Meredith Monk
Encyclopedia
Meredith Jane Monk is an American
composer
, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records.
(NYC) as a solo dancer in an Off Broadway children's musical theater adaptation of Charles Dickens
' "A Christmas Carol
," entitled "Scrooge" (music and lyrics by Norman Curtis; directed and choreographed by Patricia Taylor Curtis). In 1964, Monk graduated from Sarah Lawrence College
after studying with Beverly Schmidt Blossom
, and in 1968 she founded The House, a company dedicated to an interdisciplinary approach to performance.
Monk's performances have influenced many artists, including Bruce Nauman
, whom she met in San Francisco in 1968. In 1978 Monk formed Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble (modelled after similar ensembles of musical colleagues, such as Steve Reich
and Philip Glass
), to explore new and wider vocal textures and forms, which often were contrasted with minimal
instrumental textures. Monk began a long-standing relationship with the Walker Art Center
of Minneapolis, which continues to showcase her work to this day. Pieces from this time include Dolmen Music
(1979), which also was recorded for her first album released at Manfred Eicher
's record label ECM
in 1981.
In the 1980s, Monk wrote and directed two films, Ellis Island (1981), and Book of Days (1988), which developed from a single idea; "One day during summer of 1984, as I was sweeping the floor of my house in the country, the image of a young girl (in black and white) and a medieval street in the Jewish community
(also in black and white) came to me." Monk tells this account in the liner notes of the ECM-recording. Apart from the film, different versions exist of this piece. Two are for the concert hall, and an album, produced by Meredith Monk and Manfred Eicher
, is "a film for the ears."
In the early 1990s, Monk composed an opera called Atlas, which premiered in Houston, Texas
in 1991. She has also written pieces for instrumental ensembles and symphony orchestras. Her first symphonic work was Possible Sky (2003). It was followed by Stringsongs (2004) for string quartet, which was commissioned by the Kronos Quartet
. In 2005, events were held all over the world in celebration of the 40th anniversary of her career, including a concert in Carnegie Hall
featuring Björk
, Terry Riley
, DJ Spooky
(who sampled Monk on his album Drums of Death
), Ursula Oppens, Bruce Brubaker, John Zorn
, and the new music ensembles Alarm Will Sound
and Bang on a Can
All-Stars, along with the Pacific Mozart Ensemble
.
, the University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
, the Juilliard School
, the San Francisco Art Institute
and the Boston Conservatory
. In 2007, she received in Italy the Demetrio Stratos
International Award for musical experimentation.
Her music was used in films by the Coen Brothers
(The Big Lebowski
, 1998) and Jean-Luc Godard
(Nouvelle Vague, 1990 and Notre musique
, 2004).
In a recent interview, Monk said that her favourite music includes Brazilian music, especially Caetano Veloso
's recordings, the music by Mildred Bailey
("the great jazz singer from the ‘30s and ‘40s"), and Bartók
's cycle for piano Mikrokosmos.
; of time as a recurring cycle
."
--Liner notes of the album Book of Days, ECM New Series (1990)
"I work in between the cracks, where the voice starts dancing, where the body starts singing, where theater becomes cinema
."
--Deborah Jowitt
(ed.), Meredith Monk (Johns Hopkins University Press
, 1997)
"Björk
did one of my songs, "Gotham Lullaby". I'd heard her sing that [...] on an MP3 file one of my [voice] students gave me, and I found it really interesting. Then we met six months ago, and liked each other very much. She's a lovely spirit."
--Interview by Tony Montague in The Globe and Mail, November 11, 2005
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records.
