From the preface to Kyle Gann’s new book, No Such Thing as Silence: John Cage’s 4′33″ (Yale University Press), which I’m reading right now:
“I had to consciously remember that not every music lover out there has 4′33″, as I do, in his blood.”
What’s striking about the book is that it is, indeed, written by a [...]
The winner of the Northern Arts Prize for 2010 is Pavel Büchler, whose recordings of applause were the subject of an entry here back in October 2008 (disquiet.com). Büchler’s works in various media, and his “You Don’t Love Me” is “an installation that uses a reel to reel tape deck, a bottle of whisky and [...]
The top 10 most-read posts of January (out of 42 posts in all) were heavy with Downstream entries — that is, with legal freely downloadable recommended listening: (1) sound art made at an Indian call center (pictured at left) by Mathias Delplanque, (2) Lesley Flanigan’s music for speakers and voice, (3) the sound of mangled [...]
Continuing to add archival pieces to the site. Just uploaded two brief reviews of movie scores:
Michael Nyman’s The Piano (1993)
Philip Glass’s The Hours (2002)
From an interview with Robert Carl, author of Terry Riley’s In C (Oxford Press, 2009):
I think there’s a subtle but a real difference, though, between the repertoire and In C. In C has an open instrumentation and an open duration. And as a consequence of the kind of accordion structure it has, where it can [...]
In a traditional symphonic orchestra, the first and second violin are two different instruments played by two different people, and there’s a clear hierarchy between them.
In electronically enhanced music, music that automates group effort through software, the second violin — as well as the third, fourth, and nth violin — is a replica of [...]
Been awhile since the most recent Disquiet.com overview of notable stories elsewhere on the web. He’s a quick rundown, to bridge the gap from 2009 to 2010:
● Why Brian Eno’s score to Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones is reportedly not eligible for an Oscar (thewrap.com, via moviescoremagazine.com).
● Thanks to Google Translate, an interview with composer [...]