Safe for a moment - Chango Spasiuk at TEDxRíodelaPlata

The musical patios of red dirt, the subtropical weather, the forest, the wide rivers, the machetes and hoe farmers, the yerba mate plantations, the singing duets. All these elements are part of a world that is behind the texture of his music and his accordion.

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What is the purpose of music
when it's not meant to be danced? --

asked a student his teacher.

What is the purpose of sound
if not for entertaining the ears of a king?

What is the purpose of sound?

What is that behind this thing
we call being at the forefront or tradition?

Chamame, or tango, or jazz,
or rock. New or old style.

What holds absolutely all these forms?

What glues all of this together?
What is the purpose of sound?

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Yupanqui said, "The light that shines
on the heart of the artist

is like the torch that was used
by the nations to see beauty in their way."

Perhaps beauty is not the music,
or that mystery we call music.

Perhaps music is a place that goes beyond

"entertainment, or escape."

Perhaps music is a place to ponder,

think, meet, legitimize, integrate, build.

And, above all, to feel a little safe,
every now and then.

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Beethoven said that music
is a higher revolution

than philosophy or science.

Quite possibly, Beethoven's music is.

Perhaps, the rest can have
that desire at heart

even if they are less complex,
or perhaps simple, but I think that

the most important thing is to think that music,
and instrumental music above all;

sometimes we're not well used to believe that

things are only said through conceptual language,

that of words, for example.

And behind the music, that has no words,
there is a narrative,

a construction, something that is being conveyed.

And it is important to pay attention to decode

and enjoy that which is being expressed.

I think that many times in our country

ignorance has created the deeper ignorance

and the big unawareness of our musics
has created a huge fragmenting.

And when you start to pay attention,
to know other things, you realize

that everything is part
of a world of sounds.

And this world of sounds is very complex.

Extremely complex, as the universe.

And Rumi used to say,
what surrounds you is so old

and so young your understanding, that you better listen,
listen, be quiet and leave.

So, I believe that you have to savor music.

There is an ear, which is not the physical ear,
that is not the eardrum.

There is an internal ear,
that is almost like savoring food...

Well, sound can also be tasted
from that same place.

And when you taste it,
you begin to perceive a lot of things

that are very hard to translate
into conceptual language.

And, of course, it is much better
to play than to speak.

So this is why I came, and I want
to thank you for inviting me here

to think, to ponder, to build,
and to feel safe for a while.

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Thank you very much.