What silence can teach you about sound | Dallas Taylor

Prevoditelj: Leona Grujić Recezent: Gordan Prakiš

For many of us right now, our lives are quieter than normal.

Za mnoge od nas, život je trenutno tiši nego obično.

And quiet can be unnerving.

A tišina može biti uznemirujuća.

It can make you feel lonely,

Možete osjetiti usamljenost

or just all too aware of the things you're missing out on.

ili početi razmišljati o svemu što propuštate.

I think about sound all the time.

Ja neprestano razmišljam o zvuku.

I'm a sound designer,

Ja sam dizajner zvuka

and I host the podcast "Twenty Thousand Hertz."

i voditelj podcasta "Twenty Thousand Herz,"

It's all about the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds.

u kojem se bavim najprepoznatljivijim i najzanimljivijim zvukovima.

But I think this is the perfect time to talk about silence.

Ali mislim da je ovo savršen trenutak da razgovaramo o tišini.

Because what I've come to understand

Jer sam shvatio

is that there is no such thing as silence.

da tišina ne postoji.

And the person who opened my mind to this idea

Osoba koja mi je prvi put otvorila um za tu ideju

is one of the most influential composers in history.

jedan je od nautjecajnijih skladatelja u povijesti.

(Piano music)

(skladba za klavir)

John Cage has made an impact on artists in many genres,

John Cage utjecao je na skladatelje različitih žanrova,

from avant-garde musicians, to modern dance, to pop music.

od avangardnih glazbenika, do modernog plesa i pop-glazbe.

Right now, we're listening to his 1948 piece

Upravo slušamo njegovu skladbu iz 1948.

called "In a Landscape."

zvanu "U krajobrazu."

This version was recorded in 1994 by Stephen Drury.

Ovu verziju snimio je Stephen Drury 1994.

(Piano music)

(skladba za klavir)

This piece is actually not very typical of John Cage's writing.

Ovo djelo zapravo nije tipično za Johna Cagea.

He's more known for his innovations and avant-garde techniques.

Poznatiji je po svojim inovacijama i avangardnim tehnikama.

But despite his reputation,

Ali unatoč njegovoj reputaciji,

no one was prepared for what he did in 1952,

nitko nije bio spreman na ono što je učinio 1952.,

when he created the most daring piece of his career.

kad je napisao najodvažniju skladbu svoje karijere.

It was called "4'33'',"

Nazvao ju je "4 minute i 33 sekunde",

and it was a piece that some critics even refused to call "music,"

a radilo se o skladbi koju su neki kritičari čak odbili zvati "glazbom",

because for the entire duration of the piece,

jer tijekom čitave skladbe

the performer plays

izvođač zapravo

nothing at all.

uopće ne svira.

Well, to be technical, the performer is actually playing rest.

Pa, preciznije, izvođač izvodi odmor.

But to the audience, it looks like nothing is happening.

Ali publici se čini da se ništa ne zbiva.

John Cage's "4'33''" was performed for the first time

Cageova "4 minute i 33 sekunde" prvi put je izvedena

in the summer of 1952,

u ljeto 1952.,

by renowned pianist David Tudor.

a izveo ju je David Tudor

It was at the Maverick Concert hall in Woodstock, New York.

u koncertnoj dvorani Maverick u Woodstocku u New Yorku.

This is a beautiful wooden building with huge openings to the outdoors.

To je prelijepa otvorena drvena zgrada.

So, David Tudor walked out on stage,

Dakle, David Tudor je izašao na pozornicu,

sat down at the piano,

sjeo za klavir

then closed the piano lid.

i spustio poklopac klavira.

He then sat in silence,

Onda je sjedio u tišini,

only moving to open and close the piano lid

samo bi otvorio i zatvorio poklopac

between each of the three movements.

između svakog od tri stavka.

After the time was up,

Kad je vrijeme isteklo,

he got up

ustao je

and walked off the stage.

i sišao s pozornice.

(Piano music)

(skladba za klavir)

The audience had no idea what to think.

Publika nije znala što da misli.

It made people wonder if Cage is even taking his career seriously.

Ljudi su se zapitali je li Cage uopće mario za svoju karijeru.

A close friend even wrote to him,

Bliski prijatelj mu je čak pisao,

begging that he not turn his career into a joke.

moleći ga da ne pretvori svoju karijeru u lakrdiju.

John Cage had, well, if you could call it,

John Cage je, ako bismo to tako mogli nazvati,

composed a piece of music

skladao glazbeno djelo

that really challenged some very established ideas

koje je izazvalo neke duboko ukorijenjene ideje

about music composition.

o skladanju glazbe.

It's something that musicians still debate today.

Glazbenici još i dan-danas debatiraju o tome.

To understand just what John Cage was thinking,

Kako bismo shvatili što je Cage mislio,

let's back up to the 1940s.

moramo se vratiti u 1940-e.

