Skip to main content

Monk & Björk – Gotham Lullaby

 

Melanie Diehl (6887890)

Prof. Dr. Bernd Herzogenrath

Winter Semester 2022/2023

The Future of American Music

Listening Reports - 21.02.2023

Monk & Björk – Gotham Lullaby

A part of me is divided what to think about this music genre or avant-garde music. I think on one side, I grew up listening to the Backstreet Boys but also classical music. I grew up listening to all kinds of music, however nothing like Cage, Oliveros, or Monk. At first I like it till there is a weird part. Sounds like noise, until the other part kicks in.

Growing up I have been introduced to ballet, hip-hop, folk, and other various dances. With them come of course also the music, and as you love to dance you love to appreciate the music of the dance. Gotham Lullaby starts of very simple, nice piano in the background, sounds somewhat classical. Until Monk catches you with her voice. Left me a little confused and though I felt like it sort of sounded like the opera.

I guess I have learned with avantgarde music, that it must catch you thinking somewhere because, there are no rules. How two different sounds can go from noise being incorporated into music. That noise is music because it gives off a tone, and every tone in a way has music and that's the poetry of Avantgarde music, I guess. I've learnt to appreciate it and I appreciate the fact that this music has been introduced to me. There's always new to learn, more to discover and a lifetime is never enough to know everything, so one should always be open to learning new things. Even new music genres, even if they have long existed and may be new to me.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

William Basinski – The Disintegration Loops III

  The Disintegration Loops is a quartet of albums published in 2002 and 2003 by American avant-garde composer William Basinski. The pieces are made up of tape loop recordings that were played over time, with noise and crackles rising as the tape deteriorated. Basinski noticed this effect when attempting to convert his older recordings to digital format. The completion of the recordings coincided with the September 11, 2001 events, which Basinski witnessed and adds a deeper meaning to the composition. The composition is fascinating in many ways and makes the listener lose track of time. The tape loop recording had a very calming effect on me and put me in a trance-like state when I listened to it in its entirety. The tape loop is really soothing, so much so that I didn't even notice the loss of quality when I first listened to it. It makes you forget about time and allows you to really get into the piece capturing the calmness it exudes. You forget or don't really notice how i...

Pierre Schaeffer - Étude pathétique

  Pierre Schaefer begins the piece with sounds produced by drums and similar percussion instruments. One hears the sound of an object spinning and then coming to a stop. I assume it is a circular object, like a cymbal or hi-hat of a drum kit, that spins until it comes to a stop. Sounds of a locomotive follow, continuing with a mixture of drums and spinning objects as well as voices. There are slight parallels here with another piece by Schaeffer, "etude aux chemins de fer," in which he has the musical piece consist of sounds of trains and locomotives. I also recognize an accordion and a violin playing rapidly, accompanied by human sounds that are not really decipherable. By combining all these background sounds and using human voices, Schaeffer creates an exciting atmosphere while listening to the piece, and the listener's auditory senses are constantly challenged to decipher all the details of the sounds. At times one could be reminded of a scene from a scary movie, at l...

Pauline Oliveros – The Goddard in the Dan Harpole Cistern

  After watching Dan Harpole's film of Goddard in the Cistern, one is struck by how creepy the location appears and feels. In the light, you can just make out a lengthy ladder leading down into a concrete-walled area. It's absolutely dark, with only the top hatch and a small lamp providing lighting. This sequence accounts for a significant portion of the plot. Three persons are seen climbing up and down the ladder, which might be regarded the music piece's official start. Additionally, while the name "Dan Harpole Cistern" suggests a vast space, it appears to be a homemade video. A hum and other vocal noises travel across the room, bouncing off the walls. The women's voices generate a hum that contributes to the room's unique feel. The beautiful singing is interrupted by metal fragments falling on the floor. One would ask how much thought went into the sounds, given that the majority of them appear to be chosen at random. The emphasis is not on making sound...