KPFA-FM Music Dept. ➔ Two Text-Sound Compositions by Sten Hanson
Analog Audio
Event Type
MusicOrigin
KPFAIdentifier
P.HAN.STE.01Program Length
7 minDates
1969/1970 | createdDescription
Two text-sound compositions by the Sten Hanson. The first work, “Revolution,” includes electronic sounds with processed speech that combine to form a call for immediate action. Phrases such as “I’m calling you,” “you can hear me,” “do something,” and “very soon now” are repeated while also being subjected to various forms of tape manipulation, before culminating in the abrupt warning “you’ll be dead.” The second work, “Western Europe,” offers a satirical view of suburban-like superficiality. It begins with a woman telling the story of her delightfully ideal life, in the “only really human part of the world,” with a “sweet little car” to drive, and the most “divine little contraceptive you can ever imagine.” The piece then seems to deconstruct this fantasy by repeating it with added whispers and sounds that are more evocative of a desolate beach than domestic bliss. Hanson is a self taught composer and one of the founding members of the Fylkingen Society. His carefully constructed compositions often incorporate political themes and social commentary, of which these two works are excellent examples.Genres
Sound poetryMusical Selections
Revolution (1970) (3:45) -- Western Europe (1969) (2:07)Subjects
Sound poetryText-sound compositions