12/28/2022 0 Comments Meredith monk dolmen music![]() ![]() Monk’s general contour of phrasing and melody remains constant. This is divided into three smaller sub phrases as in every recording, phrasing usually never changes. The example below shows text used by Monk in the opening phrase of the work in two separate recordings: Dolmen Music recording from 1980 and a live performance from Santa Fe in 2004. One of her most haunting works, Gotham Lullaby is a prime example of how text in Monk’s music develops through each performance. Just as an opera singer would mature through teaching and practice, so Monk continually creates new ‘extensions’ to her voice through experimentation at the piano and with her vocal ensemble. Monk’s vocal style is simply the way her voice and her compositions have developed they are an extension of nothing but her own creativity, imagination and personal style of singing. The term strikes fear in the hearts of Monk lovers as one of those terms so often used to describe contemporary composers’ style which is faintly beyond the norm. It was from here that she discovered the use of what we would describe as ‘extended techniques’ other than just singing. Her compositional journey began when experimenting at the piano in the ‘60s. Each voice is unique, and this is something Monk understands more than any composer around today. This is a statement not only true of Monk’s work, but of any composition written for a performer in mind. The composition of Monk’s work, in essence, is often unfinished without the performer. Monk often composes for certain members of her vocal ensemble, and arias are written for certain voices. This is especially true in contemporary compositions and pieces not yet performed. It is a necessary and crucial part of a performers’ work to make a piece their own. To what extent does Monk have to excavate the past to find that spark of originality and freshness that keeps us, as she would say, ‘in the moment’ of the present? As we move further into the 21 st century, and Monk becomes more of a seminal figure in American twentieth-century music, is there a fundamental conflict between developmental innovation through her performances and maintaining a compositional authenticity her most seminal works. By returning to works, some over 50 years old, her pieces often naturally evolve and develop over time – a product of the aural tradition she maintains at the centre of her pedagogical method. For this reason, Monk relies on a huge collection of recordings, videos, notes, sketches and her memory to recreate her most important works. For a safety of authenticity, she also largely limits the performance of her works to her beloved vocal ensemble – her closest musical allies, many of which have been working with her from the very beginnings of her career. Monk believes in teaching by ear and, despite many criticisms, maintains that the ‘inner voice’ of the music is so often lost when ink is put to paper and music is confined to the page. The compositional ethos of American composer Meredith Monk has always been of much musicological debate. This time I realized that carrying around old information, trying to get everything in, and still be in the moment just doesn’t work.” ![]() “Sometimes in the past when I was going to perform a piece again I would listen to old recordings and try to reproduce the material. ![]()
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