Posted on by Casper Hernández Cordes

Kant I? – Does improvising improve self-esteem?

Does the capacity for improvising and listening to improvised music improve a person’s (and a society’s) self-esteem? And what might the philosophy of Emmanuel Kant add to this question?

In this episode, composer Casper Hernández Cordes draws on his own experiences with improvisation teaching to reflect on the relation between open artistic practices and selfhood.

The background music to the podcast is an improvisation in itself by the composer, ‘commenting’ on the content of the podcast.

Listen to improvisations dealing with these ideas here: https://soundcloud.com/chcordes/sets/kant-i

Posted on by Casper Hernández Cordes

1632-nov-24 – Spinoza, numbers, and human emotions in music


How can math help us express something as utterly human as emotions in music? 1632-11-24 is the date of birth of Dutch philosopher Benedict Spinoza. In Spinozas time, Europe was in a state of constant war, where people with power wanted to expand their possessions, invading other territories. Spinozas philosophy can be seen as a reaction to these things, providing a framework to cope with them. Well that was back then. Or what? Now, with the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, it seems that history is repeating itself. How can we preserve humanity in all this? Can math and numbers in music help us get in touch with our humanity? Sometimes, distancing yourself from yourself might be a path to getting closer to yourself, by getting closer to the world around you. Paradox?

Listen to the improvisations here: https://soundcloud.com/chcordes/sets/improvisations-on-spinoza04