Task 8: Golden Record Curation Assignment

This task reminded me of activities I’ve done in the classroom when teaching about historical significance, such as asking students to create a timeline of the five most important moments in their lives. Just as my students often struggle to narrow down their choices, I too found this exercise surprisingly difficult. Part of the difficulty came from my limited knowledge on musical theory and history. To account for this, I approached the task of curating the Golden Record’s tracks from a layman’s perspective, and sought to create a time capsule around the following criteria to determine which works to preserve:

Does it elicit emotional depth?
Is it representative of our diverse cultures and regions?

In making these selections, I also saw parallels to challenges associated with the digitization of cultural artifacts. As Dr. Smith Rumsey (2017) observes, our decisions raise critical questions, such as what might be lost when choosing what to keep and what to discard? And who should be the ones to decide? Similarly, the process of curating tracks also made me consider Rumsey’s (2017) warning about “intellectual monoculture.” This led to my decision to incorporate tracks from a range of cultures. Ultimately, this task required me to think critically about what I value most in human expression, eventually landing on emotional resonance and cultural diversity.

1. Greetings from Earth: Although this isn’t technically a musical score, I chose to include this track due to its incorporation of various languages expressing ‘greetings’ and well wishes from earth. I also found it interesting how the direct translations for each greeting was slightly different, giving insight into the cultural values of the nation that produced it. Consequently, this addressed the second criterion I had set, namely it being representative of our diverse cultures and regions.
2. Bach, Brandenburg no 2, part 1: While listening to this composition, it evoked feelings of optimism and happiness and inspired a sense of resilience. Additionally, I appreciated its upbeat rhythm and the lightness of the instruments used. It also happened to be one of the few pieces of classical music that I recognized, which also factored into my decision.
3. Cranes in their nest-Japan (Shakuhachi): I decided to include this song because it struck a completely different chord compared to the previous piece I chose. There’s something about the flute’s melody, calm yet quietly sad, that really stayed with me. It also has an unmistakable tone that immediately took me back to my travels in Japan. It felt like the perfect choice to be a representative for East Asia, not just for its beauty but for the personal memories and emotions it stirred.
4. Jaat Kahan Ho – India – Surshri: I chose this track due to its unique tone and use of instrumentals and vocals. It also left an impression after I was finished listening to it; a haunting feeling that I couldn’t quite put my finger on as to why. As well, much like the previous recording, its style was also reflective of the nation that produced it, leading me to select it as representative of South Asia.
5. Men’s house song – Papua New Guinea: The introduction of this track drew me in immediately, and I couldn’t think of any other comparable series of sounds that I had heard before that was quite like it. This is particularly true when compared to contemporary music (at least that which you would typically hear on the radio or, more likely, on a streaming platform like Spotify). Its country of origin also meant that it could be one of the tracks representing the Oceanic region. For these reasons I included it in my list of songs to preserve.
6. Navajo Night Chant – America: Part of the reason that I included this song was due to the way its melody and vocals created feelings of hope and happiness, as the combination of percussion and singing intertwined together. I also found it interesting that it created similar emotions to Bach’s Brandenburg composition, but did so in a completely different way. Furthermore, this was one of my selections for the Americas, and also represented an Indigenous voice in the songs that were preserved.
7. Johnny B Goode – Chuck Berry: To be honest, this track is actually one of my favourite songs and so I found it hard to leave it off the list of preserved recordings. Its upbeat rhythm and catchy melody sticks with you long after listening to it, and it immediately evokes images of the time period that it was created in. For these reasons, as well as its American origin, I chose to include Johnny B. Goode.
8. Flowing Streams – China: As someone with Chinese heritage, this song connected to my own personal culture and background, and that is what first drew me to it. I also found its title, ‘Flowing Streams,’ to be appropriate, as it is a very calming track that soothes the listener. Furthermore, like many of the other tracks that I chose to preserve, it has a unique tone and use of instruments, leading me to choose it as one of my selections.
9. Panpipes and drum song – Peru: In contrast to the previous track, this song made me want to dance rather than meditate. Its use of flutes and percussion created feelings of happiness in me, and I’m of the opinion that you can’t have too many songs that elicit that emotion. As well, being a Peruvian song, I chose to include it to represent South America.
10. Morning Star and Devil Bird- Australia: This final track that I chose to preserve stands out for the emotional response I felt while listening to it. In particular, its haunting melodies and rhythms pulled me into an intimate, almost spiritual experience. Although I’m unfamiliar with its historical background or the specific context of the song, it seemed to carry stories and connections that transcended the music itself.

References

Brown University. (2017, July 11). Abby Smith Rumsey: “Digital memory: What can we afford to lose?” [Video]. YouTube.

Music from Earth. (n.d.). NASA.