Life and work
Meredith Monk is primarily known for her vocal innovations, including a wide range of extended techniques, which she first developed in her solo performances prior to forming her own ensemble. In December 1961, she appeared at the "Actor's Playhouse" in Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
(NYC) as a solo dancer in an Off Broadway children's musical theater adaptation of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' "A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
," entitled "Scrooge" (music and lyrics by Norman Curtis; directed and choreographed by Patricia Taylor Curtis). In 1964, Monk graduated from Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
after studying with Beverly Schmidt Blossom
Beverly Schmidt Blossom
Beverly Schmidt Blossom is an American modern dancer, choreographer and teacher. She was an original member and soloist with the Alwin Nikolais Dance Theatre, a modern dance choreographer for Illinois Dance Theatre, Blossom & Co...
, and in 1968 she founded The House, a company dedicated to an interdisciplinary approach to performance.
Monk's performances have influenced many artists, including Bruce Nauman
Bruce Nauman
Bruce Nauman is a contemporary American artist. His practice spans a broad range of media including sculpture, photography, neon, video, drawing, printmaking, and performance. Nauman lives in Galisteo, New Mexico....
, whom she met in San Francisco in 1968. In 1978 Monk formed Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble (modelled after similar ensembles of musical colleagues, such as Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
and Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
), to explore new and wider vocal textures and forms, which often were contrasted with minimal
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
instrumental textures. Monk began a long-standing relationship with the Walker Art Center
Walker Art Center
The Walker Art Center is a contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is considered one of the nation's "big five" museums for modern art along with the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Hirshhorn...
of Minneapolis, which continues to showcase her work to this day. Pieces from this time include Dolmen Music
Dolmen Music
Dolmen Music is an album by American composer and vocalist Meredith Monk recorded in 1980-81 and released on the ECM New Series label.-Reception:Allmusic awarded the album 2 stars. In his review, Michael G...
(1979), which also was recorded for her first album released at Manfred Eicher
Manfred Eicher
Manfred Eicher is a German record producer and the founder of ECM Records and its subsidiaries.Eicher studied music at the Academy of Music in Berlin. He is a record producer and a double-bass player. In 1969 he founded a record label in Munich called ECM - Edition of Contemporary Music...
's record label ECM
ECM (record label)
ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres...
in 1981.
In the 1980s, Monk wrote and directed two films, Ellis Island (1981), and Book of Days (1988), which developed from a single idea; "One day during summer of 1984, as I was sweeping the floor of my house in the country, the image of a young girl (in black and white) and a medieval street in the Jewish community
Jews in the Middle Ages
The history of Jews in the Middle Ages spans the timeframe of approximately 500 CE to 1750 CE. This article covers the medieval history of Jews in the Christian-dominated European region...
(also in black and white) came to me." Monk tells this account in the liner notes of the ECM-recording. Apart from the film, different versions exist of this piece. Two are for the concert hall, and an album, produced by Meredith Monk and Manfred Eicher
Manfred Eicher
Manfred Eicher is a German record producer and the founder of ECM Records and its subsidiaries.Eicher studied music at the Academy of Music in Berlin. He is a record producer and a double-bass player. In 1969 he founded a record label in Munich called ECM - Edition of Contemporary Music...
, is "a film for the ears."
In the early 1990s, Monk composed an opera called Atlas, which premiered in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
in 1991. She has also written pieces for instrumental ensembles and symphony orchestras. Her first symphonic work was Possible Sky (2003). It was followed by Stringsongs (2004) for string quartet, which was commissioned by the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
. In 2005, events were held all over the world in celebration of the 40th anniversary of her career, including a concert in Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
featuring Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Terry Riley
Terry Riley
Terrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...
, DJ Spooky
DJ Spooky
Paul D. Miller , known by his stage name DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is a Washington DC-born electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics or his fans as "illbient" or "trip hop". He is a turntablist, a producer, a philosopher, and an author...
(who sampled Monk on his album Drums of Death
Drums of Death
Drums of Death may refer to:*Drums of Death , real name Colin Bailey, British electronic musician*Drums of Death , a 2005 album by DJ Spooky and Dave Lombardo...
