Pauline Oliveros, To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe in Recognition of Their Desperation, (Vinyl/LP), ROAR21, Roaratorio, 2011
To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe in Recognition of Their Desperation: for any group or groups of instrumentalists (6 to large orchestra), Smith Publications, ca. 1977
Valerie Solanas 1936-1988 The Demale Society Manhattan SCUM Chapter Member #013666 since December 1966 Founder of the Society for Cutting Up Men Author of SCUM Manifesto Playwright of Up Your Ass
Marilyn Monroe 1926-1962 Movie actress Born Norma Jean[e] Mortenson Lived as an orphan and as a foster child until age 16 Nominated for the 1956 British Academy Award for "Best Foreign Actress" in The Seven Year Itch
«The players are distributed widely within a space, in groupings, each with its own conductor. The piece (in this performance) lasts 30 minutes, trisected into 3 ten-minute sections delineated in sequence by red light, yellow light, blue light. Before the piece begins, each player chooses five pitches. During the red section, players begin exploring one of their chosen pitches. At about the 7 minute mark, a white light flashes, after which the players gradually incorporate pitches 2, 3, 4 and 5. In the yellow section, players are invited to steal pitches from other players. Blue light signals cessation of stealing. At about the 23rd minute, another white flash signals gradual return to one pitch. The piece is meditative in nature. Its title is not descriptive but dedicatory.» ― from the concert program of the 1977 performance
«Shortly after it was published in 1968 the SCUM Manifesto by Valerie Solanas fell into my hands. Intrigued by the egalitarian feminist principles set forth in the Manifesto, I wanted to incorporate them in the structure of a new piece that I was composing. The women's movement was surfacing and I felt the need to express my resonance with this energy. Marilyn Monroe had taken her own life. Valerie Solanas had attempted to take the life of Andy Warhol. Both women seemed to be desperate and caught in the traps of inequality: Monroe needed to be recognized for her talent as an actress. Solanas wished to be supported for her own creative work. Commissioned by the Music Department of Hope College, Holland Michigan, To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe in Recognition of Their Desperation had its premiere in 1970. Though everyone knew Marilyn Monroe hardly anyone recognized Valerie Solanas or took her Manifesto seriously. I brought the names of these two women together in the title of the piece to draw attention to their inequality and to dedicate the piece. In the score all players have a non-hierarchical role. The parts for the piece are the same for each player and within the given guidelines each individual interprets their part differently. If any player starts to dominate the musical texture, the community that is created by the piece absorbs the outstanding sounds back into the collective. To recognize this composition as a feminist piece it would be necessary to read the SCUM Manifesto and to study the player's parts.» ― Pauline Oliveros, October 2010
October 6, 1970 – Wichers Hall, Hope College, Hope, Michigan Buchla Electronic Music System: Pauline Oliveros, Jan Siderius Flute: Pamela Ryker, Susan Bos, Mary Rockwood Organ: Roger Davis Strings: Harrison Ryker, Roger White, Suzanne De Vries, Joseph Filonowicz, Robert Ritsema, Glenn Stuart Jr.
April 7, 1977 – Crowell Concert Hall, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut Conductors: Nathan Shimabuku, Teddy Klaus, Tom Hilton, David Claman, Eric Ranvig Violin: Anna Barron, Pam Chapperon, James DeCaprio, Leslie Greengard, Margaret Holtzberg, Claudia Lewis, Georgia Mook, Fran Pepperman, Susan Rappaport, Pam Schwartz, Mark Sicbin Viola: Jane Kurz, Monica McCarthy, Guitele Nicoleau. Flute: Marcia Finger, Sharon Avrutick Oboe: Ruth Rotholz, Barbara Johnston Clarinet: Tom Moran, Anne Wilson Bassoon: Chuck Agosta, David Hiscox Cello: Eliot Bailen, Wendy Breuninger, Julie Burstein, Tom Loder Bass: Sarah Kendall Horn: David Engstrom, Ruth Axelrod, Bill Rowe Trumpet: Jon Mink, Robert Blumenschine Trombone: Rich Brown Percussion: Skip Lombardi Electronics: Ron Kuivila, Tom Miller, Gary Grimaldi, Nancy Rosenberg, Kathy Bergeron, Greg Shatan, Fred Briccetti, Julie Burstein, Nathan Shimabuku
Artwork: Judith Lindbloom Produced by Pauline Oliveros and James Lindbloom
Plus: Golden Offence Orchestra, Ode to Pauline Oliveros: To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe in recognition to their desperation, Composed by Pauline Oliveros, Adaptation by Golden Offence Orchestra, Recorded by Mats Erlandsson, David Granström and Maria W Horn in Stockholm, 2013. XKatedral, August 23, 2017
