Month: October 2023

La Monte Young – Composition 1960 #5 (1960)

“Composition 1960 #5” stands out as a crucial creation by the American composer La Monte Young in 1960, representing a moment in the evolution of contemporary music and experimental art. Young, a key figure in the Fluxus and Minimalist movements of the 1960s, is often linked with the emergence of drone music and minimalist composition.

Examining the historical context, Young’s exploration of sustained tones and simplicity in “Composition 1960 #5” showcases his inclination towards pushing artistic boundaries. This piece involves the prolonged execution of a single pitch, foreshadowing the later development of drone music. The 1960s witnessed a transformative period in both art and music, marked by experimentation and a rebellion against established norms. Composers like Young challenged conventional ideas, pushing the limits of what could be defined as a musical composition.

Considering its relation to Post-Modernism, “Composition 1960 #5” and Young’s overall body of work are regarded as precursors to post-modernism in music. Despite emerging in the modernist era, Young’s emphasis on minimalism, repetition, and a rejection of strict rules aligns with post-modern tendencies.

Post-modernism in music, gaining prominence in the 1970s and beyond, embraces eclecticism and blurs the lines between different styles and genres. Young’s minimalism and exploration of sustained tones anticipate these post-modern characteristics.

The piece captivates me due to its challenge to traditional musical and sonic concepts. The simplicity and extended duration of a single tone create a meditative experience, prompting listeners to engage with the sound differently than with traditional music.

Young’s pioneering work, particularly his focus on sustained tones and minimalism, has left an indelible mark on a broad spectrum of musicians and artists. The interdisciplinary nature of avant-garde art in the 1960s, as exemplified by the fusion of art and music in Young’s creations, adds an extra layer of fascination.

In essence, “Composition 1960 #5” acts as a bridge between the modernist and post-modernist musical eras, encapsulating the experimental and boundary-pushing spirit prevalent in the 1960s. Its historical significance continues to inspire and challenge artists and listeners, making it a fascinating composition.

Bernard Leitner, who is an sound art practitioner based in New York, used sound and space as material to build installations with his architectural background, hence interpreting the concept of “corporeal” hearing. His first work Soundcube in 1969 was a walkable cube with 384 loudspeakers lining its six inner walls. By conducting distinct routes of functioning, several unique immersive auditory perception for the body were generated.

He was considered a pioneer of the art form of “sound installation, which “serves to shift attention from the visual to the acoustic level of the installation.” His works embraces the modernist ideas about challenging traditional modes of perception and engaging the audience the viewer with more immersive experience. When the visitor is no longer needlessly diverted by visual stimuli, their attention to sound naturally intensifies. This can be seen as part of the broader trend of exploring new artistic mediums and pushing the boundaries of traditional art forms, aligning the characteristics of modernism and avant-garde approaches.

His works intrigued my initial interest in Sound Arts as it incorporates elements like sound, space, and time into his works and creates a tension of endlessness. The installations are denying to be fully consumed by the audience which is different from conventional performance that has explicit starting and ending. What’s more, by providing the experimental journey of “corporeal listening”, it challenges the common sense of aural perception of the audience and commits to the exploration both aurally and visually.

My initial interest in sound art was intrigued by sound installations created by Bichopalo. The organic combination of nature’s randomness, machinery and human intervention harmonize, with the icing on the cake visual presentation of video editing, eventually nurturing the playfulness of his work.

In addition, devices such as Bamboo and PlantWave work as multimeters that transfer electric signals detected from plants into pitch, giving every life entity a chance to generate sound. Packt Like Sardines In a Crushd Tin Box- Radiohead inspired me to collect sound samples and made my first sound related work. As I have only explored my own art practices in a more visually concentrated way so far, I am looking forward to getting in touch with those technology and to discovering what sonic aspect could bring to enrich the information my work could transfer.

Sound Arts to me is more likely to be a possibility, a new channel, medium, and approach for expression– It can be anything related but not limited to sound. It is the bridge between pure music and pure visual art, and can be experimental, annoying, and free. I am interested in the history of sound arts as it is a multidisciplinary and niche genre in fine art and expecting to equip essential skills to compose my own sound piece and fulfill my expression with the intervention of sound.