrative places the earliest recognizable iterations of the instrument on the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the 15th century. From there, the viol spread to Italy, where it quickly gained popularity among elites. And thence extends a tradition stretching nearly unbroken until today of an instrument cherished by kings and commoners, children and the elderly, amateurs and professionals alike. Part of the instrument’s appeal lies not just in its comfortable and elegant playing position but in its great musical flexibility. It may be played solo in melodic or polyphonic chordal styles or in consort with other viols, other instruments, or voices. The bass viol—the preeminent soloist of the family—was also a favored continuo instrument, while treble models such as the pardessus or quinton made violin repertoires accessible to new publics. All told, the rich musical possibilities and complex social life of the viol have generated reams of commentary and scholarship. This article primarily focuses on major sources regarding the instrument and its construction; performance practice is only lightly touched upon, and repertoire is largely ignored.