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Alvin Lucier - Nothing is Real

 

Author: Julia Ranft

B.A. American Studies (HF), English Studies (NF)

Email: s0173273@stud.uni-frankfurt.de

Matrikelnummer: 7485864

The Future of (American) Music

Prof. Dr. Bernd Herzogenrath

Listening Report 2

Alvin Lucier - Nothing is Real

            Alvin Lucier's Nothing is Real, eight minutes long, is a live performance of an extraordinary version of Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles. Half of the piece plays exclusively on a black grand piano until it changes to an amplified teapot, which makes the whole thing seem very unusual. By lifting and reflecting the lid, the tones are created, which later represent his own interpretation of the piece. With this piece and his own interpretation, he makes extensive use of the grand piano's sustain pedal, which creates an unusual mood, especially in such a large concert hall, but at the same time conveys a calming and warm feeling.

            The teapot becomes the space where the sound enfolds, this means that sustain gets recognizable more when opening the lid of the teapot. A psychedelic sound is generated, which conveys its almost intoxicating sound unity primarily through opening and closing the lid of the teapot. It is probably also interesting to know that marijuana was often called tea at the time, which can probably be associated with psychedelic music, the Beatles and the teapot.

            At first you think of a long Beatles ballad with echo, sustain and a little darker. The basis is not the whole son of the Beatles' original, but only fragments from Strawberry Fields Forever, which are played on the grand piano in this piece. One finds oneself here in the middle of an abstract Beatles song. Once the piano part has been completed, recorded on a small cassette player, this recording is abstracted yet again by raising and lowering the lid of the teapot. The sound of the playback changes and is deconstructed and reassembled. One could say that this piece lacks virtuosity, but the abstraction still makes this a song that pulls you in. Resonance spaces play an important role for Lucier in the composition of his pieces, which is particularly noticeable in Nothing is Real. It is a type of new modern music and focuses on physics combined with music.

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