DOCSLIB.ORG

The Alien Anthology

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Alien Anthology Berklee College of Music – Valencia Campus THE ALIEN ANTHOLOGY THE SOUND OF A SAGA by Félix Carcone Master of Music: Scoring for Film, Television and Video Games - candidate 2014/2015 Carcone 2 This work is dedicated to the memory of James Horner. I was writing the end of this paper when the tragic event happened. I want to say that this great man gave me, at my earliest childhood, my first musical skill, and the most important of all: the sensibility. Carcone 3 PREFACE As far as I can remember, the first time I saw the cover of the Alien videotape, I immediately though: this thing might be dangerous. I was around 8 or 9 years old, and a strange combination of fear and attraction came to me. This weird egg, appearing to come from somewhere else, scared me. But this simple jacket was extremely implicit; it raised your curiosity without being aware of. Besides my fear, I wanted to watch this thing; I wanted to enter and discover this strange world. Many years later, when I could see the film, I loved it from the first time. I was shocked by some images, but the impression that marked my brain was extremely good. I had a strange feeling, like those when we have lived a very special experience. I didn’t consider the movie as a science-fiction work, nor as a horror adventure, I really lived the moment from the artistic and claustrophobic approach. It was horror, without any doubts, but it was radically different from all the other movies of the genre I watched before. The first word that came into my mind was “serious”. Carcone 4 I really felt that nothing in this work was on the second degree, and it was true, each minute of this visual experience was pure, direct, without any sense of caricature, everything looked real. I watched it many times and each pass was a confirmation of the first sensation. It was cold, dark, stranger, tragic and mysterious. Of course, I watched passionately all the other episodes, looking for new sensations through the darkness of space. I liked almost all the other ones, even if I kept a personal fascination for the original. But from the musician point of view, I really discovered all the power and the richness of the entire saga. Each of these soundtracks was so much elaborated, so just, so emotional and scary at the same time, a real treat for the music lover's ears. Now, it is time to take a look, even closer than ever, at this huge saga, and try to understand and emphasize both complexity and beauty of these soundtracks, each one composed by some of the greatest musicians of the film-music history. Carcone 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. A new era…………………………………………………………………………...……………….6 2. Alien – The receptacle of a new sound……………………………...…………………..8 3. Aliens – Bigger, Stronger……………………………………………………………………16 4. Alien 3 – The shadow returns………………………………………….………………….30 5. Alien Resurrection – The French touch………………….……………..……………...41 6. The evolution of a saga…………………………………………….………………………..47 7. Prometheus – Back to the roots………………………………………….……………….50 8. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………..55 9. References……………………………………………………………..…………………………58 Carcone 6 1. A new era “In space, no one can hear you scream” 1 In 1979, this strange and ominous little quote prepared the whole world to face for the first time the scariest and disturbing science-fiction experience of the cinema’s history. Alien came in the silence, slowly, but surely, from the depths of Dan O’Bannon’s Mind. After working on movies like Dune and Dark Star, he wrote the story of Alien as a mix of all the influences of the time, from the interest of space, horror, to fantastic. The big evolution of the cinema in the 70’s gave the directors and producers a way to explore new dimensions and illustrate an extreme and unusual vision. After the revelation of 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968, and the more savage Planet of the Apes, the time finally came for the galactic era, with the flamboyant arrival of Star Wars in 1977. The interplanetary success of the movie prepared the public for a new experience never lived before in the history. Extremely darker and totally unfamiliar, Alien appeared as a complete intruder in the theaters. The public, shocked, acclaimed this new path to emotion with a consuming passion. 1 Tagline of the original Alien’s cover of 1979, also shown in the official theatrical trailer. Carcone 7 The film made a big success, receiving an Academy Award for best visual effects, and launched the saga for almost three decades of terror. Not as gore and bloody as the last most extreme creations of today, the movie still keeps and undefined and never equaled atmosphere. Due to the visionary work of Ridley Scott and his detailed storyboards, combined with the weirdest creations of the Swiss artist H. R. Giger, Alien possesses a psychological and claustrophobic approach, which tends to reveal our scariest thoughts about the infinite of space, about the dark and the unknown. That’s exactly what Alien did; illustrating our deepest fears in a completely disconnected context, far away from home, from earth, from our land, our human safe-zone. Throughout the years, four different directors contributed to the expansion of the saga, and six different composers brought their own emotions and conceptions into the movies. Our etude focuses on the evolution of these works, underlining the main characteristics of each of these masterpieces. Carcone 8 2. Alien - The receptacle of a new sound Naturally, such revolution in terms of image and scenario needs also a new and powerful sound to complete the impact, to bring the emotion. Jerry Goldsmith, who was already a star in the