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Listening Report of Meredith Monk’s “Gotham Lullaby”

 

Patryk Merci

The Future of American Music

Matriculation number: 7613841

Dr. Herzogenrath

WS 22/23

 

Listening Report of Meredith Monk’s “Gotham Lullaby”

 

Monk’s “Gotham Lullaby” is supposed to imitate a lullaby, but it does not really fit into functions of a lullaby, which is supposed to be peaceful, relaxing and comfortable to listen to. Monk’s music piece does just the opposite, as the high, screaming female voice disturbs the listener and overwhelms them with morose feelings. Nevertheless, it is an interesting alternative to conventional lullabies, because it offers a melody which arouses curiosity rather than indifference.

 

The piece starts with an immediate piano introduction with repeated notes, which creates a certain anticipation and creates a calm beginning of the music piece, as new notes are being slowly introduced as the piece proceeds. Eventually, the anticipation comes to an end when the listener is engaged with a sad, high female voice which starts singing in an incomprehensible language. The high tones remind of an opera singer, but the actual words are very confusing, because they are not English. Nevertheless, the actual content of the sentences is not very important, because the tone itself already creates a sad atmosphere and reveals much about what the piece is about. The voice also matches the sound of the piano very well, as both are rather sorrowful. Already in this moment it is clear that the piece does not completely match the expectations, as a lullaby is supposed to be happy and peaceful, and “Gotham Lullaby” is anything but that. The singing, which could be compared to a very high and hysterical yelling, sounds as if someone was trying to talk through tears, which furtherly adds to the tension and is definitely disturbing to hear, because it leaves no room for a peaceful aura associated with lullabies. Moreover, the music piece is very emotional, as the singer’s voice is full of different feelings, which are transferred onto the listener as the piece unfolds. However, there are some aspects of a lullaby which can be found in Monk’s piece. There is not much excitement for the unexpected, because the melody stays pretty much the same throughout the whole piece, which is achieved by repetition of similar notes on the piano. This is a very typical organization of rhythms in lullabies, as they are supposed to put the listener to sleep, and not stimulate them. The ending is also very much similar to the beginning, because it is just piano without singing, which eases the tension introduced by the earlier opera voice. Nevertheless, the elements of a typical lullaby are definitely overshadowed in “Gotham Lullaby”, as the morose voice takes all the attention and creates a chaotic and disturbing mood.

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