Ambient composer floats away at 81
mainConstance Demby, a pioneer in ambient music with several bestselling albums, has died at 81.
In recent years she lived in Spain.
Novus Magnificat was her breakthrough release.
Her ensemble partner Robert Rutman said: ‘The best way to describe our music is to call it ‘not music.’ You see, it often happens that when people hear us play, they say, either in anger or in delight, ‘That’s not music!’ It’s somewhat akin to the paintings of Jackson Pollock. When the art buffs first saw his work, with the paint drippings and all, they said, ‘That’s not painting.”
I’ve never been interested in this kind of music and only checked her work now. Maybe it was something obvious for others, but the first thing that amazed me was that it is a live acoustic music, not some electronically generated sound (at least in most cases). Second amazing things is that she invented her own musical instruments that are actually have interesting, new and rich sound. Look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ire8pSPvX1o
Sad, that I’ve learned about her art only now. I’d also like to see more her live performances, it is very interesting how they make these sounds.
Mr Rutman is right.
And thus, there’s nothing against it and the sound patterns in the video are simply beautiful, only a bit cheap here & there.
Comparable with this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgS37X4P2hM
Maybe its only me, but I find “floats away” to be pretty disrespectful.
I mean no disrespect to Ms. Demby, whom I’d never heard of, but I find it literally painful to listen to this type of music. An acquired taste, no doubt.
It’s not music as Mr Rutman explained, it is sound art, using musical material – major chords etc. Just listen to the patterns, don’t expect a musical narrative.
I won’t criticize a text in Birmese that it is not English.
An announcer on SiriusXM describes this style as “Good acoustics”.
Yep. Very good.
Then you have wasted too much time here.
One can always rely on SD headlines to provide a tasty daily doze of cheesecake.
“AMBIENT COMPOSER FLOATS AWAY AT 81”
Not very respectful, seems to me.
I could definitely sit down and listen to this ambient style instead of the highly overrated neo-classical pop piano composers. Sorry to hear about her passing, and it’s probably difficult to preserve that kind of music if it’s not available as sheet music to be performed by others. Being a woman composer doesn’t make it easier.
Good.
I have found her music to be one of few things that can actually bring me to real peace and relaxation.
Too bad that so many out there have never had the same experience (without drugs).