Speechsong: The Gould/Schoenberg Dialogues

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This imaginative musicology work delves into the enigmas surrounding Schoenberg and Gould, exploring themes of singing, speaking, technology, and existence. It begins with Gould's final public performance at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, where Schoenberg's works were featured during his California exile. After this performance, Gould engages in a spectral conversation with Schoenberg, examining the latter's struggles to rethink Western music's foundations. The first part reflects on Schoenberg's opera, Moses und Aron, where Moses, inspired by divine vision, speaks while his brother Aron sings. This twelve-tone composition responds to Wagner's critiques of synagogue noise, representing Schoenberg's formalist revolution, yet his life reveals a deeper quest for personal and political freedom. The second half presents a critical essay in twelve “moments,” reinterpreting the staged dialogue as an exploration of music and mediation. Gould's focus on the recording studio signifies a post-humanist approach, rejecting the virtuoso tradition and challenging singular notions of identity. Similarly, Schoenberg's departure from musical conventions extends his twelve-tone invention beyond performance, influencing acoustic installations by contemporary artists like Stephen Prina and Cory Arcangel. In these works, music transcends the concert hall, embracing both Gould's recordings and Schoenberg's performances that have now fou