Gurdjieff / Hartmann – Trembling Dervish

À propos

Trembling Dervish belongs to the musical world of G. I. Gurdjieff (c. 1866–1949), the spiritual teacher whose search for ancient wisdom took him through the Middle East and Central Asia. His interest in the music, dances, and sacred traditions of these regions became an important part of his teaching. In 1916, Gurdjieff began his close collaboration with Thomas de Hartmann (1885–1956), a Russian-born composer and pianist trained at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Together, they developed a distinctive body of music associated with Gurdjieff’s teaching, including compositions for the sacred dances known as the Movements. The early Movements included dervish dances and ritual exercises. Their music was performed during demonstrations in Paris in 1923 and in the United States in 1924. Gurdjieff’s musical ideas, often conveyed through melodies he sang, whistled, or played, were transcribed, harmonized, and developed by de Hartmann into finished compositions.