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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