Uitnodiging symposium ‘Isaac Beeckman’s Thoughts on Music’

9 juni 2025

Op 11 juni a.s. zullen musicologie-studenten van University College Roosevelt hun onderzoek naar de muziektheorie van Isaac Beeckman presenteren tijdens een symposium in de Kuiperspoort te Middelburg, in aanwezigheid van expert prof.dr. Klaas van Berkel. Publiek zal bestaan uit de studenten, hun aanhang en verdere geïnteresseerden.

Het symposium is georganiseerd door de Isaac Beeckman stichting, de Werkgroep Cultuurhistorie van het KZGW en de Zeeuwse muziekschool.

Plaats van handeling: Zeeuwse Muziekschool, kamer 10, Kuiperspoort, Middelburg, 14:30-18:00 uur. De leden van Het KZGW en van de Werkgroep Cultuurhistorie van het KZGW zijn hiervoor van harte uitgenodigd. De toegang is gratis. Aanmelden kan via wchzeeland@gmail.com.

Programma symposium ‘Isaac Beeckman’s Thoughts on Music’

14:30: Welcome by representatives of the organising bodies

PART I
14:45 Georgii Beniukhis – Terza Pratica: Isaac Beeckman’s understanding of counterpoint
15:00 Juliette Bierman – Consonance and Vocal Music – Debate of the Fourth
15:15 Cindy Reuter – Isaac Beeckman’s Engagement with Musica Ficta: A Reflection on Theory and Practice
15:30 Vero Naselli – Translating Beeckman: Contextualizing within 17^th-century Literature
15:45: Q&A
16:00 Break

PART II
16:30 Julia Donkers – Role Models in Music: Isaac Beeckman’s Engagement with Johannes Kepler’s Theories
16:45 Julia Falcón – Contextualising Consonance: In the Mind’s Ear
17:00 Leonie Atzl – Isaac Beeckman’s Suggestions Regarding Tuning and Temperament
17:15 Katarina Bratulić – Deciphering Beeckman’s Musical World: A Translator’s Lens
17:30 Q&A
17:45 Concluding remarks and closure

Short biographies and abstracts

Georgii Beniukhis was born and raised in Russia. He studied musicology first in MSSES (Moscow) and then at UCR. Primary field of academic interest: the intersection of music and politics, as well as the mutual influence of the two. The presentation compares Beeckman’s thoughts about counterpoint to the contemporary discourse on the two “practices”, with a particular focus on Artusi. Through this the presentation shows how Beeckman’s thoughts fit into the general discourse of his time and how they can help modern musicologists understand it better.

Juliette Bierman comes from the Netherlands and is majoring at UCR in musicology and music performance (singing). The presentation shows how the perfect fourth functioned effectively in ancient Greek monophonic contexts but became problematic in polyphonic settings, and how Beeckman pioneered a mechanistic approach, rejecting abstract explanations in favour of physical phenomena like air pressure and vibration to explain musical consonance and dissonance.

Cindy Reuter is from Luxembourg and currently completing her Bachelor’s degree at UCR, majoring in Musicology, Clarinet performance, and Psychology. The presentation offers an analysis of Isaac Beeckman’s writings in relation to musica ficta, highlighting his theoretical insight and practical understanding of early pitch adjustment practices.

Vero Naselli is a recent UCR graduate with a Bachelor in Computer Science, Data Engineering, and Mathematics, and a Minor in Musicology. The presentation explains and narrates the translation process of a research paper, alongside examples of translation drafts.

 Julia Donkers Julia Donkers is from the Netherlands but grew up in Hong Kong and Japan. She is am majoring in Musicology, Media Studies, and Sociology. Beeckman’s references to Kepler’s theories exemplify his admiration for him and his desire to complement Kepler’s work with his own ideas regarding intervals and consonances. 

 Julia Falcón is a composer and cellist from Spain, based in the Netherlands. Film music is the focus of her music and research. The presentation concerns how Beeckman understood the role of context in the ear’s perception of consonance. It explores his “rules” of consonance and the importance of a listener’s imagination.

 Leonie Atzl recently completed her degree at UCR for which she moved to the Netherlands from her home country Austria. She focused her studies on classical guitar, musicology and psychology. The presentation introduces several of Beeckman’s ideas about the tuning problem. In his Journal, he put forward the application of a concept which he titled “Modi Modorum” and also incorporated concepts from several other theorists of his time.

Katarina Bratulić comes from Zagreb, Croatia, started at the Music School Elly Bašić at 8 and has not stopped engaging with music since. She sings, plays the clarinet and the saxophone. At UCR she is majoring in Singing, Musicology, and Politics. The presentation details the process of translating Beeckman’s complex diary entries and the efforts to convey his unrecognized scientific insights into the musical language of today.