Back then,

U to vrijeme,

John Cage was making a name for himself composing for the prepared piano.

John Cage je tek počinjao karijeru skladajući za "pripremljeni klavir".

(Piano music)

(skladba za klavir)

To make music like this,

Kako bi dobio ovakvu glazbu,

John Cage would put objects inside the piano,

John Cage bi stavljao predmete u klavir

between the strings.

između žica.

Things you just find lying around,

Svakakve obične predmete,

like screws, tape and rubber erasers.

poput vijaka, ljepljivih traka i gumica za brisanje.

So now, you've transformed the piano

Time bi preobrazio klavir

from a tonal instrument with high and low pitches

iz tonalnog instrumenta s visokim i niskim tonovima

into a collection of unique sounds.

u kolekciju jedinstvenih zvukova.

The music you're hearing is Cage's "Sonata V,"

Glazba koju čujete je Cageova "Sonata V"

from "Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano."

iz "Sonata i interludija za pripremljeni klavir."

Probably his most famous work outside of "4'33''."

Njegovo najpoznatije djelo uz "4 minute i 33 sekunde."

This version was performed by Boris Berman.

Ovu verziju izvodi Boris Berman.

John Cage wrote incredibly detailed instructions

John Cage pisao je vrlo detaljne instrukcije

about where to place each object in the piano.

o tome gdje staviti koji predmet u klavir.

But it's impossible for every performer to get the exact same objects,

Ali nemoguće je da svaki izvođač nabavi iste predmete,

so the sound you get is always different.

pa izvedbe uvijek zvuče različito.

Basically, it comes down to random chance.

U osnovi se sve svodi na slijepu slučajnost.

This was pretty bananas and pretty alien

To je bilo prilično ludo i vrlo drukčije

to the way most composers and musicians are taught to do things.

od načina na koji se poučava većina skladatelja i glazbenika.

John Cage was becoming increasingly interested

Johna Cagea su sve više zanimale

in chance and randomness

slučajnost i nasumičnost

and letting the universe provide the answer to the question

i puštanje svemiru da odgovori na pitanje

"What note should I play next?"

koja je sljedeća nota.

But to hear the answer to the question,

Ali kako biste čuli odgovor na to pitanje,

first, you have to listen.

najprije morate slušati.

And in the 1940s,

A u 1940-ima,

listening to the universe was getting harder to do.

osluškivanje svemira postajalo je teže.

(Elevator music)

(zvuk dizala)

The Muzak company was founded in the '30s.

Tvrtka Muzak osnovana je u 1930-ima.

It really took off,

Bila je vrlo uspješna

and soon, there was constant background music nearly everywhere.

i uskoro ste posvuda čuli pozadinsku glazbu.

It was almost impossible to escape.

Bila je gotovo neizbježna.

John Cage realized that people were losing the option

John Cage je shvatio da su ljudi gubili opciju

to shut out the background music of the world.

da isključe pozadinsku glazbu svijeta.

He worried that Muzak would prevent people from hearing silence altogether.

Brinuo se da će Muzak spriječiti ljude da čuju tišinu.

In 1948,

Godine 1948.,

four years before he wrote "4'33'',"

četiri godine prije skladanja "4 minute i 33 sekunde",

John Cage mentioned that he wanted to write

John Cage je izjavio da bi želio napisati

a four-and-a-half-minute-long piece of silence

4 i pol minute dugo djelo o tišini

and sell it to the Muzak company.

i prodati ga tvrtki Muzak.

It started as something of a political statement

Počelo je kao politička izjava,

or an offhand comment,

ili neplanirani komentar,

but this idea struck a nerve and quickly evolved.

ali ta je ideja taknula živac i brzo se razvila.

John Cage was starting to think deeply about silence.

John Cage je počeo duboko razmišljati o tišini.

And when he visited a truly quiet place,

A kad je posjetio uistinu tiho mjesto,

he made a startling discovery.

otkrio je nešto nevjerojatno.

John Cage visited an anechoic chamber at Harvard University.

John Cage je posjetio gluhu komoru Sveučilišta Harvard.

Anechoic chambers are rooms that are acoustically treated

Gluhe komore su prostorije koje su akustički tretirane

to minimize sound to almost zero.

kako bi se zvuk sveo gotovo na nulu.

There are no sounds in these rooms,

U tim komorama nema zvuka

so John Cage didn't expect to hear anything at all.

pa je John Cage očekivao da neće čuti ništa.

But he actually heard his own blood circulating.

Ali čuo je vlastitu krv kako cirkulira.

(Pulse)

(puls)

I've personally experienced an anechoic chamber,

Osobno sam posjetio gluhu komoru

and it's a really wild experience

i to je uistinu ludo iskustvo

that can completely change your perceptions

koje može u potpunosti promijeniti vaše ideje

about sound and silence.

o zvuku i tišini.

