The mystery of the universe is that we do not know if there is anything (or anyone) out there; and if so, whether they would be able to communicate in the same way that we do. The project ‘Golden Record’ is designed to include a multitude of languages, sounds, expressions, etc., in hopes of having a connection with its distant listener (whoever or whatever it may be). I imagine when listened in its entirety, it is like throwing a net into the water for one fish; it is hopefully wide enough that just one part of the net will catch. Combined with the dreams of humanity that we are not alone, the Voyager (in its three parts) reaches out with its wide assortment of curated works from Earth to reach someone (or something) else out there in the vast space of our universe.

This week’s task was particularly difficult for me, as I have an attribution bias towards classical music due to my childhood. There were obvious choices as I went through the list of collected works, while recognizing that each track had an important aspect of humanity contained within its tones and sounds; who was I (a mere human being) to determine that 10 was the simplified number from the original 27? Which led me further down the rabbit hole of asking why stop with only 27? It was incredible to hear that Carl Sagan opted to choose the copper and gold plate to memorialize the work instead of digitizing; in choosing a hard version, he chose preservation and longevity of the work over the quantity that it could hold (NASA). As each track had already went through a rigorous curation phase of connecting to its history, geography, impact, and development in human history (Twenty Thousand Hertz), I confess that I leaned more towards my interpretation of what felt best of matching humanity and what I would desire for an alien species to learn about us.

My selected few were intentionally focused on the aspect of humanity’s diversity; I reasoned that should aliens ever learn about us, it should be how diverse, complex, and capable we are. And so, I decided to select tracks that demonstrated a wide range of human sounds and abilities:

In focusing on the human voice, I selected the following:

1. Peru, wedding song, recorded by John Cohen. 0:38
2. Mozart, The Magic Flute, Queen of the Night aria, no. 14. Edda Moser, soprano. Bavarian State Opera, Munich, Wolfgang Sawallisch, conductor. 2:55

The wedding song was an example of the human voice in its simplicity, whereas the aria is a perfect example of the extent of how virtuosic the voice can reach.

In focusing on the diversity of sounds, I selected the following:

1. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F. First Movement, Munich Bach Orchestra, Karl Richter, conductor. 4:40
2. India, raga, “Jaat Kahan Ho,” sung by Surshri Kesar Bai Kerkar. 3:30
3. China, ch’in, “Flowing Streams,” performed by Kuan P’ing-hu. 7:37
4. “Melancholy Blues,” performed by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven. 3:05
5. “Johnny B. Goode,” written and performed by Chuck Berry. 2:38
6. Australia, Aborigine songs, “Morning Star” and “Devil Bird,” recorded by Sandra LeBrun Holmes. 1:26

Each track that I selected intentionally focused on a particular ‘sound’. The orchestra, a complex sound, is the fitted ramble of multiple instruments working together. The raga was chosen for the unique timbre of the main instrument native to India, the sitar. The ch’in was played on the guqin, another unique instrument, but native to China. Melancholy blues focused on the brass instruments, coupled with the rhythmic jive that is found prominently in jazz. Johnny B. Goode, the only rock song on the album, featured the rock’n’roll groove with the electric guitar. Lastly, Australia’s native digeridoo was selected for its unique timbre and quality of sound.

In focusing on the human aspect of sounding together, in and out of harmony, I selected the following:

1. Holborne, Paueans, Galliards, Almains and Other Short Aeirs, “The Fairie Round,” performed by David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London. 1:17
2. Mexico, “El Cascabel,” performed by Lorenzo Barcelata and the Mariachi México. 3:14

The final two tracks that I selected focused on the vibrant chorus of human voices together singing together in unison and singing together in harmony. I felt that this represented humanity especially well in supporting each other with the same goal, and in repeated call-and-reply to represent our desire for communication.