The Most Unwanted Music

[Guido]

A fellow cellist just found this amazing piece, and I think he puts it very well, so I'll let him explain:

Below is a link to a recording from the mid-1990s. A couple of Russian-born conceptual artists had determined, via a poll of listeners, what the most unappealing kinds of music were -- then created a piece embodying all of them. For example, people hate songs about holidays, choirs, and kids singing. So there was a passage where a children's chorus singing about Labor Day.

Here's an account of how the sonic parameters were selected:

The most unwanted music is over 25 minutes long, veers wildly between loud and quiet sections, between fast and slow tempos, and features timbres of extremely high and low pitch, with each dichotomy presented in abrupt transition. The most unwanted orchestra was determined to be large, and features the accordion and bagpipe (which tie at 13% as the most unwanted instrument), banjo, flute, tuba, harp, organ, synthesizer (the only instrument that appears in both the most wanted and most unwanted ensembles). An operatic soprano raps and sings atonal music, advertising jingles, political slogans, and "elevator" music, and a children's choir sings jingles and holiday songs. The most unwanted subjects for lyrics are cowboys and holidays, and the most unwanted listening circumstances are involuntary exposure to commercials and elevator music. Therefore, it can be shown that if there is no covariance--someone who dislikes bagpipes is as likely to hate elevator music as someone who despises the organ, for example--fewer than 200 individuals of the world's total population would enjoy this piece.

http://ubu.artmob.ca/sound/komar_melamid/KomarMelamid_The-Most-UnwantedSong.mp3

ps. it's worth listening to it all

[MN Dave]

What a great idea! I'm going to give this a good listen later on.

[Symphonien]

A very interesting concept indeed!

Just finished listening, and I actually found it quite amusing really. A soprano rapping about various random topics over a background of bagpipes and flutes, interspersed with annoying children's voices advertising for Wal-Mart through singing about various holidays (the most memorable of which was Ramadan ), some sort of 2nd Viennese School sounding episode for soprano and organ with tone clusters , clichéd harp and flute with some protester yelling over the top, amongst others things. And of course some awesome tuba playing! A sometimes comical, other times annoying postmodernist musical pastiche.

Not something I would listen to more than once though... Looks like they succeeded in creating "unwanted music" then.

[Kullervo]

I'm not sure why, but this reminded me of a piece by Bernd Alois Zimmermann called Musique pour les Soupers du Roi Ubu, which is made up of nothing but quotations from other pieces. It's fun to play "spot the quotation"

http://ubu.artmob.ca/sound/zimmerman_ba/Zimmermann-Bernd-Alois_Roi-Ubu.mp3

[bhodges]

Can't listen right at the moment, but the original piece and this Zimmermann sound totally fascinating!  The concepts are giving me a huge grin...will be listening to both a bit later.

--Bruce

[Josquin des Prez]

More pointless gimmicks for the gimmick oriented. How fascinating.

[MN Dave]

More pointless gimmicks for the gimmick oriented. How fascinating.

Yes, we wouldn't want to have any fun now, would we? 

[Josquin des Prez]

Yes, we wouldn't want to have any fun now, would we? 

No, we wouldn't.

[MN Dave]

No, we wouldn't.

LOL

[karlhenning]

More pointless gimmicks for the gimmick oriented. How fascinating.

Like fugues.

[Kullervo]

Like fugues.

Go fugue yourself. 

[MN Dave]

Go fugue yourself. 

Go take a flying fugue, you motherfuguer.

[Brian]

I'm not sure why, but this reminded me of a piece by Bernd Alois Zimmermann called Musique pour les Soupers du Roi Ubu, which is made up of nothing but quotations from other pieces. It's fun to play "spot the quotation"

http://ubu.artmob.ca/sound/zimmerman_ba/Zimmermann-Bernd-Alois_Roi-Ubu.mp3

That concept's a bit like Peter Schickele's "Unbegun Symphony", which if I remember correctly also marries "Ode to Joy" and "Yankee Doodle" in counterpoint.

