The Magic Memories (187)

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Cups & Balls from “Tio Cigueño” (1839) by Joaquín Matas with video; Jimmy, the Card Cat

These are The Magic Memories 187, gone online Sunday, July 28th, 2024, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, and 2023, including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

Cups & Balls from “Tio Cigueño” (1839) by Joaquín Matas

In The Magic Memories 186 I made a few comments on Kai Borchers, alias Kalibo, performing at the “Hintertuxer Zaubertage” his Cups & Balls routine that lasted over twenty minutes, and how excellent I thought it was in spite of me having expected the contrary due to its length.

Well, there I also mentioned the talk Jesus Etcheverry, Toni Cachadiña, José Angel Suarez and I gave on the history of magic books in Spain at the Magialdia convention in Vitoria in 2016.

At the end of the almost 90-minute presentation we had asked our friend Joaquín Matas, one of Spain’s most successful and celebrated professionals and one of the most outstanding students of Arturo de Ascanio and Gabi Pareras, if he would be interested in presenting the Cups & Balls routine as it appeared in Juan Mieg’s landmark book El brujo en sociedad from 1839.

The book is one of the most important in early Spanish magic literature. There are reprints available – in Spanish, of course – one of which by Frechiné Editores with an almost 20-page introduction by Juan Tamariz, to whom this is one of the favorite books. Since this edition is no longer available, I should ask Juan Tamariz on my next visit if he would allow me to scan and translate the text for you. Remind me…

Similar to “Erdnase”, the book is mostly referred to as “El Tio Cigueño”, the alias of author Johannes (Juan) Mieg, rather than by its full title “El brujo en sociedad, o sea breve instruccion para aprender a ejecutar con destreza muchos juegos de manos, y otras varias suertes curiosas y divertidas”. Good idea…

In the book that boasts 350 pages, plus five two- and three-part fold-outs, the description of the Cups & Balls routine goes from p. 146, titled “Juegos de cubiletes”, to p. 191, that is almost fifty pages of text without a single illustration (there are a few on the fold-outs, though…).

As a historical curiosity I would like to mention that Juan Mieg originated from Switzerland, having been born in Basel, the same city I was born…

He lived from 1780 to 1859, where exactly one hundred years later, in 1959, I would be born.

Therefore, I will have to double-check if I might not be his reincarnation! (I must, though, ask Magic Christian and Steve Cohen for advice, as a rumor is going about that they might possibly be the reincarnation of Hofzinser and Malini, respectively…)

Anyway, below is – for your summer entertainment pleasure – the video clip extracted from the presentation we did at Magialdia 2016, with the kind permission of Joaquin, the performer, and José Ángel, the organizer and producer of Magialdia.

I assure you that you will be able to enjoy the performance even though you might not understand a word of Spanish, which is Spanish of the 18th century anyway, and I would like you to consider the situation and cultural context this performance took place. If you try to understand why certain things are done the way they are done, you will gain a better understanding of magic, I promise.

So, watch the video like an innocent bystander in the streets of an unnamed city in the late Age of Enlightenment, just for enjoyment, and then like an art critic would the painting of an old master.

Now, how was that for a C&B Routine, eh?

For the benefit of those who do not understand Spanish, the last words of “Juan Mieg”, who at the end has converted back to Joaquín Matas, are, “What you have seen is only a part of the routine as it is published in the book… the part with the production of the oranges is about half-way through the entire routine!”

Jimmy, the Card Cat

A few days back my young friend Lorenz Schär, one of Switzerland’s outstanding talents, visited.

As usual we spent a non-stop-magic-talk long afternoon plus an evening-night that ended in an Alsatian gourmet restaurant (how else?).

Below is a photo he sent in from our session, proving that card tricks put certain individuals asleep…

Anyway, it is a hot summer day in many parts of the world, it is summer vacation time, and therefore I do not want to tax your patience too much.

Besides, we are working (almost) around the clock setting the finishing touches on Unexpected Agenda – right now I put my “final” edits on every one of the 365 entries before all goes to Max Pritchard, my editor, and Mike Vance, my proof-reader. After we have installed all the edits, corrections, additions, etc. we hope to be able to get the PDF to the printer, so that the book can be with you for the Holiday Season.

Briefly: I quit this week’s The Magic Memories here, and go to work on the book…  All your cheers, support, encouragement, etc. are invited 🙂

Wish you all a successful and happy week,