Book of days meredith monk 1988 summerslam

Three extracts from book of days, a 1988 film by composer, singer and choreographer meredith monk. The graduate center, the city university of new york established in 1961, the graduate center of the city university of new york cuny is devoted primarily to doctoral studies and awards most of cunys doctoral degrees. Book of days film score for 10 voices, cello, shawm, synthesizer, hammered dulcimer, bagpipe and hurdygurdy 1988 atlas. Book of days 1988 conceived and directed by meredith monk cinematography by jerry pantzer art direction and costume design by yoshio yabara music by meredith monk produced by catherine tatge and dominique lasseur. Her music can also be heard in films by such directors. Like most of meredith monk s performance works, book of days weaves together characters, music, movement, time and space. There is a european model for this, although he comes out of a completely different sensibility, and that is antonin artaud and his conception of the allencompassing environment. At big ears, the tennessee theatre will host a rare 35mm screening meredith monk s 1988 experimental feature film book of days, which monk describes as a film for the ears. The voice of moving meditation border crossings magazine. The idea for book of days came to monk one afternoon in the summer. In the 1980s, monk wrote and directed two films, ellis island 1981, and book of days 1988, which developed from a single idea. Book of days 1988 performance artist monk compares life in a modern city with life in the th century, seen in black and white. At big ears, the tennessee theatre will host a rare 35mm screening meredith monks 1988 experimental feature film book of days, which monk describes as a. Digital recording, june 1989, clinton studios, new york.

The first time i encountered the music of meredith monk was in her fascinating, indeed haunting film book of days from 1988 that was shown on pbs. A 1910 home movie of humboldt and his wife on the beach in asbury park. Recognized as one of the most unique and influential artists of our time, she is a pioneer in what is now called extended vocal technique and interdisciplinary. Directed by meredith monk, camera by meredith monk, edited by meredith monk and tony janetti. Composer, choreographer, theater artist and singer meredith monk was born in lima, peru on this date in 1942. Drawing parallels between the black death and monk s observation of the aids crisis in new york contemporary to the making of the film, book of days dramatises archetypes in search of and in support of humanity. One day during summer of 1984, as i was sweeping the floor of my house in the country, the image of a young girl in black and white and a medieval street in the jewish community also in black and white came to. Meredith monks tortoise dreams and folk music from another planet. Stream adfree or purchase cds and mp3s now on amazon. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. It deals with a community of jews and christians in the middle ages in time of plague, where the young daughter of a jewish family has visions of 20thcentury technology and society, drawing them on walls. The film opens in color, with 20thcentury workmen blasting a brick wall, leaving a hole that opens into a blackandwhite small town in the middle ages. A pioneer in what is now called extended vocal technique and interdisciplinary performance, monk creates works that thrive at the intersection of music and movement, image and object, light and sound in an effort to discover and weave together new.

Meredith monk information and concert dates music page 1. Time yugoslavian hala strana fielding last visible dog 2004. Book of days is the seventh album by meredith monk, released in 1990 through ecm new series. Meredith monks film book of days 1988 is a fulllength feature that follows the lives of medieval villagers beset by the plague. Book of days meredith monk, 1988 grandfather, i keep having a dream. Meredith monk ellis island, book of days entertainment. Apart form her other works this collection of works emphasizes more the piano than the voice. November 20, 1942, new york city is a composer, singer, directorchoreographer and creator of new opera, musictheater works, films and installations. Monk s awardwinning films, including ellis island 1981 and her first feature, book of days 1988, have been seen throughout the world. Check out book of days by meredith monk on amazon music. Esoteric book of days meredith monk without music youtube. In the 1980s she wrote and directed two films, ellis island 1981, and book of days 1988, which developed from a single idea.

One day during summer of 1984, as i was sweeping the floor of my house in the country, the image of a young girl in black and white and a medieval street in the jewish community also in black and white came to me, as monk recounts in the liner notes of the ecm. Overview of book of days, 1988, directed by meredith monk, with gerd wameling, toby newman, robert een, at turner classic movies. Two treasures from the 1980s, meredith monk s rarely seen films ellis island and book of days, are now available on dvd. Considered one of the most unique and influential artists of our time, meredith monk has been a pioneer of interdisciplinary work for over 50 years. Shown in the obie award winning piece of the same title by ping chong. Thus do we get book of days 1988, a marriage of music and moving images that covers such broad yet related topics as nuclear holocaust. Ellis island 1981, book of days 1988, and interview the house foundation for the arts, 2 hr.

There is also a new cd of her early work, including a phenomenal piece called candy bullets and moon performed with don preston of the original mothers of invention out now called meredith monk. One of the first and best performance artists, meredith monk s work is some of the least contrived and most convincing in that amorphously defined genre. Thus do we get book of days 1988, a marriage of music and moving images that covers such broad yet related topics as nuclear holocaust, aids, eschatological wonder and trepidation, and the cyclical nature of time. Monk is perhaps most widely known for her uncanny, highly emotional vocalizations, which seem to. Whereas in most of her better known works monks facile use of the voice as an instrument, in this collection the voice seems to be obbligato to the chords of piano music. Book of days extract a movie from meredith monk, 1988 audio. An opera in three parts for 18 voices 2 keyboards, clarinet, bass clarinet, sheng, bamboo sax, 2 violins, viola, 2 cellos, french horn, percussion, shawm 1991. Screenings included 16 millimeter earrings 1966, book of days 1988, ellis island 1981, turtle dreams 1983, paris 1982, and several of monk s short silent films 19661994. Since the 1960s, meredith monk has created multidisciplinary works which dwell in the spaces between music, theatre, and dance. Meredith monk is a composer, singer, directorchoreographer and creator of new opera, music theater works, films and installations. Like most of meredith monks performance works, book of days weaves together characters, music, movement, time and space. In addition to her two concerts of the souls messenger with her ensemble, we are elated to host a rare 35mm screening of her 1988 feature film book of days at the historic.

Performance artist monk compares life in a modern city with life in the th century, seen in black and white. Meredith monk and vocal ensemble music from meredith monk s film of the same title. An internationally recognized center for advanced studies and a national model for public doctoral education, the graduate center offers more than thirty doctoral programs in. Meredith monk born november 20, 1942, in lima, peru is an american composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Though largely and perhaps primarily a musician, monk combines sound with choreography, image, and object, creating an art that defies category.

The idea for book of days came to monk one afternoon in the summer of 1984. In this remarkably moving film, monk skillfully draws parallels between a time of plague and fear of apocalypse, and our time of aids and fear of nuclear annihilation. Meredith monks book of days the voice is a language. Meredith monk s film book of days 1988 is a fulllength feature that follows the lives of medieval villagers beset by the plague. A day with meredith monk howlround theatre commons. Vanloos docu about artist meredith monk focuses on a woman who has spent more than four decades amassing a unique body of work.