Dedication to George Crumb,
American Composer (10:00)
| Movement 1: | Man and Woman | (2:30) |
| Movement 2: | Aerophones | (2:48) |
| Movement 3: | Community Dances | (2:46) |
March 16, 2004
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Dedication to George Crumb,
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| Movement 1: | Man and Woman | (2:30) |
| Movement 2: | Aerophones | (2:48) |
| Movement 3: | Community Dances | (2:46) |
March 16, 2004
I was fortunate to attend a composition master class taught by George Crumb. Someone asked about the influence of world music on his style, and Crumb related a story about how he made a point of collecting and listening to recordings of musical traditions from all around the world. When asked about the influence of American Indian music and he said he had never heard it.
In this dedication I recompose a short movement of Crumb's work using snippets of sound from recordings of American Indian music. This is done using a synthesis method called concatenative synthesis, implemented by the author in MATLAB.
As a composer I have much respect for George Crumb and his music. This piece is a dedication to him and even attempts to mimic the ritual present in his music. But on the other hand it attempts to right a wrong by giving voice to the incredible music traditions of American Indians. It might seem at first that recomposing Crumb's movement with samples of American Indian music is a foul misappropriation of sacred material; but that is not my intent. All American people should realize that "world music" not only includes the traditions of Africa, Asia, and Europe, but also traditions of people that live(d) in our own backyard.
G. Crumb, "Paleozoic (Var. III)" from work "Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale)," included on CD George Crumb: An Idyll for the Misbegotten, Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale), Madrigals, Books I-IV (New World Records: New York, 1987).
K. Kinlechene and Yatza Songs of the Navajo (JVC World Sounds: Japan, 1994). (All 17 tracks)
Various, Creation's Journey: Native American Music / presented by the National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: Washington, D.C., 1994). ("New Woman's Shuffle Dance," "Prairie Chicken Dance")
Various, Music of New Mexico: Native American Traditions (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: Washington, D.C., 1992). ("Taos Pueblo Courting Song," "Tsidii-bird," "Zuni Courting Flute Song," "San Juan Cloud Dance," "Taos Round Dance 1," "Taos Round Dance 2," "Zuni Rain Dance")
Various, Talking spirits: music from the Hopi, Zuni, Laguna & San Juan Pueblos (Music of the World: Chapel Hill, N.C., 1992). ("Hopi Corn Dance," "Hopi Entering Kiva Song," "Hopi Exit Kiva," "Zuni Pottery Dance")