), Ursula Oppens, Bruce Brubaker, John Zorn
John Zorn
John Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
, and the new music ensembles Alarm Will Sound
Alarm Will Sound
Alarm Will Sound is a 20-member chamber orchestra that focuses on recordings and performances of contemporary music. Its performances have been described as "equal parts exuberance, nonchalance, and virtuosity" by the Financial Times and as "a triumph of ensemble playing" by the San Francisco...
and Bang on a Can
Bang on a Can
Bang on a Can is a multi-faceted classical music organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon...
All-Stars, along with the Pacific Mozart Ensemble
Pacific Mozart Ensemble
The Pacific Mozart Ensemble is a volunteer choral organization based in Berkeley, CA. The group was formed to provide a chorus of professional quality for highly-skilled and experienced singers who did not wish to make singing a full-time profession. It was to be large enough to perform the major...
.
Honors and legacy
Monk has won numerous awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship. She has been awarded honorary Doctor of Arts degrees from Bard CollegeBard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
, the University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
The University of the Arts is one of the United States' oldest universities dedicated to the arts. Its campus makes up part of the Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia...
, the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
, the San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...
and the Boston Conservatory
Boston Conservatory
The Boston Conservatory is a performing arts conservatory located in the Fenway-Kenmore region of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, dance and musical theater...
. In 2007, she received in Italy the Demetrio Stratos
Demetrio Stratos
Efstratios Demetriou better known as Demetrio Stratos was an Italian lyricist, multi-instrumentalist, music researcher, and co-founder, frontman and lead singer of the Italian progressive rock, jazz fusion band Area – International POPular Group.Born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, of Greek...
International Award for musical experimentation.
Her music was used in films by the Coen Brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
(The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeff Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler, who is referred to as "The Dude". After a case of mistaken identity, The Dude is introduced to a millionaire also named...
, 1998) and Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
(Nouvelle Vague, 1990 and Notre musique
Notre musique
Notre musique is a 2004 film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. The film reflects on violence, morality, and the representation of violence in film, and touches especially on past colonialism and the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict...
, 2004).
In a recent interview, Monk said that her favourite music includes Brazilian music, especially Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
's recordings, the music by Mildred Bailey
Mildred Bailey
Mildred Bailey was a popular and influential American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Rockin' Chair Lady" and "Mrs. Swing"...
("the great jazz singer from the ‘30s and ‘40s"), and Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
's cycle for piano Mikrokosmos.
Personal life
Her partner was the Dutch-born choreographer Mieke van Hoek, who died in 2002.Quotations
"In most of my music, theater pieces and films, I try to express a sense of timelessnessEternity
While in the popular mind, eternity often simply means existence for a limitless amount of time, many have used it to refer to a timeless existence altogether outside time. By contrast, infinite temporal existence is then called sempiternity. Something eternal exists outside time; by contrast,...
; of time as a recurring cycle
Social cycle theory
Social cycle theories are among the earliest social theories in sociology. Unlike the theory of social evolutionism, which views the evolution of society and human history as progressing in some new, unique direction, sociological cycle theory argues that events and stages of society and history...
."
--Liner notes of the album Book of Days, ECM New Series (1990)
"I work in between the cracks, where the voice starts dancing, where the body starts singing, where theater becomes cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
."
--Deborah Jowitt
Deborah Jowitt
Deborah Jowitt is an American dance critic, author, and choreographer. Her career in dance began as a performer and choreographer. Jowitt has received several awards for her work, including a Bessie for her work in dance criticism.Beginning in 1967, she wrote a weekly dance column for the Village...
(ed.), Meredith Monk (Johns Hopkins University Press
Johns Hopkins University Press
The Johns Hopkins University Press is the publishing division of the Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The Press publishes books, journals, and electronic databases...
, 1997)
"Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
did one of my songs, "Gotham Lullaby". I'd heard her sing that [...] on an MP3 file one of my [voice] students gave me, and I found it really interesting. Then we met six months ago, and liked each other very much. She's a lovely spirit."