film scoring world (and hired in sci-fi projects, because of his wonderful score for Planet of the Apes few years earlier), and a respected professional, gave to the new born an uncommon and authentic music, much more routed to the feelings of the character rather than the visual events. This musical choice and compositional behavior allowed the movie to be so immersive and personal. Even if the production tried to force him to score “classically” the picture with a more mainstream approach, the composer won finally the battle – not without huge difficulties – and decided what type of sounds and material the film would have. That’s this famous “romantic” and “impressionist” sound we discover at the overture, bringing a touch of universal fantasy, illustrated by an opera-like introduction. The Claude Debussy’s influence here is clear, and we can hear some orchestration fragments and remembrances of his masterpiece La Mer of 1905. Firstly, this strange idea doesn’t seem so much connected to the terrific and dark plot, coming out of space. Carcone 9 But if we go further, we can understand the impressionist process of Goldsmith: this choice is for him the chance to extract the universal feeling about the space and the unknown, exceeding the limits of our world, already treated by the great composers of the 18th and 19th century, in a more psychological way. Every artist tries to express this fantastic side of the uncommon and foreign countries of the human brain, and that’s what Alien is, a journey into our own phantasmagoric illusions, linked to our fears. When we watch Alien, we accept to make a travel far away from home, to go beyond the limits of our imagination, exactly as we do when we dive into the depths of a Mahler Symphony, or in a Wagner Opera, like the Tetralogy. Also, Arnold Schoenberg, in his second String Quartet of 1908, already felt as a visionary the ambition of the 20th century to break the boundaries of Art, for him it was somewhere between the tonality and the atonality, later reunited as one in the serialism. He wrote in the last movement of this piece, this sentence (from Stefan George’s poem), predicting the future: “I feel the air from another planet” 2 2 Stefan George, Rapture, The Seventh Ring, Arnold Schoenberg, String Quartet n.2, 1908. Carcone 10 Musical or not, these poetic words expressed the idea of the human exploration of this time, and the whole century was the result of a research for the unknown, an ambition for the voyage. The history and the Moon’s travel of 1969 prove this human impulse for breaking rules and frontiers. Besides this, 2001: A Space Odyssey, doesn’t bring any answer. Just as Alien, it brings new questions and new imaginative concepts. That’s why the idea of making the score for Alien as an emotional music was much more interesting. Also, Goldsmith always defended the value of film music, pretending that a score cannot be good if it doesn’t speak by itself. The music should give alone all the emotional palette and sophistication, being able to complete and match the movie in a perfect way. To illustrate the new vision of Ridley Scott’s masterpiece, the composer opens the movie with an outstanding space-like motive, which reflects perfectly this conception of the unknown, based on the two most spaceship-like intervals, the tritone and the color of the augmented 5th (letters represent the basses): Carcone 11 Once again, we find this impressionistic French approach, this time linked to Maurice Ravel and his color of “false basses of tritone”, as used in his ballet Daphnis et Chloe of 1912. The harmony moves slowly, but surely, and drives the auditor step by step with the melody from a common chord color to another. During this path, the ear looses easily the landmarks of the tonality.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Nature of Elliot Goldenthal's Music
    The Nature of Elliot Goldenthal’s Music & A Focus on Alien 3 (& other scores) There is “something different” about Elliot Goldenthal’s music. There is also considerable brain and brawn in Elliot Goldenthal’s film music. His style is difficult to label because his approach is so eclectic depending on the project. Sometimes I feel he is fundamentally an independent art-house composer (perhaps Frida, say, and The Good Thief) although he can demonstrate thrilling orchestral power in scores such as Sphere and the Batman movies that I personally quite enjoyed. Overall he shows a Late Modernist temperament, musically an American Bohemian, but nevertheless grounded somewhat in the mainstream traditions (certainly at least traditional notation). His polystylism (eclectism) is a postmodern characteristic. An excellent example of polystylism is his score for Titus (and Good Thief to a lesser extent, and even an example or two in Alien 3) with the diverse or even odd juxtaposition of genres (symphonic-classical, rock, etc.) that represents in one score the type of projects he collectively undertook over the last fifteen years or so. There is not one clear-cut musical voice, in other words, but a mixture or fusion of different styles. It is, in part, his method of organization. Loosely speaking, his music is avant-garde but certainly not radically so--as in the case of John Cage with his aleatoric (random) music and quite non-traditional notation (although Goldenthal’s music can at select times be aleatoric in effect when he utilizes electronic music, quarter-toning, and other devices). He is experimental and freewheeling but certainly this tendency is not overblown and expanded into the infinite! He definitely takes advantage of what technology has to offer (MIDI applications, timbre sampling, synthesizer usage, etc.) but does not discard what traditions are useful for him to express his vision of musical art.
