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Meredith Monk – “I Believe in The Healing Power of Art”

 

Melanie Diehl (6887890)

Prof. Dr. Bernd Herzogenrath

Winter Semester 2022/2023

The Future of American Music

Listening Reports - 21.02.2023

Meredith Monk – “I Believe in The Healing Power of Art”

This is what I thought when I saw the video on Monk and listened to her music and her expression. Meredith Monk can be seen as either a crazy woman or they get her. I believe as far as the poetic expression displayed theatrically on themes like fascism is already a difficult task on its own. However, it is also dramatic, and that fits in theatre. It is where I think as an artist you have a broader range of creative space.

She strikes me as an artist who studies about a certain piece she would play and freestyle it with perfection alone from her experience and her knowledge. It is difficult to explain, but her usage of art to express political issues, is interesting and truly healing because as an audience seeing that, it kind of grasps you too. That is why some still go to the opera. It is also the direction I like. The theatrical of how she displayed war times, some which fit the situation too. Perfectly displayed if you ask me.

Monk, Oliveros, and Lucier all shared an interest in exploring the possibilities of the human voice in their music. Though this paper is only going to look into Monk’s vocal style and will discuss the others in other reports. Interestingly, Monk's vocal style incorporates a range of techniques, from extended vocal techniques to Eastern European folk singing. The way she used her own voice as an instrument was quite impressive. Not a lot of people can do that, and I’ve been to shows where people create sounds of various objects and situational tones, which is fun and very amusing.

Meredith Monk's artistic legacy is one of innovation, experimentation, and boundary-pushing, and her influence continues to be felt in the arts and music world today. Her vocal advocacy through arts has helped establish her as a unique and innovative voice in contemporary music and performance.

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