On Filiation

The concept of filiation has been an early and permanent preoccupation of mine. Sure, there is also a lineage of aesthetics and even of synesthetics, but that concerns the wrap of the otherworldly ethos, which requires more acumen to correctly categorize. Rather, I wrote on filiation of ideas (direct spiritual continuation via indirect discipleship, in other words the ossature of the phenomenology of tradition) - from a philosophical perspective (my first book), from a compositional perspective, from a mystical perspective, and from a theological perspective. While culture assesses the interaction between psychology and aesthetic value and its reflection on ideation (thus is shadows a gnoseology derived from the psychological attitude towards an implied cosmology, a thing most obvious in Mozart or Purcell, to give an example from classical music), theology is bound to asses art in a manner inextricable from its soteriological content (expressed or implied), and thus not only it is spiritually obliged not to agree with a perfectly valid art if its purported verity in the absolute is imperfect, but moreover is less concerned to protect the "how" (like cultural critique does), but primarily on the "why".
Although the channel is focused on compositions and their relation to the theological content to the liturgical and noetic placement, I posted a while ago some interpretative samples of chant filiation (Firfiris - Hassanidis, for example), and tonight I meant to show a comparison between interpretative filiation in the west vs the east. Since yt does not permit the first two examples, I will just give the links. For the western example I chose a snippet of ms Callas rehearsal of Bellini in Dallas 1975, versus what is in my opinion the only disciple of hers interpretative-wise, mr Hadelich: • Mendelssohn: Violinkon...
The two, both exponents of the same mindframe over the same Music, express the exact same mental and emotional contours, the same phrasing, the same coloring, the same energy and restraining thereof in rapport to the composer similarities which arise from the fundamental fact of wanting to serve that Music and not themselves, which is the traditionalist creed (which I deeply respect and revere, even if I as a classical instrumentalist I was an exponent of the constructivist avant-garde current). From wanting to be conduits to the original inspiration of the composer stems the hyperdiscipline towards the score, and it is through that humility of intellect that greatly talented artists become not just transparent for the Spheres, but more interestingly their uniqueness of personhood applies inadvertently on that glass the watermark of their peculiar individuality that renders them beacons, although their originality is not as essential-to-tradition or as system-creating as that of the other type of artistic prophets (the avant-gardists), and yet much more structurally integrated than those.
The eastern example - in this video - is a recent performance done in honor of the late mr Angelopoulos, by his disciple mr Giorgios Konstantinou. Here, the interpretative filiation is not just obvious but seamless, as the video projection continues with the live performance with the sublime that characterize the concept in the Church Tradition.
Just like in western music, neither does in eastern chant filiation mean a sole and intended mimetism (which is rather an offence to God Who created all men unique), but is a transcending quality effecting the realization.
From the time I slaved at cultural directing, spiritual experience has taught me that what I then though was good for the sake of sacred music (upgrading its deplorable unspiritual status to a somewhat metaphysically abled one, a desiderate I deemed achievable by encouraging anyone with an iota of musicality and discouraging anyone with a dialectically-materialistic stance on liturgical scores), after seeing the "interesting" weeds mercilessly squashing the precious roses and taking over the garden, I understood why the Church must promote ONLY the artists that qualify at all requirements - morality, dogmatic purity, knowledge of tradition, virtue, and the actual skill to render the liturgical artistic needs.
All who, in any domain, have come to the realization of the authenticity of God's intent in creating them, acknowledge one another in spirit, and that silent validation is both humbling and ecstatic.
PS On filiation, I highly recommend the writings of Francis Edward Peters (philosophy) in tandem with those of St John of Damascus - it is the foundation on understanding critical framework for supra-rational noetics.