    [Show full text]
  • Of Monsters and Mothers: Representations of Motherhood in ‘Alien’
    Aditya Hans Prasad WGSS 07 Professor Douglas Moody April 2018. Of Monsters and Mothers: Representations of Motherhood in ‘Alien’ Released in 1979, director Ridley Scott’s film Alien is renowned as one of the few science fiction films that surpasses most horror films in its power to terrify an audience. The film centers on the crew of the spaceship ‘Nostromo’, and how the introduction of an unknown alien life form wreaks havoc on the ship. The eponymous Alien individually murders each member of the crew, aside from the primary antagonist Ripley, who manages to escape. Interestingly, the film uses subtle representations of motherhood in order to create a truly scary effect. These representations are incredibly interesting to study, as they tie in to various existing archetypes surrounding motherhood and the concept of the ‘monstrous feminine’. In her essay ‘Alien and the Monstrous Feminine’, Barbara Creed discusses the various notions that surround motherhood. First, she writes about the “ancient archaic figure who gives birth to all living things” (Creed 131). Essentially, she discusses the great mother figures of the mythologies of different cultures—Gaia, Nu Kwa, Mother Earth (Creed 131). These characters embody the concept that mothers are nurturing, loving, and caring. Traditionally, stories, films, and other forms of material reiterate and r mothers in this nature. However, there are many notable exceptions to this representation. For example, the primary antagonist in many Brothers Grimm stories are the evil step-mother, a character completely devoid of the maternal warmth and nurturing character of the traditional mother. In Hindu mythology, the goddess Kali is worshipped as the mother of the universe.
    [Show full text]
  • The Retriever, Issue 1, Volume 39
    18 Features August 31, 2004 THE RETRIEVER Alien vs. Predator: as usual, humans screwed it up Courtesy of 20th Century Fox DOUGLAS MILLER After some groundbreaking discoveries on Retriever Weekly Editorial Staff the part of the humans, three Predators show up and it is revealed that the temple functions as prov- Many of the staple genre franchises that chil- ing ground for young Predator warriors. As the dren of the 1980’s grew up with like Nightmare on first alien warriors are born, chaos ensues – with Elm street or Halloween are now over twenty years Weyland’s team stuck right in the middle. Of old and are beginning to loose appeal, both with course, lots of people and monsters die. their original audience and the next generation of Observant fans will notice that Anderson’s filmgoers. One technique Hollywood has been story is very similar his own Resident Evil, but it exploiting recently to breath life into dying fran- works much better here. His premise is actually chises is to combine the keystone character from sort of interesting – especially ideas like Predator one’s with another’s – usually ending up with a involvement in our own development. Anderson “versus” film. Freddy vs. Jason was the first, and tries to allow his story to unfold and build in the now we have Alien vs. Predator, which certainly style of Alien, withholding the monsters almost will not be the last. Already, the studios have toyed altogether until the second half of the film. This around with making Superman vs. Batman, does not exactly work.
