Music profile for meredith monk, born 20 november 1942. The girls dreams and her grandfather the book of days by meredith monk duration. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Recognized as one of the most unique and influential artists of our time, she is a pioneer in what is now called extended vocal technique and interdisciplinary. Her films, installations and drawings have been shown in museums and galleries including exit art, frederieke taylor gallery, in two whitney. As a filmmaker, monk has created several awardwinning films including ellis island 1981 and her first feature, book of days 1988, which have screened at numerous film festivals worldwide and on pbs. At big ears, the tennessee theatre will host a rare 35mm screening meredith monks 1988 experimental feature film book of days, which monk describes as a film for the ears. Her visionary work as performer, composer, choreographer, filmmaker, singer, and dancer has helped to define the american avant garde and earned numerous honors and awards including a macarthur fellowship in 1995. The idea for book of days came to monk one afternoon in the summer of 1984, when she was overcome by a blackandwhite vision of a young jewish girl in a medieval street. American composer meredith monk told me that she wasnt annoyed with the coen brothers for using her walking song as the musical.
In 1991, monk composed an opera called atlas, commissioned and produced by the houston opera. An absorbing portrait of the american avantgarde performer, composer, choreographer, filmmaker, singer, and dancer. The composer, vocalist, dancer, choreographer, director and filmmaker meredith monk celebrates the 50th anniversary of the start of her professional career. What we have here on disc is only part of the artwork meredith monk created with her halflength film book of days. This film is a rich and haunting reinvention of medieval life that never loses its contemporary perspective. One day during summer of 1984, as i was sweeping the floor of my house in the country, the image of a young girl in black and white and a medieval street in the jewish community also in black and white came to me. Volcano songs is the tenth album by meredith monk, released on march 11, 1997 through ecm new series. Dewahost offers premium web hosting service at a great price. Screened in october at the new york film festival, book of days has been. Johanna arnold alto, joan barber voice, andrea goodman voice, naaz hosseini voice, meredith monk voice, robert een voice, john eppler voice, ching gonzales voice, wayne hankin voice, nicky paraiso voice, timothy sawyer voice, nurit tilles keyboard, toby newman voice. Todays scene is set for an american composer, performer, director. Dont wait to join the meredith monkhouse foundation quest gala benefit committee. Ellis island 1981 and her feature, book of days 1988, and quarry 1977 a. View phone numbers, addresses, public records, background check reports and possible arrest records for meredith monk.
Monk has also made several experimental films, and book of days is indeed one of them. Meredith monk by deborah jowitt goodreads share book. Meredith monk recently celebrated her 50th year as a performing artist with a series of concerts and residency at carnegie hall. Albums include dolmen music, turtle dreams, and the big lebowski. Meredith monk, bang on a can allstars, meredith monk and vocal ensemble. Meredith monkbook of days meredith monk is one of my favorite composers. Book of days meredith monk album jump to navigation jump to search. Book of days, an album by meredith monk on spotify.
The film opens in color, with 20thcentury workmen blasting a brick wall, leaving a hole that opens into a blackandwhite small town in the middle ages. Please enjoy all the information that i have collected. Meredith monk american performance artist britannica. Meredith monk meredith monk is a composer, singer, filmmaker and directorchoreographer. Meredith jane monk born november 20, 1942 is an american composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. I had the pleasure of seeing the film purely by happenstance a few years after it came out and the sense of quiet and calm, intruded on by intimations of madness and foreshadowings of pestilence, is haunting and made a lasting impression on me. In fact book of days is for me a desert island disc as the saying goes. Meredith monk is a multidisciplinary artista composer, singer, directorchoreographer, and creator of new opera, musictheater works, films, and. November 20, 1942, new york city is a composer, singer, directorchoreographer and creator of new opera, musictheater works, films and installations. An innovator in mixedmedia forms, meredith monk uses music, dance, drama, and film in theater pieces that may move between ancient times and modern, between exotic. This same figure would become the locus for much of the films traumatic crossfire, amid which the girl has visions of her own, only for her they are of a grave and violent. In the 1980s, monk wrote and directed two films, ellis island 1981, and book of days 1988.
The film is a rare gem and i urge anybody interested in monk to seek it out. Find meredith monk discography, albums and singles on allmusic. Due to the current health crisis any purchases made through the meredith monkhouse foundation store will not be shipped until after april 30th. Meredith monks film book of days 1988 is a fulllength feature that follows the lives of medieval villagers beset by the plague. Meredith monk has enthralled audiences since the early 1960s. Meredith monk has singlehandedly pioneered an entire genre of musical expression beginning with the vocal techniques she discovered in the mid1960s, monks work soon came to incorporate theatrical elements, movement, and a poetic sensibility that is at once contemporary and utterly timeless has created more than 100 works in genres ranging from vocal solo and. Following afternoon screenings, the evening discussion features meredith monk, performing arts journal editor bonnie marranca. In book of days, to be shown tonight at 10 on channel as part of the alive from off center series, she has created a. It deals with a community of jews and christians in the middle ages in time of plague, where the young daughter of a jewish family has visions of 20thcentury technology and society, drawing them on. Meredith monk celebrates 50 years of work the new york times. By clicking the sign in button, i agree to the terms of use updated 20180901 and have read the privacy notice updated 20180901. Join us for a day with iconic composer, singer, directorchoreographer and filmmaker, meredith monk.
Check out book of days by meredith monk on amazon music. With music streaming on deezer you can discover more than 56 million tracks, create your own playlists, and share your favourite tracks with your friends. Drawing parallels between the black death and monks observation of the aids crisis in new york contemporary to the making of the film, book of days dramatises archetypes in search of and in support of humanity. Atlas an opera in three parts 1993 voyages 20 key 1972 on behalf of nature 2016 turtle dreams 1983.
Meredith monk and robert een hocket, from facing north. Since the 1960s, monk has created multidisciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ecm records. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. A guide to meredith monks music music the guardian. Whitepages people search is the most trusted directory. Discovered your blog two months or three ago and keep finding. Meredith monk has been an anomaly for much of her 27year career as a. Monk studied piano and eurythmics from an early age. Discover more music, concerts, videos, and pictures with the largest catalogue online at. Listen free to meredith monk book of days early morning melody, travellers 1, 2, 3 and more. Meredith monk was born on november 20, 1942 in new york city, new york, usa. Meredith monk, american performance artist, a pioneer in the avantgarde, whose work skillfully integrated diverse performance disciplines and media. Guide to the meredith monk archive, 19592006 lpa mss 2006001 the new york public library for the performing arts.
A pioneer in what is now called extended vocal technique and interdisciplinary performance, monk is the fourth generation singer in her family. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from meredith monk at the discogs marketplace. Book of days is the seventh album by meredith monk, released in 1990 through ecm new series. In 2015, meredith monk was awarded the national medal of arts by u. When the plague afflicts a village, this world seems to go up in an apocalypse of hatred and disease that presages our own century. Book of days is the seventh album by meredith monk, released in 1990 through ecm new series track listing. This page is monitored by meredith monkthe house foundation for the arts. Meredith monk, bang on a can allstars, meredith monk and vocal ensemble memory game.