Listening Assignment: Subotnick, Reich, Reily

For this week’s assignment, I familiarized myself with three pieces. The first was Steve Reich’s “Six Marimbas” (1986), performed at the University of Kentucky’s Singletary Center for the Arts in 2008. The video of the performance appeared in two parts on YouTube, and being able to watch the musicians on stage made for a more interesting experience. The instruments were paired back-to-back, and viewed from the end, created a visual puzzle. The six marimbas were played by musicians striking notes in unison for the most part, with one leading the melody for a time, and passing the melodic thread on to another. Not being a fan of minimalist music, I was surprised to find the sounds to have a softness, the mellowness of wood, with a vaguely Latin beat. There was enough melody and structure to be pleasing, and a planned monotony that reminded me of the whimsical clockworks in a medieval European village, I thought perhaps work for an animation soundtrack.

The second piece was Terry Riley's “In C” from a 2006 performance of 124 musicians. Hitting a constant 8^th note in C, it had a steady four count beat with an intermittent sound like a horn. The impression this piece left me with was of abstracted traffic noise as heard from the window of a high rise in New York City. After listening for a while, there was a warbling effect. Not being a musician, I’m not sure what this would be called.

The third piece was Morton Subotnick’s work in the remix "Mandolin/Acid Bassline" from Sound Unbound. This work contained ethnic music, possibly Middle Eastern, and German spoken word passages, and well as phrases about Death. I thought it seemed to be a reflection a mental landscape, of the ebb and flow of Consciousness, and what is sometimes called the “monkey mind” by Buddhists, a restlessness which is difficult to tame. Even though I can appreciate these explorations, much like aural paintings, in researching Subotnick, I came across the work of his son Steven. He is an animator who sometimes works on projects with his father. I can imagine that his character Hairyman might be a being who hears those kind of voices in his head. Just a thought. Guess I was right about the animation soundtrack idea...

In C by Terry Riley / Steve Reich Six Marimbas

I never thought I would like minimalist music. However, after listening (I'm actually still listening to it because it's so long!) to In C by Terry Riley I don't dislike it as much. I really enjoy all the different levels and beats that come in at various times. Some attack quite quickly and unexpectedly and others slowly creep up you hardly notice they are there. The one thing that is getting annoying is the constant 1.2.3.4 1.2.3.4. beat that is keeping in in time. After 10 minutes that starts to be all I hear. I'd like it more if that beat were more in the background or if other beats had more volume and presence.

I also listened to Steve Reich's The 6 Marimbas. I enjoyed this piece much more. I really got into the hollow beats. I'm not sure if this really happened or if it's some clever illusion to keep me interested, but the overlay of quick tempo beats interchanged with slower ones made the overall same repetitive beat in the background go away or a least change speed, which for me is much more interesting to listen to. It keeps me wondering about what will happen next, compared to In C where it was all too similar for me.