Imaginary

Fictional Narratives

I am half inclined to think we are all ghosts, Mr. Manders. It is not only what we have inherited from our fathers and mothers that exists again in us, but all sorts of old dead ideas and all kinds of old dead beliefs and things of that kind. They are not actually alive; but they are dormant, all the same, and we can never be rid of them. Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy that I see ghosts creeping between the lines. There must be ghosts all over the world. They must be as countless as grains the of sands, it seems to me. And we are so miserably afraid of the light, all of us. [Henrik Ibsen, "Ghosts" (1881), Act II: Mrs. Alving to Mr. Manders.]

Poetry

Music: Composers, artists, and major works

Tuvan throat singing, also called overtone singing and Khöömei, is a method and style of singing that is conspicuously different from conventional singing. “Imagine a human bagpipe—a person who could sing a sustained low note while humming an eerie, whistle-like melody. For good measure, toss in a thrumming rhythm similar to that of a jaw harp, but produced vocally-by the same person, at the same time.” Scientifically, it “provides for an exotic demonstration of the physics of harmonics as well as introducing an Asian musical aesthetic. A low fundamental is sung and the singer skillfully alters the resonances of the vocal system to enhance an overtone (harmonic above the fundamental).” “Tuvan singers show remarkable control in shaping their vocal tract to narrowly focus the harmonics (or overtones) emanating from their vocal cords. The biphonic sound is a combination of the fundamental pitch and a focused filter state, which is at the higher pitch (1–2 kHz) and formed by merging two formants, thereby greatly enhancing sound-production in a very narrow frequency range. . . this biphonation is a phenomenon arising from linear filtering rather than from a nonlinear source.” “For the seminomadic herders who call Tuva home, the soundscape inspires a form of music that mingles with these ambient murmurings. Ringed by mountains, far from major trade routes and overwhelmingly rural, Tuva is like a musical Olduvai Gorge—a living record of a protomusical world, where natural and human-made sounds blend.” Some of the best Tuvan singing is from:

• Huun Huur Tu, with its many albums, along with live appearances on May 18, 2001, November 18, 2008, March 29, 2012, and live in concert plus an interview;
• Alash Ensemble, with its album “Meni Mana” (2020) (60’), and live appearances on November 20, 2011 and February 20, 2016;
• Khöömei Beat, “Changys Baglaash” (2021) (44’): “They combine traditional Tuvan throat singing and influences with modern instrumentation . . .”
• Choduraa Tumat, “Byzaanchy” (2021) (62’): “The album Byzaanchy features 14 tracks of traditional songs from Tuva, performed by Choduraa Tumat accompanied by a musical instrument called byzaanchy. The byzaanchy is a traditional bowed string instrument from Tuva, with a history that dates back centuries.”
• Tyva Kyzy, “Ayalgalar – Melodies” (2019) (47’) is from an all-woman throat-singing group;
• Khunashtaar-ool Oorzhak, “Alazhymny — My Alash” (2021) (47’) presents recordings from 1967-1977; he is also presented on “Uzlyau” (1994) (62’). 

Puuluup is an Estonian folk duo that plays what they call “neo-zombie-post-folk”. So far, the following albums have survived:

• “Viimane Suusataja” (2021) (40’)
• “Süüta Mu Lumi” (2018) (49’)

In Western classical music, the saxophone is a novelty instrument. Here are some works for saxophone and orchestra, and an album:

• Paul Carr, Saxophone Concerto (2019) (approx. 19’)
• Marius Constant, Concertante for Saxophone and Orchestra (1977) (approx. 11’)
• Paul Creston, Saxophone Concerto, Op. 26 (1941/1944) (approx. 19-20’)
• Théodore Dubois, Alto Saxophone Concerto (1959) (approx. 19’)
• Alexander Glazunov, Saxophone Concerto in E-flat Major, Op. 109 (1934) (approx. 15’)
• Lars-Erik Larsson, Saxophone Concerto, Op. 14 (1934) (approx. 21-26’)
• Paweł Łukaszewski, Concerto for Alto Saxophone, “Trinity Concerto” (2006) (approx. 13-14’)
• John Mackey, Concerto for Soprano Sax and Wind Ensemble (2007) (approx. 25-27’)
• Darius Milhaud, Scaramouche for Alto Saxophone & Orchestra, Op. 165 (1937) (approx. 10’)
• Jacques Murgier, Saxophone Concerto (1960) (approx. 27’)
• Astor Piazzolla, Tango Suite for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra (1985) (approx. 27’)
• Thomas Sleeper, Concerto for Alto Saxophone & Orchestra (2010) (approx. 14’)
• Mikis Theodorakis, Cretan Concertino for Alto Saxophone & Orchestra (2005) (approx. 11’)
• Michael Torke, Saxophone Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Wind Ensemble (1993) (approx. 17’)
• Vagues Saxophone Quartet, “Glazunov, Françaix, Nagao: Masterpieces for Saxophone Quartet” album (2022) (60’)

Albums:

• Hulbækmo & Jacobsen familieorkester, “Rundsnurrknurr” (2024) (57’) “is pure musical fun. The music of Hulbækmo & Jacobsen Familieorkester is based on Norwegian folk dance music, but the proclivities and unbounded creativity of the four multi-talented players take it in too many wild directions to count.”
• Sväng, “Svängo Nuevo” (2024) (44’): fun music from a harmonica quartet. Here is a link to their other releases.

Music: songs and other short pieces

• Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, “I Put a Spell on You” (lyrics)
• Boots Randolph, “Yakety Sax!”
• “The Chipmunk Song”
• Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers, “Monster Mash” (lyrics)

Visual Arts

Film and Stage