Book of Lamentations 1:1-14
An Interpretation through Acroustics, Existential Psychology and a Diffractive Exegetical Reading
This on-line exposition offers as space for some further audio-visual material part of my exegetical interpretation. All material is on purpose made availble for colleagues and students, and will be used for further analysis of the Biblical Lamentations as part of the research project Lessons in the Shadows of Death.
The exegetical project can be read in the following PDF:
Interpreting a historical text - or really, any text- is very much the same process as interpreting a musical score. I need to try to decode and describe to myself the meaning of every note, of every form of ornament, of every intonation that can be opened up for new meanings held within a historical composition.
Being as true to the original manuscript has always been very important to me. And therefore every words - as every single musical note - needs careful attention. I am always searching to find out what is not obvious at first sight.
In the process of opening up the Book of Lamentations in a new way, I turned to someone who knows how to recite the text. SInger and storyteller Hanna Yaffe responded with kindness to my invitation of guiding me through the three first verses. What I learned in this 'lesson' with Hanna was the complexity involved. And this lessons is now made available here from you - dear visitor - to take part of.
Hanna is living in Jerusalem, and our lesson was taking place while the region of Israel och Palestine is suffering due to war, violence, hate, death, pain, and plenty of sorrow. The sensuous presence of a 'falling city' was colouring in our dialogue.
I am very grateful for Hanna's generous patience with this first attempt of mine, to approach the beutiful and sorrowfilled Book of Lamentations from the Hebrew bible.
Before the war broke out on October 7 (2023), I visited Jerusalem together with a small group of performance-philosophers for researching the Biblical Lamentations through the musical score of French composer Michel Lambert (1610-1696). A fraction of what we experienced during three days can be heard and visited in the room LESSON ALEPH (part of the project Lessons in the Shadows of Death).
