A Year from Monday: New Lectures and Writings

SERIOUSLY COMMA

The composer Andre Boucourechliev conducted an inquiry regarding attitudes towardzyxwvutsr Serial Music Today. I contributed the following article. It was published in Preuves (Paris) March 1966. SERIOUSLY COMMA Admitting that, no matter what, one thing follows another (Wolff: "becomes a melody"), that there's no space between activities (Variations III), one asserts that this isn't two­dimensional linear­fact (or multiplicity of such facts interrelated) but un­ beginning, interminable field­fact. Space, miracle, then arises where there was none. zyxwvut McLuhan insists on the newspaper front-page as the present existence type. Reading, we no longer read systematically (concluding each column , or even turning the page to conclude an article): we jump. McLuhan (Gutenberg Galaxy, Understanding Media) again: That printing (alphabet: making b follow a inflexibly) made the Renaissance is evident. Electronics equally is making us. SHE SPENDS HER TIME COUNTING THE PASSING CARS. 26 MUSIC'S NOT WAITING, BUT SINGS FINAL DISSOLUTION OF POLITICS-ECONOMICS SO THAT, IN EXCHANGE FOR, SAY, ONE DAY'S WORK PER YEAR, EACH PERSON GETS PASSPORT-CREDIT-CARD (ACCESS TO WHAT GLOBAL-VILLAGE -HUMAN-RACE HAS TO OFFER). One thing he said: "There is already enough of the unknown." Did he think of it then as spice or vitamin, additional at any rate to something not it, something known? Knowing, as we do, gravity doesn't act, what shall we consider that we know? Invade areas where nothing's definite (areas—micro and macro— adjacent the one we know in). It won't sound like music—serial or electronic. It'll sound like what we hear when we're not hearingzy music, just hearing whatever wherever we happen to be. But to accomplish this our technological means must be constantly changing. / asked him what a musical score is now. He said that's a good question. I said: Is it a fixed relationship of parts? He said: Of course not; that would be insulting. zyxwv THEY SAID ONE THING INVOLVING SYMBOLS—LINEAR RELATION­ SHIPS—WHICH MADE ME THINK THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND. BUT THEN THEY SAID SOMETHING ELSE —THAT THE SCHOOL'S DAYS OF BEING OPEN WOULD BE UNPRE­ DICTABLY ARRANGED. THE RESULT WAS WE HAD A PLEASANT DAY TOGETHER. zyxw 27 Complaint: you open doors; what we want to know is which ones you close. (Doors I open close automatically after I go through.) zyxw The thing that's so offensive about the series is the notion that it is the principle from which all happenings flow (it would be perfectly acceptable for a series to enter into a field situation). But the prediction of series equals harmony equals mind of man (unchanged, used as obstacle, not as fluent component open at both ends)! Privilege of connecting two things remains privilege of each individual (e.g.: I: thirsty: drink a glass of water); but this privilege isn't to be exercised publicly except in emergencies (there are no aesthetic emergencies). PERMISSION GRANTED. BUT NOT TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT. zyx 28 (Fish) Species, separated and labeled, isn't what an aquarium is now. It's a large glass water-house with unidentified fish freely swimming. Observation— Discovery. At present, it appears to be a series of components—a soundsystem —but it is a series ofzyxwvu components, not a series of components . Soon 'twill be done wirelessly; then it won't appear to be different than what it already essentially is: not a, series of components . It's no longer a question of people led by someone who assumes responsibility. Ifs as McLuhan says: a tribal situation. We need one another's help doing (food-gathering, art) what is to be done. Dealing with language (while waiting for something else than syntax) as though it's a soundsource that can be transformed into gibberish. zyxwvuts IT MUST BE DONE IN A WAY IT CANNOT BE TAUGHT (HE SIMPLY HANDED ME A SPEC­ IMEN AND WAS GENEROUS ENOUGH TO SAY: IT IS EASY TO IDENTIFY. HE SAID NOTHING ELSE. I THEN NOTICED THE OPPOSITE LEAVES ARRANGED ALTER­ NATELY ON THE STEM AT RIGHT ANGLES). IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER I'LL REMEMBER, HAVE TIME TO DIG. zyxw 29 ...