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Listening report: Pauline Oliveros

Pauline Oliveros was as a composer, performer and humanitarian. She wanted to open “her own and others' sensibilities to the universe and facets of sounds“ (source 1). In the 50s she was part of a circle of iconoclastic composers, artists, poets gathered together in San Francisco. In the 1960's she influenced American music profoundly through her work with improvisation, meditation, electronic music, myth and ritual. She described Deep Listening as „a way of listening in every possible way to everything possible to hear no matter what you are doing“. Such intense listening includes the sounds of daily life, of nature, of one's own thoughts as well as musical sounds.

 

As I listen to electronic music myself I immediately recognized familiar sounds in “Ione“ by Pauline Oliveros. The work begins with deep tones which are long drawn out and accompanied by harp similar sounds. At minute 7:18 higher sounds are added and echoes are introduced. At the beginning the piece made me feel calm and relaxed but when the higher sounds started it bothered me a little. A mysterious, scary atmosphere is created by the interaction of the various tones. At minute 11:10 there are more shrill tones added and I have the feeling that the music is getting louder. There is a feeling of suspense in the air, probably this effect is achieved through the alternating sound of high and low tones. All in all, even though I had mixed feelings during the listening of “lone“ I would listen to works of Oliveros, for instance when I am studying or I need to focus on something. She is truly an inspirational composer who is unique in her works.

 

 

 

Sources:

1.     http://www.paulineoliveros.us/about.html

2.     “lone“ by Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster, Panaiotis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKlTPLyGfZI&list=OLAK5uy_k5Le1U6KY3t5CqEtesJko3NB2b_tfXPhU

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