Process

I started with online research for each piece of music by listening to the pieces and looking for a few details on each that might help me narrow the list. Wikipedia became a one-stop-shop. For research of this type I felt it would be a good resource because it would be reliable based on the fact-based type of content I was looking for (i.e. name of composer, date, country of origin, theme).

From the full list of titles, I looked for variations that would stand out such as choosing a variety of countries, instrumentation, vocalization, and genres. Initially, I wanted to choose songs that were representative of countries, but that was already part of original criteria developed by the committee. Having to choose just 10 pieces, I didn’t feel this same criteria would provide a broad enough global selection; I would inevitably be leaving out much of the world’s musical diversity.

My List: In the end, I decided to choose the 10 pieces of music below based on what appeals the most to me, plain and simple.

Wedding Song, Performed by young girl of Huancavelica – Smithsonian Folkways

Jonny B. Goode by Chuck Berry – Universal Music Enterprises

Navajo Night Chant, Yeibichai Dance by Ambrose Roan Horse, Chester Roan, Tom Roan – Smithsonian Folkways

The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Prelude & Fugue No.1 in C Major, BWV 870 by Joann Sebastian Bach, Performed by Glenn Gould – Sony Classical

Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Opus 67: I. Allegro Con Brio by Ludwig Van Beethoven, Performed by London Philharmonia Orchestra – Warner Classics

Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground by Blind Willie Johnson – Legacy Recordings

El Cascabel by Lorenzo Barcelata, Performed by Antonio Maciel and Los Aguilillas with Mariachi México de Pepe Villa – Bicycle Music Company

Barnumbirr (Morning Star) and Mokoi Song, Performed by Tom Djawa, Mudpo, Waliparu – Recorded by Sandra LeBrun Holmes

Melancholy Blues by Louis Armstong and His Hot Seven – Columbia Records

Sokaku-Reibo (Depicting the Cranes in Their Nest), Arranged by Kinko Kurosawa, Performed by Goro Yamaguchi – Nonesuch Records

Parameters and Criteria: I made an initial attempt at encompassing geographical locations but this was not possible under the guidelines of the assignment, but I did try to make my list a broad tent globally. Also, I included songs based on what was pleasing or familiar to my ear. I chose based on my initial response when listening to each piece which made it easier to narrow the list. I based much of my selection on the rhythmic patterns or percussion of a piece. I preferred some instrumentation over others (i.e. piano over pan flute, guitar over bagpipes).

Further Reflection: Does the Golden Record compilation truly embody the countries represented by each piece? Were people, tribes, and communities from those countries represented given input into the chosen pieces of music that would represent their culture and country of origin? I couldn’t find any information on this aspect. Also, was each piece of music authentically representational? How did the committee make this determination? Would similar pieces have been chosen if the committee was broadened. When I reviewed the NASA committee chaired by Dr. Carl Sagan who collaborated and chose the pieces, I noticed that the committee was made up of what I believe to be only Caucasians (2 female and 7 male). “Along with Carl Sagan, they were Frank Drake, Ann Druyan, Timothy Ferris, Jon Lomberg and Linda Salzman Sagan. In addition to these, Sagan also organized a small group of scientific consultants to provide advice on the message contents. They all worked in the U.S., but their citizenship was not described in the book, Murmurs of Earth” (voyager.jpl.nasa.gov).

References:

Music from Earth.Links to an external site. (n.d.). NASA

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (n.d.) California Institute of Technology. Retrieved from: https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/

Taylor, D. (Host). (2019, April). Voyager golden recordLinks to an external site. [Audio podcast episode]. In Twenty thousand hertz. Defacto Sound. 

Voyager Golden Record. Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record