For this task I initially felt overwhelmed. This is an IMPORTANT task.  It seems impossible  to implode all of  humanity into 10 songs. I also wondered what if I  decided to select by lottery? Leaving all to chance seems the most fair in some ways. But I am sure this is not the intent of the exercise.  

What does one include and what does one exclude?  Are we looking to represent all cultures? Or countries?  No . . . not countries as they are often defined by arbitrary borders that change with conflict.  Styles and genres of music? Rhythms? Voices? Instrumentation? 

As I listened to the podcast and the aging voices quavering as they retell the story of the record, I am struck by the fact that this record has a date of the 70s. Considering what was important during that time period is different than what is valued today. Chuck Berry was early rock and roll which was grounded in Rhythm and Blues. Perhaps “That’s All Right, Mama” (1946)  by Arthur “Big Boy Crudup” should have been included instead as he was hailed as the king of rock and roll after Elvis did a cover of his 1946 version.  And why were the Beatles not considered?  According to Olivares (2017), the Beatles wanted to send Here comes the sun into space but they did not own the copyright.  (Olivares is an interesting read).

Back to the task, whose view do we go from? A Euro-Western perspective?  Who’s history are we telling and who’s are we leaving out? Should the recordings be taken from a more contemporary stance of the recognition and inclusion of cultures? For this reason, I started thinking along cultural lines and decided to eliminate some of the classical,  baroque, and opera music. So it became initially a matter of exclusion, then later one of inclusion. Some songs are selected for their titles, others for their stories, culture or uniqueness. As I reached 8 songs the selection became more difficult. Few of the chosen songs have vocals as I found I was drawn more to the instruments as I listened. Sadly, I now realize that I have no music from South America, China or Russia or Canada for that matter but I feel human emotions, musical tone and rhythms are well represented. 

An alien perspective?  Not all songs are chosen for their beauty but who knows, maybe to an alien they are beautiful. The songs were chosen because they are all different in instrumentation, rhythm, tempo, tone and volume. No one knows how another life form would look, listen or inspect this record or what tones they would hear, or even if they could hear. We would not know if they could see, or feel either. By selecting a variety of these elements of music, the grooves inscribed in the record would be minutely different and perhaps these grooves will form a language or text of a sort to be read in another way unknown to us. 

In no particular order of significance, the 10 Finalists: 

Dark Was the Night – Blind Willie Johnston 3:18  The blues are also a unique sound and the slow unwinding song and its title are well suited for an endless voyage into the dark void of space. There are no words to translate only emotions in the strumming guitar and humming and moaning Johnston that seems to represent the depths of human despair and the sorrows of centuries past and yet it has a soothing effect. It is from these roots of blues that rock and roll formed.

Navajo Indians, Night Chant, recorded by Willard Rhodes. 0:57  This music represents the continent of North America in its infancy prior to colonizations. The chant begins sounding almost birdlike and the chants rise and fall in tone. It is amazing that just voices and rattles can create such a musical sound. 

Mexico, “El Cascabel,” performed by Lorenzo Barcelata and the Mariachi México. 3:14  Chosen for its fast pace and energy combining music and voice. The culture and language form a unique and very distinctive sound earning a spot on the record. The stringed instrument(violins, guitars and guitarrons) sound amazing, making me want to see a performance. Further reading has confirmed this choice. 

Iziel je Delyo Hagdutin – Bulgaria 5:10  From Bulgaria and representing Eastern Europe.the tone of the opening measures  sends shivers down my spine. While bagpipes are a “hit or miss” sound these traditional Bulgarian pipes or Gaida are gentle as they mixing with the folksinger’s voice to create music that is hauntingly beautiful and unique.

Cranes in their nest-Japan(Shakuhachi) 7:58. Chosen for its meditative properties. The sounds of the flute are distinctive and singularly beautiful. There are no words or other background to clutter the sounds. The grooves of this song will be quite interesting to an alien life form, I believe.

Jaat Kahan Ho – India – Surshri  3:30 This “Hindustani Raga” was chosen because of its title and the artist singing it.  Jaat Kahan Ho Akeli Gori  translates to “Where are you going alone, fair maiden?” and seem to fit the unknown voyage of the craft. The artist, Surshri  with  “her rigorously trained sur and taal (tone and rhythm) . . .”  was celebrated in her time by Prime Minister Indira Ghandi and Kings of Japir (From Goa). 

Australia, Aborigine songs, “Morning Star” and “Devil Bird,” recorded by Sandra LeBrun Holmes. 1:26  Chosen for the unique sound of instrumentation and voice as well as the Yolngu people it represents. It is almost hard to tell if it is a human voice, a bird or instrument (didjeridu). The song that tells the story of the dead coming to the world of the Morning Star, a rebirth. This music has been described as the “mark of the resilience and adaptability of Aboriginal culture” (Gorman). 

Tchenhoukoumen, percussion Senegal   This is chosen for its lack of human voices; the rhythm speaks its own language.. It is light, lively and interesting. I have chosen it to replace a classical piece that I had first chosen as it has almost the same feeling. 

Tu u ite ana. Wasi Ka Nanara Pan Pipers  (Panflutes from Solomon Islands – Second Effort) 1:04   This song is chosen for its light, lively pipe music and beat. It conveys a sense of lightheartedness because not all earthlings are serious creatures. It also represents the Solomon Islands and the South Pacific. It is also a sharp contrast to the heavy Beethoveen’s 5th.

Beethoven, Fifth Symphony, First Movement, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, conductor. 7:20   Chosen for its dramatic sounds and contrast to the percussion of Senegal. The powerful opening measures announce this piece as IMPORTANT. The softness of strings balanced by the mournfulness of the French Horns and the strength of the deeper tones. The music crescendos and decrescendos, rising and falling like waves in the ocean with sunlight dances over. Plant Earth.

References:  

5 Candidates for the First Rock ‘n’ Roll Song https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30288/5-candidates-first-rock-n-roll-song

From Goa To Outer Space – An Interstellar Raga From India. Jaat Kahan Ho Archives   

Gorman, A. Iana. The Toronto Public Library blog. Arts & Culture
The Bulgarian folk song „Излел е Дельо хайдутин” in Space (Voyager Golden Record) ://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/arts_culture/2011/04/bulgarian-folk-song-izlel-je-delyo-hagdutin-voyager-golden-record.html

Beyond the morning star: the real tale of the Voyagers’ Aboriginal music. The Conversation.  https://theconversation.com/beyond-the-morning-star-the-real-tale-of-the-voyagers-aboriginal-music-18288

NASA. Music from Earth. Voyageur. Jet Propulsion Lab  https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/whats-on-the-record/music/

NASA. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/565/earth-the-blue-marble

Olivares, E. (Sept. 2017) The Cascabel: the Mexican song that we send to outer space. https://codigoespagueti.com/noticias/ciencia/el-cascabel-cancion-mexicana-enviamos-espacio-exterior/

Voyager Golden Record. Twenty Thousand Hertz. https://www.20k.org/episodes/voyagergoldenrecorhttps://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/