--Interview by Tony Montague in The Globe and Mail, November 11, 2005
Instrumental works
- Paris for solo pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
(1973) - Acts from under and above Ellis IslandEllis IslandEllis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
for two pianos (1986) - WindowWindowA window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
in 7's for solo piano (1986) - Parlour Games for two pianos (1988)
- Phantom Waltz for two pianos (1990)
- St. Petersburg Waltz for solo piano (1994)
- SteppeSteppeIn physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
Music for solo piano (1997) - Clarinet Study #4, for Solo ClarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
(1999) - Cello Study #1 for Solo CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and Voice (1999) - Trumpet Study #1 for Solo TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
(1999) - Possible Sky for orchestra and voices (commissioned by Michael Tilson ThomasMichael Tilson ThomasMichael Tilson Thomas is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is currently music director of the San Francisco Symphony, and artistic director of the New World Symphony Orchestra.-Early years:...
for the New World SymphonyNew World Symphony OrchestraThe New World Symphony is the United States' only full-time orchestral academy preparing musicians for careers in symphony orchestras and ensembles...
, 2003) - Stringsongs for string quartetString quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
(commissioned by the Kronos QuartetKronos QuartetKronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, 2004)
Vocal works
- 16 Millimeter Earrings for voice, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and tapes (1966) - JuiceJuiceJuice is the liquid that is naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue.Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fruit or vegetable flesh without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree...
: A Theater Cantata for 85 voices, jaw harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
and two violins (1969) - Vessel: An Opera Epic for 75 voices, electronic organElectronic organAn electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
, dulcimerHammered dulcimerThe hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. Typically, the hammered dulcimer is set on a stand, at an angle, before the musician, who holds small mallet hammers in each hand to strike the strings...
and accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
(1971) - Our Lady of Late for solo voice and wineWineWine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
glass (1972) - QuarryQuarryA quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
: An Opera for 38 voices, 2 pump organs, 2 soprano recorderRecorderThe recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
s, tape (1976) - Songs from the HillHillA hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
for unaccompanied solo voice (1976) - Tablet for four voices, piano four hands, two soprano recorders (1976)
- DolmenDolmenA dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
Music for 6 voices, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, percussion (1979) - The Games for 16 voices, synthesizer, keyboards, Flemish BagpipesBagpipesBagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
, bagpipes, Chinese horn and rauschpfeifeRauschpfeifeThe rauschpfeife is a musical instrument of the woodwind family, originally popular in Europe in the mid-16th Century. In common with the crumhorn and cornamuse, it is a wooden double-reed instrument with the reed enclosed in a windcap...
(1983) - AstronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
Anthem for chorus a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
(1983) - Panda Chant II for chorus a cappella (1984)
- Book of DaysBook of days- Non–Fiction literature :*Book of Days by Abu 'Ubaida*Chambers Book of Days, by Robert Chambers*The Wicca Book of Days by Gerina Dunwich*The Goddess Book of Days: A Perpetual 366 Day Engagement Calendar by Diane Stein...
for 25 voices, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
or 7 voices, synthesizer (Chamber Version) (1985) recorded for ECMECM (record label)ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres... - Scared Song, song for solo voice, synthesizer and piano (1986)
- I Don't Know, song for solo voice and piano (1986)
- Atlas: An Opera in Three Parts for 18 voices and chamber orchestra (1991)
- Three Heavens and Hells for 4 voices (1992)
- VolcanoVolcano2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
Songs (Solo) for solo voice, voice with taped voices and piano (1994) - Star Trek: Envoy for composing/directing/performing in the Den-Kai/Krikiki Ensemble (1995)
- The Politics of Quiet for 10 voices, 2 keyboards, hornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, bowed psalteryBowed psalteryA bowed psaltery is a psaltery that is played with a bow.-Violin Zither:In 1925 a German patent was issued to the Clemens Neuber Company for a bowed psaltery which also included a set of strings arranged in chords, so that one could play the melody on the bowed psaltery strings, and strum...
