We know that musicians can take inspiration from their everyday lives and their surroundings when it comes to their compositions, but this is the first time we’ve heard here at the Two Moors Festival that a knitting pattern for a shawl was the spark of genius behind a piece.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Icelandic composer Hafdis Bjarnadottir – also an electric jazz guitarist – was spurred on to write Thordis’ Fichu, row 1-12 after she noticed a similarity between a shawl pattern she was working on and Ligeti’s Atmospheres.
The first two parts of the score are now complete, with pauses in the music where the knitting pattern has holes.
How inventive is that? It’s always interesting to hear what inspires composers to put pen to paper, fingertips to piano keys, and this is certainly one of the most intriguing tales we’ve come across.
How about you? What inspires you to compose?
Related articles
- Icelandic composer uses knitting pattern to write score (telegraph.co.uk)
Official Two Moors Festival Blog 