←

→

Disharmony in perfumes

October 22nd, 2009 | Le Jardin Retrouvé, Perfumes, Yuri Gutsatz 

I’m enjoying navigating the Le Jardin Retrouvé site. I have babelfish translate a page, if it hasn’t been done for me already, or read along in my very rusty French.

Disharmony in perfumery written and delivered in 1968 at the Société Technique des Parfumeurs de France by Yuri Gutsatz could easily have been written for today.

First, Gutsatz says it is necessary to understand what harmony in fragrance is, and then he broadens the discussion by adding in novel odors.

Forgive me for positing some questions of my own that can be answered from this topic.

What and where disharmony?

It would be too easy, and even dishonest, to state that disharmony in perfumery results from the introduction in a conventional formulation of some novel, heretofore unsmelled “accords” obtained by means of such new synthetic aromatic materials exhibiting unusual notes, as yet olfactorily unknown. First of all, a novel odour is theoretically obtainable by an original combination of well-known odours; secondly, there is no proof that the effect of Disharmony is automatically attained by an attempt to break the circle within which our odorant constructions are becoming increasingly enclosed, such constructions consisting of clever combinations of entirely reliable, well-tried, long tamed raw materials that may be handled quite safely. YG

How about coming up with something new?
Does new automatically connote the idea of strange or at least not as harmonious (pleasing) as what we are used to?

It is true that, although one of the older arts in the world, perfumery did not undergo a Renaissance in the 16th century. Its own Renaissance occurred during the twenties, in our present century. This being established, is it possible for our poor art of perfumery to afford the luxury of seeking for new routes by breaking with tradition and search for evolution in clashing dissonant “accords”; in brief, by introducing the notion of disharmony in its structure to attain, after trial and error, bursts of enthusiasm, abandonments and multiple crises, at a new dimension, a new harmony, a new structure adapted to our times and their requirements? YG


Do we have to pass through disharmony to find harmony?

If this new route passes through a certain disharmony in painting, music and literature, if evolution occurs in circles or in spirals – downwards or upwards – what is then this harmony which has to be broken in order to progress? Because it appears that there is no place for any renewal without breaking the old harmony. Therefore, a question is in order, at this point: is it possible that, in perfumery, deliberate disharmony may ultimately lead to a renovation (by absorption and digestion of the novel odours that are a token of things to come), and why, may we ask, are we still turning round and round antiquated concepts? YG

Are you tired of the same o, same o?
Do most of the new fragrances of today seem now to run into each other, in a rut of sameness? You might want to read Perfume Shrine’s take on this today [Thursday, October 22, 2009 Sign of the Times (and a Little Rant).]

Whether you call it fruitchouli or bootichouli, don’t you love the idea Gutsatz posits above about bursts of enthusiasm! I think modern perfumery could use a bit of that, don’t you!

And, of course, this says something about the consumer.
I think in today’s economic climate perfumers are hard pressed to be terribly innovative, in case it doesn’t sell. Better to play it safe than sorry.

At the moment, perfume is saturated toward a younger market. Their tastes are developing along different lines. The fact that there are so many fruity fragrances doesn’t necessarily make them good or that they will last. It means the consumer isn’t sophisticated enough to know the great perfumes of the past, nor compare them to their pale (sometimes) present-day counterparts.

A good vintage fragrance, like fine wine, is generally more robust than what is being sold under the same name today. The formulas have changed. And then, what will happen when the beauty of vintage perfumes is pretty much defunct, because formulas will have to change (again) big time, in order to comply with new regs?

You will be fully justified in answering that the public at large is responsible for such a situation, because one does not purchase a vial of perfume as one buys a painting by some innovating painter or the latest “new-wave” novel. True. But why, in perfumery, does the public hang on to well-tried values and appear to mistrust bold innovators? …

At present, any construction breaking too suddenly apart from admitted notions and criteria will remain totally misunderstood by the public at large. Where the technologist is concerned, or the person “in the know”, who is able to predict the broader lines of future trends, this type of construction, free from the usual type of harmony, may open new vistas and it is in such a direction that an inquisitive mind should direct his research (while not expecting an immediate answer). Because very few indeed will dare market a prospective creation which appears disharmonious to the majority. However, a little stone will have been added to the new building… . YG

Why is there this disharmony across the arts, including fragrance?
I have a friend who teaches college level art history. She tells me something like this: that when the world view was of an ordered universe under God or not, that painting reflected this order, but when the world view becomes chaotic and disordered, art reflects this. And I suppose that we then become used to seeing this in art, so it no longer is quite as inharmonious, but begins to feel accepted.

Here’s where I find Gutsatz’s comment telling about how rapidly change might come:

[He didn't think man would accept] a music made of brutal shocks, grating and mewing sounds,[what a change, eh!] a poetry consisting of onomatopoeias, and a painting that seeks to break the harmony of the human body and of nature that, until we have proof to the contrary, are still among the most harmonious things in creation.

Maybe that time will come, and more rapidly than we expect. Therefore, in the silence of our laboratories, perfumery should prepare itself for this evolution from which it cannot escape.[my emphasis] Since this route has to pass through disharmony – to continue the comparison and the parallel with the other arts – let us attempt to find how such disharmony can be obtained, because, so far, it is nonexistent, properly speaking, except for some marginal exceptions. All that which is admitted by the public is harmonious, although more or less happily so. YG

And what did he foresee in the future?

It is my deep conviction that, in some rather close future, the average man will find true beauty in all that is repulsive to us nowadays, whether it be the hammering of a machine or the blow of an alarm siren (sounds that are to be found in some advanced music compositions). Why could there not be a deliberate “olfactory cacophony” between perfume notes? All is merely a question of convention. YG

Well, he goes on to discuss how to introduce and achieve novelty and desirable discord. Truly he was ahead of his time.

So far, the fragrances of his that I have tried, have stood the test of time, and are as lovely as anything you would find any where.

I think you will find the rest of this article and the discussion equally interesting.

So, what do you think?
Are you ready for something new? Do you think it will be recognized as a new harmony rather than disharmony?

You can read more about LJR’s fragrances and Yuri Gutsatz here.

Karin
www.savvythinker.

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts
  • blog traffic exchangeBond No 9 refill on the house with purchases 5/31-6/6/09 Times are tough, but there’s no need to cut back on your supply of Bond No. 9 It is a well-known scientific fact that fragrance quickly relieves the symptoms of fiscal malaise. And since we...
  • blog traffic exchangePerfume Review: Divine by Divine Revisiting Divine fragrances because a POL'ers generous sharing of samples with me reminded me of 3 of them. Divine by Divine is the favorite Divine fragrance of a lot of people. It was the last...
  • blog traffic exchangeTwilight Beauty For those of us Twilight die-hards, pun intended, there is a new beauty source on the block, TwilightBeauty. Oh, funny, I just realized they called themselves 'die-hard' fans in their FAQ page. It certainly looks...
  • blog traffic exchangeCreative thinking part 1 What fascinates me so much about this man is the way he not only invented something, but he created the APPLICATION for his invention. It was one thing to invent electricity- Ben Franklin managed it...
  • blog traffic exchangeA little C.S. Lewis on prayer ...our prayers for others flow more easily than those we offer on our own behalf...I detect two much less attractive reasons for the ease of my own intercessory prayers...I often pray... for others when I...
Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites Online Stores If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.


Categories:

Le Jardin Retrouvé, Perfumes, Yuri Gutsatz



0 comments ↓

There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.

Leave a Comment