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Meredith Monk’s Gotham Lullaby

 

Reem Zedan 7711552

Prof. Dr. Bernd Herzogenrath

The Future of [American] Music

02 February 2022

 

Meredith Monk’s Gotham Lullaby

This piece of music definitely surprised me. It started off like a normal song but when the singing starts you quickly realize that no words are being used. Watching her perform this piece live is also quite interesting. Raw emotions are illustrated on her face and feelings are transmitted through her incoherent use of words. The audience also seem to be mesmerized by her performance, which portrays their feelings and provides connection. Personally, I tend to largely focus on lyrics when listening to music which is why diving into the world of Monk introduced me to a new aspect of music and encouraged me to listen and interpret music in a different way than I am used to.

Monk does not use her voice to send a message; she uses it to ignite feelings in her listeners. This puts her voice in the place of a musical instrument. There was no need for words in classical music and she does not see a need for words in her modern way of making music easier. This makes her music indeed strange but in a special way. Her music is universal not only figuratively but also literally. The lack of words, which make up a  language, in her songs makes her music international and  accessible for everyone. Another international aspect of her music is illustrated by her drawing inspiration from Asian, Mid-Eastern, Western and Eastern European harmonies and composers.

The title of this piece has also caught my attention “Gotham Lullaby”. Gotham is a nickname for New York City but the name is also used for the city from the Batman universe. This influenced my interpretation of the piece and gave the song two lives for me. The first life is Monk paying homage to her city, representing it but also giving it a child-like treatment. A treatment that provides protection and unconditional love. The other life is griefing a ruined city, wanting to put something broken to sleep. It is sort of like a eulogy- sad but also comforted by the fact that the subject is resting in peace.

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