We were in Oklahoma for the holidays but alas, I had to make an unplanned trip to Indiana, putting me behind on blogging, among other things. Can I finish the aworks Top 10 Tracks of 2004 in 2004? Fifteen hours left...
At a play count of 32, Double Music, a percussion piece by John Cage and Lou Harrison, is a lively but not raucous work. I don't know if tuned percussion can in fact play a true melody but for percussion, this music is melodic. Does Lou Harrison's participation somehow soften the sometimes abrasive tendencies of John Cage? My prior post indicates they composed their parts independently.
I can't find it but a year ago, someone wrote an online essay on how recorded pop music of the last fifty years has been a great achievement in timbre. Listen to five seconds of a pop hit and it is likely recognizable. While Double Music is esoteric, it has some development as well, again within the constraints of percussion music. Regardless, it is clearly an achievement in timbre as well.
Comments