(1996) - Magic Frequencies for 6 voices, 2 keyboards, percussion (1999)
- Eclipse Variations for 4 voices, esraj, sampler, recorded in surround sound, commissioned by StarklandStarklandStarkland is an independent record label based in Boulder, Colorado that specializes in alternative classical music. It was founded in 1991 by Thomas Steenland....
- Mercy for 6 voices, 2 keyboards, percussion, multiple woodwinds, violin (2001)
- When There Were Work Songs for vocal ensemble (2002, commissioned by the Western Wind Vocal Ensemble)
- Last Song for solo voice and piano (2003)
- Impermanence for eight voices, piano, keyboard, marimbaMarimbaThe marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
, vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, percussion, violin, multiple woodwinds, bicycle wheelBicycle wheelA bicycle wheel is a wheel, most commonly a wire wheel, designed for bicycle. A pair is often called a wheelset, especially in the context of ready built "off the shelf" performance-oriented wheels....
(2005) - Night for chorus and orchestra (1996/2005)
- Songs of Ascension for vocal ensemble and string quartetString quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
(2006, commissioned by the Kronos QuartetKronos QuartetKronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, with Ann Hamilton) - Weave for solo voices, chorus and orchestra (2010, commissioned by Grand Center Inc and the Los Angeles Master ChoraleLos Angeles Master ChoraleThe Los Angeles Master Chorale is a professional chorus in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1964 by Roger Wagner to be one of the three original resident companies of the Music Center of Los Angeles County...
)
Discography
- Key (Increase Records, 1971 / Lovely Music, 1977 and 1995)
- Our Lady of Late (Minona Records, 1973 / wergo, 1986)
- Songs from the Hill / Tablet (wergo, 1979)
- Dolmen MusicDolmen MusicDolmen Music is an album by American composer and vocalist Meredith Monk recorded in 1980-81 and released on the ECM New Series label.-Reception:Allmusic awarded the album 2 stars. In his review, Michael G...
(ECM, 1981) - Turtle DreamsTurtle DreamsTurtle Dreams is an album by American composer and vocalist Meredith Monk recorded in 1983 and released on the ECM New Series label.-Reception:...
(ECM, 1983) - Do You Be (ECM, 1987)
- Book of Days (1990) (ECM, 1990)
- Facing North (ECM, 1992)
- Atlas: An Opera in Three Parts (ECM, 1993)
- Monk and the Abbess, Music of Hildegard von Bingen and Meredith Monk (RCA, 1995)
- Volcano Songs (ECM, 1997)
- Eclipse Variations (StarklandStarklandStarkland is an independent record label based in Boulder, Colorado that specializes in alternative classical music. It was founded in 1991 by Thomas Steenland....
, 2000), recorded on surround sound DVD - Mercy (ECM, 2002)
- Impermanence (ECM, 2008)
- Beginnings (Tzadik, 2009), compositions from 1966 to 1980
- Songs of Ascension (ECM, 2011)
Films
- 1993 – The Sensual Nature of Sound: 4 Composers – Laurie Anderson, Tania León, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros. Directed by Michael Blackwood.
- 1983 – Four American Composers "Meredith Monk." Directed by Peter Greenaway.
- 1996 – Speaking of Dance: Conversations With Contemporary Masters of American Modern Dance. No. 22: Meredith Monk. American Dance Festival. Directed by Douglas Rosenberg.
External links
- Meredith Monk's official site
- Meredith Monk on ECM Records
- Meredith Monk. Encyclopaedia Britannica.
- NNDb
- Meredith Monk Archive, 1959-2006 Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
- Meredith Monk in the Video Data Bank
- Meredith Monk interview
- Meredith Monk performs Our Lady of Late, for solo voice, wine glass, and percussion, July 23rd, 1975, Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, Naropa Institute, Boulder, Colorado
- Archive film of Meredith Monk/The House performing Magic Frequencies in 1998 at Jacob's Pillow