[not edward]

I'm not sure why, but this reminded me of a piece by Bernd Alois Zimmermann called Musique pour les Soupers du Roi Ubu, which is made up of nothing but quotations from other pieces. It's fun to play "spot the quotation"

http://ubu.artmob.ca/sound/zimmerman_ba/Zimmermann-Bernd-Alois_Roi-Ubu.mp3

'Spot the quotation' is indeed fun in this work, though I think the humour in it is of the "the darkest hour is just before it goes completely black" variety.

[karlhenning]

Dudes, I can like listen to a fugue if it's fun, or even a little fun . . . .

[bhodges]

Can't listen right at the moment, but the original piece and this Zimmermann sound totally fascinating!  The concepts are giving me a huge grin...will be listening to both a bit later.

--Bruce

Now listening to The Most Unwanted Music, which is pretty hilarious...somehow the tide of banalities, when edited chock-a-block with other different banalities, makes something rather compelling.  Don't know if it'll be a "must repeat dozens and dozens of times," but on its own terms it's fun.  The bagpipes crashing in everywhere are quite amusing, as is that highly annoying children's chorus. 

PS, if anyone else is having trouble with the link (I was, for some reason), try this one.

--Bruce

[Wanderer]

A fellow cellist just found this amazing piece, and I think he puts it very well, so I'll let him explain:

Below is a link to a recording from the mid-1990s. A couple of Russian-born conceptual artists had determined, via a poll of listeners, what the most unappealing kinds of music were -- then created a piece embodying all of them. For example, people hate songs about holidays, choirs, and kids singing. So there was a passage where a children's chorus singing about Labor Day.

Here's an account of how the sonic parameters were selected:

The most unwanted music is over 25 minutes long, veers wildly between loud and quiet sections, between fast and slow tempos, and features timbres of extremely high and low pitch, with each dichotomy presented in abrupt transition. The most unwanted orchestra was determined to be large, and features the accordion and bagpipe (which tie at 13% as the most unwanted instrument), banjo, flute, tuba, harp, organ, synthesizer (the only instrument that appears in both the most wanted and most unwanted ensembles). An operatic soprano raps and sings atonal music, advertising jingles, political slogans, and "elevator" music, and a children's choir sings jingles and holiday songs. The most unwanted subjects for lyrics are cowboys and holidays, and the most unwanted listening circumstances are involuntary exposure to commercials and elevator music. Therefore, it can be shown that if there is no covariance--someone who dislikes bagpipes is as likely to hate elevator music as someone who despises the organ, for example--fewer than 200 individuals of the world's total population would enjoy this piece.

http://ubu.artmob.ca/sound/komar_melamid/KomarMelamid_The-Most-UnwantedSong.mp3

ps. it's worth listening to it all

An intriguing concept, indeed. I'm going to give it a listen when in a sufficiently forgiving and tolerant mood. 

I'm not sure why, but this reminded me of a piece by Bernd Alois Zimmermann called Musique pour les Soupers du Roi Ubu, which is made up of nothing but quotations from other pieces. It's fun to play "spot the quotation"

http://ubu.artmob.ca/sound/zimmerman_ba/Zimmermann-Bernd-Alois_Roi-Ubu.mp3

Music for the entertainment of exotic royalty? Such a niche market piece!

[bhodges]

An intriguing concept, indeed. I'm going to give it a listen when in a sufficiently forgiving and tolerant mood. 

Yes, you will probably need both. 

--Bruce

[mahler10th]

The bagpipes are essential to good music.  I rate this up there with Ravels Bolero, Tchaikovskys 1812, and any outstanding performance of humpty dumpty.

[karlhenning]

The bagpipes are essential to good music.  I rate this up there with Ravels Bolero, Tchaikovskys 1812, and any outstanding performance of humpty dumpty.

Oh, it's the paulb game all over again, isn't it?

Well, I like (and think well of) both the Boléro and the 1812 Solemn Overture, and would sooner listen to either of these than to the Mahler Tenth.

Tchah!