Orchestra makes bow from cancer survivor’s hair
OrchestrasThe Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, which lost its popular conductor Bramwell Tovey to cancer, has made and played a violin bow from the hair of a cancer survivor, with a view to raising research funds in Bram’s memory.
Here’s a filmed account of their initiative:
Image: The bow of hope
What next? A lampshade made from human skin? What kind of mental gymnastics do you need to do to think this is OK?
Touché. My point being, your own mental gymnastics are at work here, if that wasn’t something I’d made obvious? Consent was given by the survivor. It’s hardly cannibalism, unless I’m missing something.
Side note, I fail to see how this is less acceptable than removing hair from a horses rear end……..I doubt the horse gave consent in any understandable way. That and the fact Mr Tovey would have loved this, make it fairly inconsequential what your thoughts on this are.
Have a lovely afternoon.
I think I have to walk my opinion back. The hair is from a living person, which I didn’t understand at first.
oh, pish tosh. people have given their hair either for noble purposes such this or wigs for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy after losing all their own hair.
How about the durability of the bow? Can one play a whole concerto before it is consumed?
[Tired of symbolic handlings.]
I assume it is more fragile than the horsehair that is normally used. I tend to break a lot of bowhairs even when just playing etudes or mushy stuff like Meditation from Thais. I am sure this is largely a symbolic bow hairing and that much caution will be used in applying rosin and performing with it. But it is a touching gesture even if it is only used once.
I hope you don’t mind …I shared this lovely article with my Facebook friends; it helps me to connect with good clinical (professional) memories as a health care professional, and inspires an inquiring mind to know more about the making of this musical instrument (bow)