Sonic Babylon

The first phase of our Australian sound gardens concluded when we came back to New York in November 2009; the second phase begins anew with our return to Australia in the next few weeks. And while we planted four gardens during the first phase, we expect to create ten to fourteen more this trip. Among the new gardens under discussion are several in children's hospitals and one for a church. And for Nora and me, these spaces require some serious thinking about the healing power of music, and what sounds are appropriate, and which are not. Because in hospitals and churches, casual entertainment is not just insufficient, it's the wrong approach. But what is right? For us, it's acoustically pure intervals. Harmonically pure intervals, physically and pleasingly consonant in the lower vibrating ratios, deliciously dissonant and sparkling in the higher ones. Technicolor sounds, not black and white. Sounds akin to nature. And if we ourselves are vibrations, then surely it is better to be in tune with nature, than with the equal-tempered scale. Particularly if you're sick. So to get some advice on microtonal gardens, Nora and I turned to Ben Johnston.

Now 83 years old, Ben Johnston is probably the world's most important living microtonal composer. A student of Harry Partch, he has devoted his life to “getting it right” as far as musical sound is concerned. Much of his music uses 53 pitches to the octave; not as a way to complicate the sound, but because he thinks the music we hear everyday is irrationally dissonant, and therefore physically and psychologically unhealthy. Ben says we should recognize that music actually creates emotional states in people and doesn't just reflect the state we're already in. He says we have a physical response to sound; physically good or bad, psychologically healthy or unhealthy. And that's a good place for us to begin. Nora and I were in Madison, WI with Ben a few weeks ago, and our discussions with him are continuing through email and over the phone. There's a lot for us to think about in creating sound gardens for spaces such as these, and we're determined that we, too, will “get it right.”