    [Show full text]
  • WITH OUR DEMONS a Thesis Submitted By
    1 MONSTROSITIES MADE IN THE INTERFACE: THE IDEOLOGICAL RAMIFICATIONS OF ‘PLAYING’ WITH OUR DEMONS A Thesis submitted by Jesse J Warren, BLM Student ID: u1060927 For the award of Master of Arts (Humanities and Communication) 2020 Thesis Certification Page This thesis is entirely the work of Jesse Warren except where otherwise acknowledged. This work is original and has not previously been submitted for any other award, except where acknowledged. Signed by the candidate: __________________________________________________________________ Principal Supervisor: _________________________________________________________________ Abstract Using procedural rhetoric to critique the role of the monster in survival horror video games, this dissertation will discuss the potential for such monsters to embody ideological antagonism in the ‘game’ world which is symptomatic of the desire to simulate the ideological antagonism existing in the ‘real’ world. Survival video games explore ideology by offering a space in which to fantasise about society's fears and desires in which the sum of all fears and object of greatest desire (the monster) is so terrifying as it embodies everything 'other' than acceptable, enculturated social and political behaviour. Video games rely on ideology to create believable game worlds as well as simulate believable behaviours, and in the case of survival horror video games, to simulate fear. This dissertation will critique how the games Alien:Isolation, Until Dawn, and The Walking Dead Season 1 construct and themselves critique representations of the ‘real’ world, specifically the way these games position the player to see the monster as an embodiment of everything wrong and evil in life - everything 'other' than an ideal, peaceful existence, and challenge the player to recognise that the very actions required to combat or survive this force potentially serve as both extensions of existing cultural ideology and harbingers of ideological resistance across two worlds – the ‘real’ and the ‘game’.
    [Show full text]
  • How Superman Developed Into a Jesus Figure
    HOW SUPERMAN DEVELOPED INTO A JESUS FIGURE CRISIS ON INFINITE TEXTS: HOW SUPERMAN DEVELOPED INTO A JESUS FIGURE By ROBERT REVINGTON, B.A., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts McMaster University © Copyright by Robert Revington, September 2018 MA Thesis—Robert Revington; McMaster University, Religious Studies McMaster University MASTER OF ARTS (2018) Hamilton, Ontario, Religious Studies TITLE: Crisis on Infinite Texts: How Superman Developed into a Jesus Figure AUTHOR: Robert Revington, B.A., M.A (McMaster University) SUPERVISOR: Professor Travis Kroeker NUMBER OF PAGES: vi, 143 ii MA Thesis—Robert Revington; McMaster University, Religious Studies LAY ABSTRACT This thesis examines the historical trajectory of how the comic book character of Superman came to be identified as a Christ figure in popular consciousness. It argues that this connection was not integral to the character as he was originally created, but was imposed by later writers over time and mainly for cinematic adaptations. This thesis also tracks the history of how Christians and churches viewed Superman, as the film studios began to exploit marketing opportunities by comparing Superman and Jesus. This thesis uses the methodological framework of intertextuality to ground its treatment of the sources, but does not follow all of the assumptions of intertextual theorists. iii MA Thesis—Robert Revington; McMaster University, Religious Studies ABSTRACT This thesis examines the historical trajectory of how the comic book character of Superman came to be identified as a Christ figure in popular consciousness. Superman was created in 1938, but the character developed significantly from his earliest incarnations.
    [Show full text]
  • Brief for Petitioners
    No. 20-315 In the Supreme Court of the United States JOSE SANTOS SANCHEZ AND SONIA GONZALEZ, PETITIONERS, v. ALEJANDRO N. MAYORKAS, SECRETARY, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, ET AL., RESPONDENTS. ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT BRIEF FOR PETITIONERS LISA S. BLATT JAIME W. APARISI AMY MASON SAHARIA Counsel of Record A. JOSHUA PODOLL YUSUF R. AHMAD MICHAEL J. MESTITZ DANIELA RAAYMAKERS ALEXANDER GAZIKAS APARISI LAW DANIELLE J. SOCHACZEVSKI 819 Silver Spring Avenue WILLIAMS & CONNOLLY LLP Silver Spring, MD 20910 725 Twelfth Street, N.W. (301) 562-1416 Washington, DC 20005 [email protected] (202) 434-5000 QUESTION PRESENTED Whether, under 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(f)(4), a grant of Temporary Protected Status authorizes eligible nonciti- zens to obtain lawful-permanent-resident status under 8 U.S.C. § 1255. (I) II PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDINGS Petitioners are Jose Santos Sanchez and Sonia Gon- zalez. Respondents are Alejandro N. Mayorkas, Secre- tary, United States Department of Homeland Security; Director, United States Citizenship & Immigration Ser- vices; Director, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services Nebraska Service Center; and District Director, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services New- ark. III TABLE OF CONTENTS Page OPINIONS BELOW ........................................................... 1 JURISDICTION ................................................................. 2 STATUTORY PROVISIONS INVOLVED ..................... 2 STATEMENT .....................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Stay out of the 6Ui[Aing Wfien You 1Re Not Supposed to 6E in Here. It's P[Ain
