Song of Ascension is a collection of
musical pieces recorded in the Ann Hamilton Tower in Geyserville CA. The final
installation is supposed to have 24 track recordings in 4 different zones of
the tower. It starts with layered humming and the video shows around 30 people
standing alongside the railing going up the tower. It is clear that this is a
collaboration of many people with the help of singing and playing different
instruments. The humming gets replaced by sounds that could have been produced
by an accordion. In addition, different singers create short tones with their
voices. Sounds like “HE”; HO; HA”. We see Meredith Monk is one of the singers.
While singing, they use rhythmic walking, going a few steps up the stairs and
then back. The second part consists of people playing string instruments. The
dancing gets more distinctly. The third part is introduced with a woman singing
harmonically, one violin adds to the minimal scene. She is going up the stairs.
The forthcoming parts are a combination of different instruments and singing.
Noticeably, we see Meredith Monk singing in an indistinct language, possibly no
language at all. It would be very hard for me personally to make any sense of
the whole performance except noticing that it is, in our western sense of
music, harmonic and in tune. The short documentary, which can be found in the
online files, makes it easier to understand that Monk’s intention is to
emphasize the singing voice. She recognized early in her life that she can use
her voice like an instrument, changing tones and pitches to make sounds. Lyrics
or the contents are not important. For me, there is a mental paradox in the
center of it that allows us to understand her approach. It’s like imaging we
could produce lyrics with the help of a harp or a piano. Instruments are just
there to produce sounds, so why not just use the voice to produce them as well?
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