For this assignment I had to create a “Top 10 List” from Voyagers Golden Record. My “Top 10” is as follows:
- Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry
- Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground – Blind Willey Johnson
- Melancholy Blues – Louis Armstrong
- Symphony #5 – Beethoven
- Tchakrulo – Georgian Chorus
- Men’s House Song – Robert MacLennan
- Le Sacre du Printemps Pt II Le Sacrafice: Danse Sacrale – Stravinsky
- Sénégal Percussion – Charles Duvelle
- Azerbaijan Bagpipes – Ugam
- Night Chant – Navajo Indians
For myself, creating a ‘top ten’ list from such a collection was difficult. What kind of criteria are used? Who can objectively decide which piece of world culture is better or more important than the next. Regardless, I tried my best.
I started with Chuck Berry because Johnny B Goode will forever be close to my heart thanks to the movie “Back to the Future”. Next was Blind Willey Johnson because I’m a fan of the blues. Louis Armstrong is a legend for jazz fans, and Beethoven’s Symphony 5 is legendary in its own right. As for the Tchakrulo song, who doesn’t like a drinking song which is meant to prepare you for war? As for my choices for #6 & #7, I just liked the way they sound. Same for 8-10, although I also wanted to include them for worldwide culture purposes.