Morton Subotnick

Morton Subotnick has archived the most basic elements of human emotional response in a medium that challenges our learned definitions of music, time and pitch. LUCY, an opera premiered at last evening's Library of Congress Concert, evokes responses, that, like the opera itself, have no expression in words. The work captures in electronic images what Subotnick might call our "first response" or our most basic response to the world we are caught in; as he described in the pre-concert presentation, the "ahhh..." that precedes all we experience or exhibit in our behaviors, reactions, and responses. Subotnick is attempting to depict what we feel before (but possibly are not aware of or skip over) we feel more learned or programmed responses to established forms of music (possibly because we jump to more comfortable or more passive responses that are personally gratifying because they are predictable, and in that sense, entertaining). Classical music, modern music, even experimental forms of music like jazz are grounded in conventions of pitch and timing that, once experienced and adopted as personally pleasing, become predictable and comforting to our psyches. As a classically trained and accomplished musician and composer who played clarinet with the San Francisco Symphony in the 1950's, Morton Subotnick appreciates the standard repertoire, but when the transistor was introduced, he realized its potential impact and wanted to create a new form of musical expression that would go beyond using the technology to reproduce what available excellent musical instruments were perfectly suited to do. Instead, he wanted to take advantage of the novel capabilities that electronics could provide to capture and interpret human experience, emotion, and response in a way that expanded the musical canon. To do this, Subotnick had to divorce himself from all of his previous training. He had to challenge the very definition of music. Is music only defined by pitch, low and high sounds arranged in a progressive structure from slow to rapid oscillating vibrations? Is music defined by time? Subotnick's answer is no. He argues that neither pitch nor time exist as real entities. The perception of tone is a consequence of the way our brains respond to changes in vibrations that reach our ear. Time is a relative concept that changes in space and time depending on our perspective. Our brains may be wired to opt toward stability. But neuron signaling within the brain is plastic or changeable with experience. Thus, Stravinsky, Wagner operas, Philip Glass, 12-tone discordance become beautiful, not only to individuals who take time to listen, but to new generations who then no longer understand why certain music forms were discordant or uncomfortable to those who heard it for the first time. It is this latter discomfort response that I believe Subotnick is questioning in his art. What is it about our responses to unpredictable events that disturbs us? Is our "first response" buried by tradition? Should we be aware of what we are not acknowledging? LUCY, with evocative outcries that dynamically change what the audience is seeing and hearing does not entertain in the sense of putting the audience into a comfort zone of predictability, but instead forces each active listener-viewer to work to find something within themselves. Is LUCY too long? Does this say something about the Opera or about one's personal response to the images and sound? Is LUCY too disturbing? What makes me think so? What is it about sound or visuals that brings forth concepts of fear? joy? resolution? Subotnick's work asks all of these questions. It is a musical study in science and art that captures the most basic of our human emotional responses and queries our definitions and understanding of what is real or perceived.

Reminded of light shows and new "music" of the "Épater la bourgeoisie" variety when I was a student four decades ago, apparently those crude visuals and noises still pass for avant grade. While some interesting sounds occasionally emerged from the "concerto for iMac and iPad" works on display by Subotnick and his collaborators, it was mostly just noise. I suspect the bourgeoisie today is totally indifferent to such exercises as this silly one with its execrable visuals. It was noted in the programme that Subotnick is no longer able to obtain the electronics required for his early compositions. I was reminded of a P.G. Woodehouse novel in which the inimitable Jeeves keeps Bertie Wooster from studying the banjolele. It is too bad some comparable voice of wisdom did not suggest that Subotnick stick to the clarinet!

I usually go to more conventional classical performance in the LOC series. This event, with its electronic music, mixed media and very innovative singing was a nice change. I found all three pieces to be worthwhile, and overall the evening flew by. I would seek this composer and these performers again.