Task 8

Golden Record Curation

This task was much more difficult than I had anticipated. Selecting songs that portray the diversity of life and culture on earth seemed like a grand responsibility. My goal for my list was to try and eliminate my own cultural biases and omit Western or personal subjectivity as much as I could. I was immediately drawn to music that I was familiar with- such as Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. Being less than musically inclined, I have heard of these people, so wouldn’t they be a good representation of life on earth? My initial reaction was that these may be the easy “go-to” picks for this list, and therefore I shouldn’t include them. However, I changed my mind.

In Dr. Abby Smith Rumsey’s video about digital memory, one question she poses early is: how do we know what has long term value? She discusses a lot about memory and its implications. Something that stuck out to me is that she states that memory is not about the past, but it is about the future (23:42). “The purpose of remembering things is so that the brain can build a model of the world.” For my selections, I first had to come up with a set of criteria that portrays the culture of life and earth worldwide. Taking Dr. Rumsey’s advice, I have focused my criteria around memorable pieces that showcase a worldwide perspective. The criteria of a memorable piece had to do with rhythm, beat, and vibrations as well. The songs must be memorable, so no two should be too alike. My selections include songs with both instrumental aspects as well as voice. There are numerous countries featured in my selections, featuring a variety of rhythm, instrumentation, and voice that I believe would give a memorable and strong representation of the culture and diversity of life on earth.

My Golden Record selections (1977):

1. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F. First Movement, Munich Bach Orchestra, Karl Richter, conductor. 4:40
2. Mexico, "El Cascabel," performed by Lorenzo Barcelata and the Mariachi México. 3:14
3. "Johnny B. Goode," written and performed by Chuck Berry. 2:38
4. Japan, shakuhachi, "Tsuru No Sugomori" ("Crane's Nest,") performed by Goro Yamaguchi. 4:51
5. Mozart, The Magic Flute, Queen of the Night aria, no. 14. Edda Moser, soprano. Bavarian State Opera, Munich, Wolfgang Sawallisch, conductor. 2:55
6. Peru, panpipes and drum, collected by Casa de la Cultura, Lima. 0:52
7. Navajo Indians, Night Chant, recorded by Willard Rhodes. 0:57
8. India, raga, "Jaat Kahan Ho," sung by Surshri Kesar Bai Kerkar. 3:30
9. "Dark Was the Night," written and performed by Blind Willie Johnson. 3:15
10. Bulgaria, "Izlel je Delyo Hagdutin," sung by Valya Balkanska. 4:59

An afterthought:

Upon further research, I learned that the record contained not only songs, but images from Earth as well. My immediate thought was that pairing down images would be a much easier task as I am more of a visual learner than an auditory learner. I think the images would be easier to decipher because, for the most part, I can tell what they are. For example, the photo of a breastfeeding mother highlights the epitome of life itself and this is in a worldwide sense as well as it would depict both human and animal life. On the other hand, with the songs, I had to figure out what the songs meant first by listening to sounds, words, and considering the source or origin.