4/22/20

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John Luther Adams (1953- )

In light of the 50th Earth Day, which has been celebrated every year on April 22 since 1970, I thought it best to talk about a work that is both very close to my heart and has a profound environmental message. John Luther Adams (not to be confused with the other contemporary American minimalist, John Adams) is an award winning composer whose music is largely inspired by landscapes and nature. Much of this inspiration is attributed to the 36 years Adams spent living in Alaska. The piece which I’ll be talking about today, Become Ocean, was completed in 2013 and won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Music as well as the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. The title comes from a statement by American composer John Cage, which Adams expands upon in a note in the score of the piece: “Life on this earth first emerged from the sea. As the polar ice melts and sea level rises, we humans find ourselves facing the prospect that once again we may quite literally become ocean.”

The most important thing to understand about this piece is that it is written to be an immersive sonic landscape rather than a piece driven by melody, harmony, or form. The entire 40-45 minute length of the piece is comprised of large swells of orchestral chords (with some texture in the form of arpeggios). The orchestra is divided into three instrumental groups, the first of which being mostly woodwinds, the second being mostly brass, and the third being strings with piano and unpitched percussion. Each group is also placed in a specific location for a performance with the first in the far back right, the second in the far back left, and the third in a wide arc across the stage. Additionally each group maintains its own textural patterns and operates in their own patterns of swells. So while there is no distinct form to Become Ocean, the piece reaches a few major climaxes during the piece when all of the groups converge on a single swell, rising and crashing just as a large wave in the ocean would. Interestingly enough, John Luther Adams mentioned in a discussion of this piece that the work lends itself more to a recording than a live performance, which is because in a recording a listener is able to exist in the center of the sonic landscape (rather than separated just outside of it in an audience).

Personally, I have never heard any other piece of music quite like Become Ocean. It may not immediately appeal to your aesthetic, but consider how dedicated John Luther Adams must have been to the music and the message, not ever allowing himself a melody or cadence. Sure, it may not have the complexity of some other contemporary compositions, but the piece exists as a total departure from a vast majority of western music. In fact, the composition of a work like this is not too different in approach to several other pieces which I have discussed - tests a composer gives to themselves to see if such a piece is truly possible to realize. The music isn’t meant to tell a story or compare to a major symphony written by Romantic composer; it only exists as perhaps the most literal musical representation of waves, tides, and the ocean. Claude Debussy’s La Mer is another major work that aims to depict the sea, yet it does so in showing the human relation with the ocean and general affection many people have for it. Become Ocean intends to remove the human element of interpretation entirely, submersing the listener in a vast soundscape that resembles (in many ways) the ocean. In truth, if you have come to this post with the hope of finding another musical journey through emotions and drama, I would warn you that you have come to the wrong place (and I encourage you to instead check out one of previous posts). Whether you decide to listen to this piece actively or in background, I encourage you to sit back and allow yourself to submerge into the music. Just like in real life, it is much harder to try to run in a pool than it is to float.

While Become Ocean has often been criticized for its success with plenty of music critics and composers claiming that the piece won its awards for its environmental message, I personally believe that the work is incredibly beautiful and imaginative. While none of my own compositions resemble the nature inspired music of John Luther Adams, I certainly aim to capture some small part of the awe I feel in listening to his pieces. So, whether you are environmentally conscious or not on a day like today, try to appreciate the music which calls attention to the state of the Earth (even if it is only for its purely musical value). Below is a recording of Become Ocean by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra - sit back, and allow yourself to truly, as John Cage once put it, become ocean.