Making the Cut
I first listened to each of the 27 pieces of music two times through. The third time I reviewed the songs, I listened with intention: Following Rumsey’s lead I wondered which songs I could afford to lose? Which songs truly speak to the diversity of humankind? I really loved some of the instrumental pieces: Symphony No. 5 is such a powerful piece for example, and the images conjured by “Sokaku Reibo” are breath-taking; Roncadoras and Drums seems whimsical and fun to me. However, I wanted to hear humanity.
Setting aside my Western musical training/preferences, I found ten songs that I think truly represent humanity on Earth: each song I’ve chosen has human voices at its center. From the lamentations of a young woman married too young (the Peruvian folk song, “Wedding Song”), to one of the most recognizable songs in rock & roll history, “Johnny B. Goode”, every song I chose includes human voices. (I would’ve liked to have included Edda Moser’s version of Mozart’s “Queen of the Night” aria, but I ran out of spots and the rest of my sample wasn’t really orchestral in nature. Somehow, all the other musical pieces seem to fit together and I felt that the Queen of the Night Aria did not work with the other pieces I have chosen).
My Golden Record Playlist
- Track 2: Kinds of Flowers (“Ketawang Puspawarna”: Indonesian folk song)
- Track 4: Pygmy Girls’ Initiation Song (“Alima Song”: Indigenous people in the rainforests of the Congo)
- Track 5: Morning Star & Devil Bird (“Australia Barnumbirr and Moikoi Song”: Indigenous Australian song)
- Track 6: El Cascabel ( Mariachi from Mexico)
- Track 7: Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry from America)
- Track 12: Tchakrulo (Georgian Choir)
- Track 19: Izlel je Delyo Hagdutin (Bulgarian folk song)
- Track 20: Night Chant (“Yeibichai Dance”: Navajo Night Chant)
- Track 23: Wedding song (Peruvian folk song)
- Track 25: Jaat Kahan Ho (from India)