The accessible sounds of the beats are meant to be enjoyed by all.
Third Construction (1941): John Cage (1912-1992)
Although a relatively contemporary piece, this work sounds almost primitive, as if it is played on traditional wooden, handmade instruments. It sounds 'constructed' -- perhaps that is why Cage calls it a construction, not a movement, as if it is still a work in progress. Alternating rhythm patterns assault the ears, dissonant and harsh at times, at other times seducing the listener with complementary and more consonant beats.
ExitiX Novum (2007): Peter Saleh (b.1977)
A strangely musical percussion arrangement. The work is a collage of percussion instruments and alternating rhythms that still manage to sound musical and uncluttered. There is an almost exotic and otherworldly tone, despite the featuring of familiar instruments such as snare drums and tympanis.
The staccato is so humorous, one almost feels compelled to laugh, and at first it sounds like someone trying to stomp on ants or chase away a mouse. Teasing, tapping sounds also motivate one to chuckle, but the humor is brought to a stop by carefully choreographed screams. The overall impression is one of violence -- a highly stylized kind of violence that makes it easy to listen to the ironic use of the different instruments as funny, but also makes one slightly on edge and uncomfortable towards the end of the work.
Works Cited
An Idyll for the Misbegotten (Images III). Art of the States. (1986). Art of the States.
April 27, 2009. http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/piece.pl?pid=76