    University High School Volume 71 1362 East 59th Street Number3 Chicago, Illinois 60637 a~e School uses video cameras to strengthen security but some U-Highers wonder if ethics are weakened any people don't even know they exist. Some have heard rumors. Still others have seen themselves Mthrough them. Hidden cameras exist here at the Laboratory Schools and have since last year. AFTER REPEATED thefts and vandalism of Laboratory School property, administrators ordered alarms and motion de­ tectors installed three years ago . This system alerted adminis­ trators when security was breached but no trespasser was ever identified and no culprit ever caught. After repeated late night phone calls to administrators from CE PHOTO from a third floor University police regarding breakins, Assistant Director David Stafford and Manager of Auxiliary Services Peter Brown de­ northea t U-High camera. ote the size of this cided to have hidden surveillance cameras installed as part of camera's len , the tiny obje(t the hand in of an experiment. "M.ike," a ecurit con ultant. "After getting calls at two in the ffiOi"ningabout four or five times throughout the year," recalled Lab Schools Director Lucinda Lee Katz, "I asked Mr. Stafford and Mr. Brown to in­ on." vestigate enhancing the security system ." Reluctant to release the times at which AFTER LOOKING AT numerous alternatives, including a the cameras are in operation, administra­ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ keying system that reg- tors would say the surveillance system is isters who enters the only activated after school hours and on school, at what location weekends. ((Stay of out the 6ui[aing and what time, Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Contemporary Film Music
    Edited by LINDSAY COLEMAN & JOAKIM TILLMAN CONTEMPORARY FILM MUSIC INVESTIGATING CINEMA NARRATIVES AND COMPOSITION Contemporary Film Music Lindsay Coleman • Joakim Tillman Editors Contemporary Film Music Investigating Cinema Narratives and Composition Editors Lindsay Coleman Joakim Tillman Melbourne, Australia Stockholm, Sweden ISBN 978-1-137-57374-2 ISBN 978-1-137-57375-9 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-57375-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017931555 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identified as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made.
    [Show full text]
  • Women in Film Time: Forty Years of the Alien Series (1979–2019)
    IAFOR Journal of Arts & Humanities Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Autumn 2019 Women in Film Time: Forty Years of the Alien Series (1979–2019) Susan George, University of Delhi, India. Abstract Cultural theorists have had much to read into the Alien science fiction film series, with assessments that commonly focus on a central female ‘heroine,’ cast in narratives that hinge on themes of motherhood, female monstrosity, birth/death metaphors, empire, colony, capitalism, and so on. The films’ overarching concerns with the paradoxes of nature, culture, body and external materiality, lead us to concur with Stephen Mulhall’s conclusion that these concerns revolve around the issue of “the relation of human identity to embodiment”. This paper uses these cultural readings as an entry point for a tangential study of the Alien films centring on the subject of time. Spanning the entire series of four original films and two recent prequels, this essay questions whether the Alien series makes that cerebral effort to investigate the operations of “the feminine” through the space of horror/adventure/science fiction, and whether the films also produce any deliberate comment on either the lived experience of women’s time in these genres, or of film time in these genres as perceived by the female viewer. Keywords: Alien, SF, time, feminine, film 59 IAFOR Journal of Arts & Humanities Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Autumn 2019 Alien Films that Philosophise Ridley Scott’s 1979 S/F-horror film Alien spawned not only a remarkable forty-year cinema obsession that has resulted in six specific franchise sequels and prequels till date, but also a considerable amount of scholarly interest around the series.
    [Show full text]
  • To Rock Or Not Torock?
