Task 8: Golden Record Curation
I found the task this week to be especially interesting and challenging. Prior to this module, I was not familiar with the Voyager “Golden Record” and found myself diving down the rabbit hole, looking deeper into this whole ongoing event. I found it pretty fascinating that you can still chart the two Voyager crafts through NASA: https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/
In curating this condensed version of the Golden Record I struggled to use my criteria to narrow down my selections, as each of the pieces had already been painstakingly curated in order to be included on the original record. My criteria appear similar to the goals outlined by the Golden Record team with my primary criteria being that: the tracks selected strive to represent the greatest possible diversity and reflect a true cross-section of humanity. I focused my curation around this idea because if extraterrestrials ever did find and listen to the record, I thought that it was only right to attempt to reflect the musical experience of humans as a whole across time and place. I had to fight my own musical bias throughout this process as I was not curating the tracks based on how “good” they sounded to me. In the end I am still not too confident with my list as I think it would be impossible to truly represent all of humanity’s musical texts in ten tracks. Here is my attempt:
Selection Criteria: Golden Record 2.0 (10 tracks)
The tracks selected strive to represent the greatest possible diversity and reflect a true cross-section of humanity.
The tracks attempt to strike a balance between genres and styles in order to offer the greatest variety possible.
The tracks serve as a time capsule highlighting music from various historical periods.
The tracks have value beyond the sound through meaning, such as by conveying aspects of the human experience (emotions, ways of thinking, methods of expression, ways of designing).
| Tracks: |
| Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F. First Movement, Munich Bach Orchestra, Karl Richter, conductor |
| Senegal, percussion, recorded by Charles Duvelle |
| Australia, Aborigine songs, “Morning Star” and “Devil Bird,” recorded by Sandra LeBrun Holmes. |
| Mexico, “El Cascabel,” performed by Lorenzo Barcelata and the Mariachi México. |
| Georgian S.S.R., chorus, “Tchakrulo,” collected by Radio Moscow. |
| “Melancholy Blues,” performed by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven. |
| Navajo Indians, Night Chant, recorded by Willard Rhodes. |
| Peru, wedding song, recorded by John Cohen. |
| China, ch’in, “Flowing Streams,” performed by Kuan P’ing-hu. |
| India, raga, “Jaat Kahan Ho,” sung by Surshri Kesar Bai Kerkar. |