Martin Hoondert

Musical parameters in the playlist of a Dutch Crematorium

Abstract In cremation rituals in the Netherlands, music plays an important role. However, what exactly this role is remains unclear. In the literature on cremation rituals, music has received little attention up to now. A computational analysis of music played during cremations and a subsequent comparison of the results of this analysis with results of the analysis of two other playlists containing popular music shows that the crematorium playlist differs significantly from the other two playlists. The music played at cremations does indeed have specific properties, properties that correspond to notions typically expected at cremations, making it suitable for the occasion. Theories of the relation between musical properties and emotions indicate that the music played as part of cremation rituals can be qualified as serene, solemn and tender. Here, we provide computational evidence that this is indeed the case.

Muziek in het hospice

SamenvattingDe één ervaart stilte in het hospice als een weldaad, de ander als beklemmend. De cliënt van kamer één wordt nerveus van muziek, maar zijn vrouw wordt er rustig van. Als mensen vragen om een cd’tje met muziek om de stilte te verbreken, welke cd’s heeft een verzorgende dan te bieden? Wanneer is muziek in het hospice ‘goed’?

We is Plural

Even before they started the editorial board of the new Dutch hymnal was blamed for being too elitist. The fact that they had been selected on the basis of their expertise made them vulnerable for such criticism. Subsequently the position of the editors has been a point of continuous reflection. In this contribution, we will argue that this image of editors as dissociated from users of the hymn book is only one among several available identity repertoires. In order to answer the question which ‘identities-in-relation-to-users’ do the editors construct in the meetings of the board and how do they value these identities?, we will use a broad definition of identity and focus on positions performed in social interaction. The interaction in question concerns seven selected meetings of the editorial board, all of which were audio-taped and transcribed. Looking closely at the identities that were constructed during those meetings, we distinguish six positions, ranging from a great to no distance between editors and users: editors, professionals, experienced, vanguard, pleasers and equals.