Alvin
Lucier's 1969 composition "Sitting in a Room" is a significant piece
of experimental music. A recording of Lucier's voice is played back and
re-recorded in a room, creating a resonant feedback loop that gradually
emphasizes the space's acoustic properties.
The
recording begins with Lucier's speech explaining what he hopes to achieve with
this activity. The first thing I notice, aside from Lucier's voice, is the hiss
or crackle of the recording. I am also aware of his stuttering. On the second
playback, the recording has a slight reverberation. On the third playback, the
echo becomes more intense, as if he were speaking through a pipe or something
similar. The crackle is still perceptible, and the irregularities in his
pronunciation can still be heard. Each subsequent recording of his speech
sounds increasingly tinny and muffled. After the fifth recording, his speech becomes
increasingly slurred and the tinny sound becomes more pronounced. I almost
don't notice the stuttering anymore, and in the following recordings the sound
of his voice fades completely and is completely replaced by the tinny sound.
The crackling becomes more intense, and it almost sounds like a campfire, if it
weren't for the now annoying squeak of the re-recording.
I didn't
feel much listening to these recordings, except that the shrill and squealing
sounds at the end bothered me so much that I stopped it before it became too
painful for my ears.
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