    v7n3cov 4/21/02 10:12 AM Page c1 ORIGINAL MUSIC SOUNDTRACKS FOR MOTION PICTURES AND TV V OLUME 7, NUMBER 3 Exclusive interview with Tom Conti! TOTO ROCK ROCK OROR NOTNOT TOROCK?TOROCK? CanCan youyou smellsmell whatwhat JohnJohn DebneyDebney isis cooking?cooking? JOHNWILLIAMSJOHNWILLIAMS’’ HOOKHOOK ReturnReturn toto NeverlandNeverland DIALECTDIALECT OFOF DESIREDESIRE TheThe eroticerotic voicevoice ofof ItalianItalian cinemacinema THETHE MANWHO CAN-CAN-CANCAN-CAN-CAN MeetMeet thethe maestromaestro ofof MoulinMoulin Rouge!Rouge! PLUSPLUS HowardHoward ShoreShore && RandyRandy NewmanNewman getget theirs!theirs! 03> 7225274 93704 $4.95 U.S. • $5.95 Canada v7n3cov 4 /19/02 4 :29 PM P age c2 composers musicians record labels music publishers equipment manufacturers software manufacturers music editors music supervisors music clear- Score with ance arrangers soundtrack our readers. labels contractors scoring stages orchestrators copyists recording studios dubbing prep dubbing rescoring music prep scoring mixers Film & TV Music Series 2002 If you contribute in any way to the film music process, our four Film & TV Music Special Issues provide a unique marketing opportunity for your talent, product or service throughout the year. Film & TV Music Summer Edition: August 20, 2002 Space Deadline: August 1 | Materials Deadline: August 7 Film & TV Music Fall Edition: November 5, 2002 Space Deadline: October 18 | Materials Deadline: October 24 LA Judi Pulver (323) 525-2026, NY John Troyan (646) 654-5624, UK John Kania +(44-208) 694-0104 www.hollywoodreporter.com v7n03 issue 4/19/02 3:09 PM Page 1 CONTENTS MARCH/APRIL 2002 cover story departments 14 To Rock or Not to Rock? 2 Editorial Like it or hate it (okay, hate it), the rock score is Happy 70th, Maestro! here to stay.
    [Show full text]
  • Underwater Music: Tuning Composition to the Sounds of Science
    Underwater Music: Tuning Composition to the Sounds of Science The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. Citation Helmreich, Stefan. “Underwater Music: Tuning Composition to the Sounds of Science.” Oxford Handbooks Online (December 2, 2011). As Published http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195388947.013.0044 Publisher Oxford University Press Version Original manuscript Citable link http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114601 Terms of Use Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike Detailed Terms http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ OUP UNCORRECTED FIRST-PROOF 7/6/11 CENVEO chapter 6 UNDERWATER MUSIC: TUNING COMPOSITION TO THE SOUNDS OF SCIENCE stefan helmreich Introduction How should we apprehend sounds subaqueous and submarine? As humans, our access to underwater sonic realms is modulated by means fl eshy and technological. Bones, endolymph fl uid, cilia, hydrophones, and sonar equipment are just a few apparatuses that bring watery sounds into human audio worlds. As this list sug- gests, the media through which humans hear sound under water can reach from the scale of the singular biological body up through the socially distributed and techno- logically tuned-in community. For the social scale, which is peopled by submari- ners, physical oceanographers, marine biologists, and others, the underwater world —and the undersea world in particular — often emerge as a “fi eld” (a wildish, distributed space for investigation) and occasionally as a “lab” (a contained place for controlled experiments). In this chapter I investigate the ways the underwater realm manifests as such a scientifi cally, technologically, and epistemologically apprehensible zone.
    [Show full text]
  • Remixing the Voyager Interstellar Record Or, As Extraterrestrials Might Listen
    Journal of Sonic Studies 8 (2014) Sounds of Space: http://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/109536/109537 Remixing the Voyager Interstellar Record Or, As Extraterrestrials Might Listen Stefan Helmreich Contextualizing the Context In 2010, scientists claiming to belong to a dissenting faction of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) contacted Seeland Records. Calling themselves the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence in Exile, or SETI-X, the group claimed to have received an alien transmission of rearranged sound from the Voyager Golden Record, a phonograph album famously sent into outer space in 1977 on each of NASA’s two Voyager spacecraft (Figure 1). The Golden Record had been put together in the mid-1970s by a panel convened by astronomer Carl Sagan, and it held a program of sounds and music of Earth, representing to imagined aliens our planet’s soundscapes, voices, and musical traditions. [1] Figure 1: The Voyager Golden Record. Side 1, on left, is the analog audio program. Side 2, on right, instructions to extraterrestrials on how to play the record. [2] 1 Because the scientists of SETI-X wished to remain anonymous, Seeland sought a public voice or commentator from other quarters. Because the label had in 2003 released a CD I had created, Xerophonics: Copying Machine Music, a science- and-technology themed mix of sounds of indefinite ownership (Helmreich 2003), and because I had also written about scientific notions of extraterrestrial life (Helmreich 2006), Seeland reasoned that I might be appropriately positioned to offer thoughts on the SETI-X document. They asked me to comment, which I did in a few venues (including, among other sites, the Los Angeles Daily News [Mills 2010].
    [Show full text]