Much has been written on American composer La Monte Young (b.1935), and I can’t even begin to explore the expanse of his work here, but instead wanted to concentrate on a particular work in his formative years, Composition 1960 #7.
Having studied with German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen in the 1950s, Young began creating works that contributed towards American Minimalism as we recognise it today. It could be argued that without Young, we might not perhaps have had Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass. If anything, perhaps his reductive works at least offered a sense of permission of possibilities.
The Controversy of ‘Silence’
Almost a decade earlier, John Cage’s seminal and inspirational ‘silent’ work 4’33” was published for any instrument or combination of instruments, with strict instructions for performers not to play their instruments during the entire duration of the work. Suddenly the ambient world around a performance became of equal value. The controversy had begun! What was music anymore? Dismissed as exhibitionism by some at the time, bemusement and anger turned to questioning the very essence of composition.
In 1960, Young organised a series of events at Yoko Ono’s loft on Chambers Street in New York City, that inspired the formation of Fluxus. The idea of the social and collective aspect of music had been ignited, and as Young later remarked when he edited the publication An Anthology (1963), the works were characterised as chance operations, concept art, anti-art, indeterminacy, . . . improvisation, meaningless work, and natural disasters.
So, in 1960, whilst working as the musical director of choreographer and dancer Anna Halprin’s summer workshop, Young presented his event scores for the first time. That’s to say, text works that instruct performers to build on simple actions, and in so doing reframe them as art.
Some are reflective and beautiful. Indeed, Composition 1960 #5 for example is almost romantic in character. The text reads as following:
Clearly inspired by Cage, Young wanted to ensure that people recognised that even a butterfly makes sound, saying a person should listen to what he ordinarily just looks at, or look at things he would ordinarily just hear.
Arguably the most popular of these is Compositions 1960 #7, probably because of its immediate accessibility and musical qualities. The entirety of the score consists of two notes: a B3 and F#4, with the instruction “To be held for a long Time.” Any number and combination of instruments may play this piece, so long as the instructions are carried out.
Dream House New York City
For anyone who has experienced Young’s extraordinary permanent installation Dream House at 275 Church Street in New York City, they will be familiar with the sonic impression this leaves on the listener. I was fortunate enough to visit the Dream House in the late 1990s, which combines one of Young’s continuous sine wave compositions with artist Marian Zazeela’s lighting work.
Entering off the street, I remember climbing this very steep staircase, which leads at the top into a neon pink room, with constantly fluctuating sine wave components generated digitally in real time on a custom-designed Rayna interval synthesiser, playing at high volume throughout the space.
The plush carpet beneath your feet, combined with the mediative atmosphere, encourages you sit on the floor and experience this work over time. Although it’s seemingly never changing, the slightest move of your head introduces different pitches to your listening experience. It’s a very physical sensation indeed, and a sense of time is slowly erased.
Apparently, the environment uses Young’s truly unforgivingly titled, and pause for breath here: The Base 9:7:4 Symmetry in Prime Time When Centered above and below The Lowest Term Primes in The Range 288 to 224 with The Addition of 279 and 261 in Which The Half of The Symmetric Division Mapped above and Including 288 Consists of The Powers of 2 Multiplied by The Primes within The Ranges of 144 to 128, 72 to 64 and 36 to 32 Which Are Symmetrical to Those Primes in Lowest Terms in The Half of The Symmetric Division Mapped below and Including 224 within The Ranges 126 to 112, 63 to 56 and 31.5 to 28 with The Addition of 119.
As a famed minimalist composer, Young most certainly has rarely reflected this in his choice of titles. I pity someone trying to ask for this title over a record shop counter one day too.
Tone Science in Liverpool
Now, you might be wondering why I’m focusing on this singular work. Well, I was approached by Ian Boddy of DiN, with whom I’ve released a couple of albums over the last couple of years, the early lockdown cinematic work An Ascent (2020) and the almost optimistic The Homeland of Electricity (2022), to suggest a work that a group of musicians could perform together. Most importantly a work that needs no or little rehearsal for a Tone Science evening.
Tone Science is a sub-label of DiN Records created in 2018, and the ever-expanding series of albums has continued to present a variety of works from a vast body of contemporary composers, including Hainbach, Todd Barton, Hélène Vogelsinger, Chris Carter, Robert Rich, Benge, Panic Girl, DivKid and many others.
Now, for the first time, DiN is staging an extended-length Tone Science Concert, with live performances from Ian Boddy himself, Polypores, Nigel Mullaney, Field Lines Cartographer, and yes, me. The concert will culminate in a performance of Composition 1960 #7, where I shall be at the mixing desk controls, balancing live performances from each of the artists in one unified whole for an epic finale to the event.
Minimalism in Prague
And just like that universally recognised syndrome – you wait for a bus for ages, only for two to arrive together later on – a second performance will take place in Prague in an entirely different configuration.
I have recently been working with an incredible ensemble of musicians performing contemporary music works. We premiered our interpretation of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Aus Den Sieben Tagen at the Rewire Festival in Den Haag in the Netherlands in 2022, and performed it again at Dox in Prague in April 2022.
Thrilled by the positive reception of these shows, we have been conjuring up future ideas and propositions for works, and Gareth Davis, the key force behind the ensemble, suggested a performance of Composition 1960 #7. Whilst in Liverpool the performance will be experienced through synthesis, in Prague we will use bass clarinet, alphorn, trombone, violin, bass guitar, flute, percussion and electronics. And compared to the performance in Liverpool at around 25 minutes, the Prague show will expand this into about one hour of dreamy immersive bliss.
Build a Fire in front of the Audience
In addition, we will be making our mark on Terry Riley’s minimalist masterpiece In C (1964), a seminal work that explores movement and sound in so many inspiring ways. In an even more adventurous way, we are also performing Young’s Composition 1960 #2, which is probably one of the wildest of his scores.
Ever safety conscious, don’t worry, the fire will be lit outside and the audio broadcast throughout the theatre space.
The influence of La Monte Young runs deep, from the Velvet Underground, through to Rhys Chatham, Glenn Branca, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine and even Brian Eno. His work can be almost impossible to hear, through his challenging and uncompromising control of his musical estate, so these are rare opportunities to hear live performances of his work.
I hope everyone who attends these shows reaches the levels of transcendence that Young has always aspired to. As he once said, ‘If listeners aren’t carried away to Heaven, I’m failing.’
Tone Science: Capstone Theatre Liverpool 22 April 2023
Terry Riley/La Monte Young Dox+ Prague 04 May 2023
