In this video we visit the calligrapher Andreas Schenk who has his own scriptorium in a medieval house in the vicinity of the so-called Old University in Basel, a building that serves as a venue for teaching, learning and research since 1460. Andreas Schenk explains how feather quills are made, that the nobility used peacock quills and the commoners goose quills for writing and what he finds fascinating about his handicraft.

We would like to invite you to make this experience yourself. Please find a feather quill and some ink and note down an excerpt of your favourite piece of music. It does not have to be much – some measures are quite enough. If you prefer you might also try and put an intriguing sound into notation: leaves rustling on a tree, the roaring of the bus that passes your house.

During the course, we encourage you to use a feather quill to enjoy the original feeling of writing down music. If you have no quill at hand, you can try building your own or buy one at a stationery stop. A quill, however, is not necessary to follow the course.

Please take a photograph of your handiwork and load it up on Padlet. Let us also stress that – since sometimes a feather quill is not at hand – this task is optional. But we are looking forward to seeing your skills.

Lizenz

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