Pauline Oliveros -- Deep Listening in Kentucky
Pauline Oliveros, composer and recent recipient of Honorary Membership in the Society for American Music (Eugene, OR 2005) recently visited the University of Kentucky under the auspices of the Rey M. Longyear Colloquium Series. MS. Oliveros proved to be a remarkable wellspring of wit, wisdom, and sonic sense as she visited several music history classes, enjoyed meals with graduate students and faculty, and presented a public lecture in the Gallery of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music.
Colleague and friend, Lance Brunner, had us over for a savory pot luck supper and much animated talk ensued. I still carry with me a shard of conversation with Pauline Oliveros...She was seated at the table looking through a counterpoint text, and I asked her "What sort of counterpoint textbook would you write?" She thought but a moment and said, "the whispering of the wind against the rustling of the leaves against a swirling stream." That is exactly the sort of magical answer appropriate to a composer who has spent her life in gently guiding us to listen more deeply.
posted by Ron Pen @ 2:17 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Delightful quote -- I would expect nothing less, and I would expect you to be moved by nothing less....
KST....thank you for your observation....I should also relate another anecdote from her visit. She split her time between Medieval Music down the hall and my 20th century music class. Appearing half way through the class, we were in the throes of discussing the first fugal movement of Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste. After listening to it, Pauline observed how the work had influenced her many a year ago...and had just provided her with the solution for a problem in a piece she was currently working on. Amazing how she switched gears between the Medieval period and contemporary times, and managed to enlighten the class as well as reflecting on her own composition....Deep listening, indeed.
Interesting -- did she say which piece the Bartok solved? Just curious. I'm actually teaching a 20th-century course this semester, and it'd be helpful to know, given how much time my students and I spent dissecting the very same Bartok movement....
I was greatly moved my her presence, dear. And I really enjoyed talking to her, too.. I think I want to get over to the retreat that she does.. Also, I've spent some morning time both listening to her music and—inspired by her—trying to listen to every single thing as a way of thought-clearing.
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