John Luther Adams – Nature´s Music

 

Before I listened to John Luther Adams´ music I did some research about him and his music and found out that he is very passionate about nature. In addition, he tries to draw attention to the preservation of nature with his music. Important to mention is also that he was inspired by the nature of Alaska. What I found very interesting and also unique was that Adams had a suitable sonic representation for every natural phenomenon. This means that the listener is also able to “hear” different frequencies of nature, for example, those of an earthquake. I have never heard music in this form and found it unusual but also exciting. His exhibition, The Place Where You Go to Listen, which is an exhibition of sound and “image” can be visited in Fairbanks, Alaska. In his music, he also pays tribute towards the indigenous people of Alaska by inserting voices of speaking Inuit while the natural sounds of Alaska are playing in the background. I enjoyed listening to the song “Become Ocean” as it immersed me “into” an underwater world; I imagined various animals gliding through the water. I also found that after about 12 minutes the melody of the harp or mallet percussion reminded me of waterdrops. Another feature I noticed was the “swing”. While the sound was getting louder it also ebbed away after a time which reminded me of the waves in the sea or ocean. Overall, I really enjoyed this melodic piece.

“One That Stays All Winter” was a slightly more “special” song of Adams. He used the sounds of nature in which animals (to me it sounded like migratory birds or even whales) could be heard. Voices were also faded-in and sounded to me like indigenous Inuit. However, I really liked “Drums of Fire”. While I was listening to it I felt like I was sitting around a campfire listening to the rumble of the fire and the drums. I think this song could be also used in a film which takes place in the jungle where a ceremony is about to take place. I do not know if it can be described like that, but the drums sounded “furious” but also “proud” at the same time. What I particularly liked were the sounds of nature that were added. These nature sounds are the reason why the songs “Become Ocean”, “One That Stays All Winter”, and “Drums of Fire” seem very authentic to me. In retrospect, I also noticed that this form of music is a kind of quiet and, above all, peaceful protest. In this way, Adams succeeds in making the listeners and critics aware that music is actually connected to nature. Not only do these songs sound good, but they also demonstrate that these beautiful tones of nature can disappear if we do not take care of them and treat them properly. In this regard, Adams gives nature a voice by “using” it for his protest. I think this kind of protest is much more effective because both parties benefit from it. This way, he produces music and protests at the same time. The production does not even deplete natural resources, which makes the protest even more authentic. In doing so, he gives nothing away of nature, quite the contrary, he gives it something back.