Curating the song list for the famous Golden Record was no easy task, knowing how subjective it is for one person alone to complete. Nevertheless, I have chosen 10 songs below that maintains the cultural diversity initially intended with the original list and I have also chosen all but 2 songs that contain both voices and instruments, hoping to showcase human voices just as much as instrumental sounds. I have also focused my selection ensuring a variety of rhythms and instruments were showcased in this tiny representation of the world, acknowledging that almost ALL of the worlds creative productions have been excluded from selection.
As mentioned by Timothy Ferris, we would be able to include more now, but more wouldn’t necessarily mean better he postulates. I propose, perhaps more CAN be better. More could showcase even greater human diversity, a more holistic representation of humans on earth. We could focus on including more songs that demonstrate the human vocal range and a narrative of the meaning of songs for example.
Without being fully educated and having a profound understanding of all cultures around the world, one single person cannot accurately select a sample of music to represent everyone and every artistic production. My goal with the short list below was so communicate a snap shot of the era, using a sampling of voices, rhythms and instruments while trying to represent works from most of the worlds continents.
The Earth’s Top 10 as of 1977 – selected by Stephanie M.
EUROPE – Mozart, The Magic Flute, Queen of the Night aria, no. 14. Edda Moser, soprano. Bavarian State Opera, Munich, Wolfgang Sawallisch, conductor.
EUROPE – Beethoven, Fifth Symphony, First Movement, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, conductor.
ASIA – Georgian S.S.R., chorus, “Tchakrulo,” collected by Radio Moscow.
ASIA – India, raga, “Jaat Kahan Ho,” sung by Surshri Kesar Bai Kerkar.
AUSTRALIA – Australia, Aborigine songs, “Morning Star” and “Devil Bird,” recorded by Sandra LeBrun Holmes.
AUSTRALIA – Solomon Islands, panpipes, collected by the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Service.
NORTH AMERICA – Bach, “Gavotte en rondeaux” from the Partita No. 3 in E major for Violin, performed by Arthur Grumiaux.
NORTH AMERICA – “Dark Was the Night,” written and performed by Blind Willie Johnson.
AFRICA – Senegal, percussion, recorded by Charles Duvelle.
SOUTH AMERICA – Peru, wedding song, recorded by John Cohen.
Hi Stephanie!
Thanks for the post. It appears we had nearly the same criteria for choosing songs – ones that have both instruments and voices, though you chose two classical instrumental pieces, and I included voice-only songs in my selection. Your comments about showcasing even greater human diversity made me think about why the record was made in the first place. Is it supposed to be a sign of peace? Is it sent with the hope that the species that finds it will send a return gift, or try to find its origin? What information about us do we want others to know, and to what end? It is evident that the decision to include the records on the shuttle was deliberate (and contended), but I believe these are the questions I think should have been asking from the start. What do you think?
Great questions! It makes one wonder about what else could be included other than music, should we have sent written messages, photographs, an invitation to come visit? etc….and yes the focus on trying to find the records origin was surely discussed at the time, I’m simply unaware of what came of those discussions. Having only been introduced to the Golden Record project recently, I too was left wondering what was the core message we wanted to send in 1977? the introductory audio narration spoke of peace and humanity and it was simple and concise. Perhaps its simplicity has been undervalued? If today in 2019 we sent a single piece of work hoping to represent all of mankind, it would certainly be a conglomerate lengthy piece, containing all kinds of communication mediums. Perhaps it would appear invasive and too noisy rather than a simple peaceful inviting message. I don’t believe it is even possible to accurately present one piece of work that showcases all the diversity in this world. Your thoughts?