Task 8 – Golden Record Curation

1. Senegal, percussion, recorded by Charles Duvelle. 2:08

1. • Africa, percussion

2. “Johnny B. Goode,” written and performed by Chuck Berry. 2:38

1. • Electric guitar

3. “Melancholy Blues,” performed by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven. 3:05

1. • Brass, blues,

4. Azerbaijan S.S.R., bagpipes, recorded by Radio Moscow. 2:30
   • Bagpipes
5. Navajo Indians, Night Chant, recorded by Willard Rhodes. 0:57
   • Chanting
6. Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2, Prelude and Fugue in C, No.1. Glenn Gould, piano. 4:48

1. • Piano

7. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F. First Movement, Munich Bach Orchestra, Karl Richter, conductor. 4:40 (Aliens have no ears)

1. • Strong mathematical foundations

8. Mozart, The Magic Flute, Queen of the Night aria, no. 14. Edda Moser, soprano. Bavarian State Opera, Munich, Wolfgang Sawallisch, conductor. 2:55
   • Opera
9. Holborne, Paueans, Galliards, Almains and Other Short Aeirs, “The Fairie Round,” performed by David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London. 1:17

1. • Flute

10. Peru, wedding song, recorded by John Cohen. 0:38

1. • Voice, no instruments

I found this task more challenging than I had anticipated. Perhaps it’s due to my innate need to overthink most things, or perhaps it is because it seems impossible to capture the complexity and diversity of planet Earth in 27 songs.

As I listened to the music and the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast, I asked myself: What is essential to consider when choosing music representing life on planet Earth? The following themes presented themselves to me.

Accessibility

At the beginning of the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast, they note how Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F was chosen, in part, due to its mathematical foundations. They proposed that aliens may be unable to hear the same frequencies as humans. This statement prompted me to think about the concept of accessibility and choosing a diverse range of sounds and instruments. I am not a musical expert, but my untrained ear can differentiate the vast difference in frequency between Mozart’s “Queen of the Night” and the Senegel percussion. Frequency can change significantly between musical instruments; for example, the sub-bass is between 0 to 60 Hz and is more felt than heard (Abletunes, 2021). At the same time, a flute or even a human voice can be as high as 12,000-16,000 Hz (Abletunes, 2021).

Diversity

If I were creating my own Golden Record, it would be essential to me that the music was representative of the diverse culture that exists on our planet. I was surprised to find that three of the songs on the Golden Record were composed by Bach. There was diversity within these pieces; however, with only 27 songs representing Earth, did it make sense to choose multiple pieces from the same artists? If the Golden Record was created in 2024, would this list be vastly different considering our endless access and our globalized world? Would this task be easier? Or more difficult? Dr Smith Rumsey (1999) highlighted how determining value in the analog world was clearer. For example, if something was printed, it was highly vetted and had potential value (Smith Rumsey, 1999). So, does the same apply to music that has been recorded vs music that is not recorded? Would access to the internet provide us with a broader representation of the world and its music, or would there still be countries and cultures with limited representation due to their inability to access digital technology?

Technology

As I listened to each piece, I was struck by the variation in sound and instruments. For example, the electric guitar in Johnny B Good symbolizes musical advancement compared to the Peruvian Wedding Song, which is comprised solely of voices. I also wanted to ensure I captured the evolution of music as much as possible. The oldest song on the Golden Record, The Fairie Round, was composed in 1599 and the most current song was Johnnie Be Good, in 1958.

I’d like to end this blog post with a quote from Abby Smith Rumsey (1999) that aligns well with this assignment: “Memory is not about the past; memory is about the future.”

Abletunes (2021). EQ Cheat Sheet for Over 20+ Instruments. Abletunes. https://abletunes.com/blog/eq-cheat-sheet/

Smith Rumsey, A. (1999, February). Why digitize?Links to an external site. Council on Library and Information Resources. Retrieved August 12, 2022. 

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