Patryk Merci
The Future of American Music
Matriculation number: 7613841
Dr. Herzogenrath
WS 22/23
Listening Report 4
Listening Report of Pauline Oliveros’ “Lear”
The music piece begins with deep, electric humming which
is mixed with a sound of a trumpet, and together, they sound like a warning
signal or like an alarm. As if to alarm the listener to pay attention to what
is to come next. The sounds slowly intensify as the piece progresses, with the
trumpet getting alternately higher and lower. There is also a distant piano
sound, but it does not play a main role, which allows for a better emphasis on
the trumpet and humming sounds. Throughout the beginning, the listener can spot
a very pleasant, reappearing sound which reminds of a lute. However, there also
is a certain feeling of being overwhelmed with the amount of different sounds,
which make some instruments, just like this lute, to be less easily
distinguishable within the humming rhythm. Eventually, a very squeaky flute is
integrated into the rhythm, and together they create a calm, yet also sad
atmosphere, which is accompanied by electric sounds that also make it
mysterious. Later on, a very distant, high voice can be recognized in the
background of the many sounds included in the piece. It is quite impossible to
tell whether the voice is natural or artificially created. It sounds like a sad
female singer, and it fits the atmosphere and the sound of the piece very well.
The distant voice and the electric sounds now alternate as the main parts of
the piece, with one constantly stopping and making place for the other,
creating a good harmony. However, they also overlap in some moments throughout
the piece, as if to indicate that every harmony can be disturbed. Although the
sounds in “Lear” are very numerous and original, the piece does not really
change its rhythm or atmosphere, which entirely removes any excitement after
first ten or fifteen minutes of listening. The piece appears to be too long for
the rhythm and sounds it offers. The experience could be compared to having the
same five-minute song on repeat, which obviously does not necessarily devalue
the piece, but does not really make it exceptional either.
While it is true that new
instruments, such as the violin towards the end, are actively included as
“Lear” continues, they do not really change the original sound and rhythm of
the piece, and they are also mostly overwhelmed by the deep, electric humming
which is present since the beginning of the piece. As “Lear” comes to end, the
distant voice stops and becomes rather absent to the very end, with few short
exceptions, which once again places the deep, electric humming into the
spotlight.
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