In 2008, Enzo Minarelli, sound poet, performer and scholar, from Bologna, Italy, donated his entire audio/visual sound poetry archives to the Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Sound poetry/polypoetry is a performance art; a live show, combining many elements such as the written word, human voice, musical instruments, electronic sounds, movement, mime and projected images. Minarelli developed a Manifesto of Polypoetry, containing his theories of the performance of sound poetry, touching on the rhythms of language, exploitation of sounds and use of electronic media.

On the 3rd floor of the Performing Arts Library, there is an exhibit of Mr. Minarelli’s audio/visual/print archives, as well as audio/print materials reflecting other sound poets in our collections.

On Wednesday evening, November 18, starting at 6:30 pm, Mr. Minarelli, visiting from Italy, will perform a one-man show of his sound poetry/polypoetry. This performance will be held in the Bruno Walter Auditorium of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. The entrance will be at 111 Amsterdam Ave. at W. 65th St. The admission is free.

The program will include:

1. Musicmimicry [how to make music using hands in the language of old Egypt]
2. Spiritual canto for St. John of the Cross [divine love]
3. Chorally myself [for Monte Andrea, XIII century]
4. Aopoem [for Sao Paulo, Brazil]
5. Great platonic love [to Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina]
6. Erotic Spanish, Brazilian poems [to César Vallejo]
7. Monòstico
8. Con sonants
9. Queen
10. Poem [from Polypoetry #4, video-images produced by Centro Video Arte Palazzo dei Diamanti University, Sao Paulo, Brazil; music by Ares Tavolazzi, ex Area Band, LunaSoleDado]

I would like to welcome you tonight. My name is Sara Velez and I ‘m the curator of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound. I would like first to thank some people who have been very supportive in helping us present this program tonight: our thanks to Jacqueline Davies, Director of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and to the Italian Cultural Institute, for their kind support, I would also like to thank Cheryl Raymond, our Head of Public Programs, and Mike Diekmann, our Head of A/V Playback Services, for their excellent assistance with this program.

In 1983 Minarelli founded 3Vitre Editions of Polypoetry, a record label which produced a/v recordings of his poetry and many other poets belonging to the field of polypoetry. We were delighted, when he offered his own archive, to accept the whole collections of his records produced along those years and all his personal audio and video works, plus some written catalogue he has edited. We have now completely catalogued it, and made it available for public access.

As we have noted in your program, sound poetry or polypoetry, is a performance art: a live show, which can combine many elements such as the written word, human voice, musical instruments, electronic sounds, movement, mime and projected images. Mr. Minarelli is an accomplished sound poet and scholar, who has written many books of poetry, and articles and has performed all over the world, including France and Spain where he has just returned from festivals.

That being said, I would now like to introduce you to Signor Enzo Minarelli and on with the show.

Thank you and welcome

* Video Exibit of Enzo Minarelli’s audio/visual/print archives at Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives, from September 1st-30th November 2009.

* Video from An Evening Polypoetry, Enzo Minarelli at Walter Auditorium Lincoln Center, November 18th 2009, an extract of his his performance, Great Platonic Love, to Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.