Wow, so many varied and interesting pieces! It was a challenge, but here are my top 10 (in no particular order):
- China, ch’in, “Flowing Streams,” performed by Kuan P’ing-hu. 7:37
- Peru, panpipes and drum, collected by Casa de la Cultura, Lima. 0:52
- India, raga, “Jaat Kahan Ho,” sung by Surshri Kesar Bai Kerkar. 3:30
- “Johnny B. Goode,” written and performed by Chuck Berry. 2:38
- Georgian S.S.R., chorus, “Tchakrulo,” collected by Radio Moscow. 2:18 –
- Mexico, “El Cascabel,” performed by Lorenzo Barcelata and the Mariachi México. 3:14
- Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F. First Movement, Munich Bach Orchestra, Karl Richter, conductor. 4:40
- Beethoven, Fifth Symphony, First Movement, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, conductor. 7:20
- Navajo Indians, Night Chant, recorded by Willard Rhodes. 0:57
- Japan, shakuhachi, “Tsuru No Sugomori” (“Crane’s Nest,”) performed by Goro Yamaguchi. 4:51
My main concern for inclusion was to create as representative of a sample of the population of earth as possible. It seemed like that was only fair given that the intent behind the record is to introduce possible alien life to the entire planet as a whole. China and India, as the two most populous nations, were shoo-ins for inclusion. And as they each only had one track for consideration, those were my immediate first picks. The rest of my choices were an attempt to ‘spread out’ the representation over as much of the population as possible, so I attempted to choose tracks that achieved this. If some tracks represented similar cultures (ie. the two Peruvian tracks, or the Georgian/Azerbaijanina tracks), I opted for the track which had a more complex set of tones and sounds in an attempt to reach a broader alien audience. I did opt to keep two of the Beethoven/Bach tracks which shows my own Western bias because they both to me are sort of ‘iconic’ of my own culture and have impacted it so greatly…..but the more I think about it, the more I think that would matter very little to any aliens who encounter it! C’est la vie – I’ve already submitted my data via the Canvas quiz. But if pressed now….I’d probably change out the Bach one for “Kinds of Flowers”.