Alvin Lucier’s Magic Teapot in „Nothing Is Real” (1990)

 

At first, I find the song calming due to the changes between high and low sounds. After a while, the melody gets faster and in the middle of the song the teapot is placed on the piano. The teapot gets opened, then closed. Meanwhile, the melody is more likely in the background since the teapot and its movement become the center of attention. Even though Alvin Lucier is more known as an avantgarde composer his song “Nothing Is Real” manages to fusion between avantgarde and pop. Not only change the acoustics of the piece due to the teapot, Lucier reinvents The Beatles’ song “Strawberry Fields Forever” from 1967 when putting fragments of it in his work.

The teapot seems magic since the music comes outside of it. Additionally, the different positions of the lid and the lifting of the teapot of the piano decide upon the acoustics of the song. Consequently, the teapot produces the sound waves. After having done some research about Alvin Lucier’s so-called experimental music, I really liked the song. It seems to remind you of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp. Lucier challenges the listener’s’ perceptions and understanding of contemporary music. He focuses less on traditional musical elements but lets the teapot manipulate his song. This might lead to a different outcome every time the song is presented.  The lid is open, closed, partially closed or partially opened. Originally, the Beatles’ song was written on acoustic guitar but in “Nothing Is Real” it is first played on the piano, later played back through a small speaker inside the teapot working as sound.

By using the teapot, Lucier experiments with new ways to record and distort sounds. The title of the song conveys the meaning of it. Nevertheless, I feel like that everything is real in the song which contradicts to the title. The arbitrary of the teapot shows that the song has a different outcome every time so that it cannot be fake or predicted. Yet, it might also actually demonstrate that “Nothing Is Real”. The melody is the same. Hence, nothing is real in that way that everything we perceive is due to our own perception. The acoustical beating challenges our perception and it makes us realize that the melody coming out of the teapot is random. This arbitrariness leads to my next impression: “Nothing Is Real” could also refer to the planned creation of a song. Even though the outcome varies, the context is set up and therefore forced. The song does not just flow, thus making it seem real but highlights the fakeness. The teapot, the melody coming out of it, everything is staged manipulating the listener’s perception.