Alvin Lucier - I Am Sitting In A Room

Okay, forgive me, I've been meaning to post this for a few days but I've been very busy, caused by a perfect storm, both metaphorically and literally, that have made my life rather hellish in recent times. With that said, I wasn't satisfied with my writing for this post so I have borrowed the text from wikipedia's reference page as it is very clean and to the point. I suggest you visit their page dedicated to Mr. Lucier for additional information as well as this page at UbuWeb Sound, as they have more of his works available for download. It'll be back to business as usual tomorrow morning, or it should be at least. I hope you find this piece as stimulating as I do. The text below is from the aforementioned wikipedia reference. Enjoy.

I am sitting in a room (1969) is one of composer Alvin Lucier's best known works, featuring Lucier recording himself narrating a text, and then playing the recording back into the room, re-recording it. The new recording is then played back and re-recorded, and this process is repeated. Since all rooms have characteristic resonance or formant frequencies (e.g. different between a large hall and a small room), the effect is that certain frequencies are emphasized as they resonate in the room, until eventually the words become unintelligible, replaced by the pure resonant harmonies and tones of the room itself. The recited text describes this process in action—it begins "I am sitting in a room, different from the one you are in now. I am recording the sound of my speaking voice," and the rationale, concluding, "I regard this activity not so much as a demonstration of a physical fact, but more as a way to smooth out any irregularities my speech might have," referring to his own stuttering.

Lucier had also specified that a performance need not use his text and the performance may be recorded in any room. The composer himself has recorded the piece in at least one room he did not find aesthetically acceptable.

The first recording of "I am sitting in a room" was made at the Electronic Music Studio at Brandeis University in 1969.

Alvin Lucier - I Am Sitting In A Room




PS - As some of you may have read before here, I HATE borrowing large chunks of content from others. This isn't to say that I don't respect their works, I just hate being a writer and not using my own skills to convey thoughts and ideas as cutting and pasting someone's work can be equivalent to piracy and allude to laziness. Not pointing the finger at anyone, especially as I'm doing so myself in this specific post, but I wanted to take a moment to explain my stance. One should use sources to inform their writing, not to copy it wholesale. That said, thanks to whomever wrote the wikipedia and UbuWeb pages, their contributions are truly appreciated. And as always, if I borrow directly from someone else's works I will provide source information. Thank you.

PS2 - Before anyone mentions it, yes, I'm posting music that I don't own the copyright to and that can be seen as piracy. I do this for music that is either unreleased or ignored, all with the hope of letting those who may not have heard it do so and hopefully find it and the details surrounding it's existence interesting. As always, if anyone wants their specific files removed, please contact me and I will be more than happy to do so in respect to their wishes. Thank you.