It really felt like my brain just turning up an amplifier,

Uistinu se činilo da je moj mozak uključio pojačivač zvuka

grasping for anything to hear.

u potrazi za bilo čime što bi mogao čuti.

Just like John Cage,

Kao i John Cage,

I could very clearly hear my blood pushing through my body.

mogao sam jasno čuti kako mi krv teče tijelom.

John Cage realized, in that moment,

John Cage je u tom trenu shvatio

that no matter where we are, even our bodies are making sound.

da, bez obzira gdje se nalazimo, čak i naša tijela stvaraju zvuk.

There's basically no such thing as true silence.

Zapravo ne postoji istinska tišina.

As long as you are in your body,

Sve dok ste u svom tijelu,

you're always hearing something.

uvijek čujete nešto.

This is where John Cage's interest in chance and randomness

U tom se trenutku Cageov interes za slučajnost i nasumičnost

met his interest in silence.

susreo s njegovim interesom za tišinu.

He realized that creating an environment with no distractions

Shvatio je da se stvaranje okoline bez distrakcija

wasn't about creating silence.

ne temelji na stvaranju tišine.

It wasn't even about controlling noise.

Niti na kontroli buke.

It was about the sounds that were already there,

Temelji se na osluškivanju zvukova koji su već ondje,

but you suddenly hear for the first time

ali koje iznenada čujete prvi put

when you're really ready to listen.

kad ste stvarno spremni slušati.

That's what's so often misunderstood about "4'33''."

To ljudi često ne shvaćaju kad slušaju "4 minute i 33 sekunde".

People assume it's a joke,

Ljudi pretpostave da se radi o šali,

but that couldn't be further from the truth.

ali to je upravo suprotno od istine.

It sounds different everywhere you play it.

Skladba zvuči drukčije na drukčijim mjestima.

And that's the point.

I u tome je i poanta.

What John Cage really wanted us to hear

John Cage je želio da čujemo

is the beauty of the sonic world around us.

ljepotu zvučnog svijeta oko nas.

(Birds chirping)

(cvrkut ptica)

(Overlapping voices)

(preklapanje glasova)

(Church bell ringing)

(crkvena zvona)

(Crickets chirping and owl hooting)

(cvrčanje cvrčaka i huk sove)

"4'33''" should be a mindful experience

"4 minute i 33 sekunde" je iskustvo osvještavanja

that helps you focus on accepting things just the way they are.

koje nam pomaže prihvatiti stvari onakve kakve jesu.

It's not something that anyone else can tell you how you're supposed to feel.

Nitko vam ne može reći kako da ih doživite.

It's deeply personal.

Doživljaj je duboko osoban.

It also brings up some pretty big questions

Skladba također postavlja prilično velika pitanja

about our sonic world.

o našem zvučnom svijetu.

Is "4'33''" music, is it sound,

Je li "4 minute i 33 sekunde" glazba, je li zvuk,

is sound music?

je li zvuk glazba?

Is there even a difference?

Postoji li uopće razlika?

John Cage reminds us

John Cage nas podsjeća

that music isn't the only kind of sound worth listening to.

da glazba nije jedina vrsta zvuka koji vrijedi slušati.

All sounds are worth thinking about.

Svaki je zvuk vrijedan razmatranja.

We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

Imamo jedinstvenu priliku

to reset our ears.

da resetiramo naše uši.

And if we become more conscious of what we hear,

A ako postanemo svjesniji onog što čujemo,

we'll inherently make our world sound better.

neizbježno ćemo učiniti da naš svijet bolje zvuči.

Quietness is not when we turn off our minds to sound,

Tišina nije kad isključimo zvuk,

but when we can really start to listen

već kad uistinu počnemo slušati

and hear the world in all of its sonic beauty.

i čuti svijet sa svim zvučnim ljepotama koje sadrži.

So in this spirit,

U tom duhu,

let's perform "4'33''" together,

hajdemo zajedno izvesti "4 minute i 33 sekunde",

wherever you are.

gdje god bili.

It's three movements,

Ima tri stavka

and I'll let you know when they start.

i reći ću vam kad koji počinje.

Listen to the texture and rhythm of the sounds around you right now.

Slušajte teksturu i ritam zvukova koji vas okružuju.

Listen for the loud and soft,

Slušajte glasne i tihe zvukove,

the harmonic, the dissonant,

harmonične i disonantne,

and all the small details that make every sound unique.

i sve sitne detalje koji čine svaki zvuk jedinstvenim.

Spend this time as mindful and focused in this real-life sonic moment.

Pažljivo se usredotočite na ovaj stvarni zvučni trenutak.

Enjoy the magnificence of hearing and listening.

Uživajte u veličanstvenosti sluha i slušanja.

So here comes the first movement.

Dakle, evo prvog stavka.

Starting ...

Počinje...

now.

sada.

[I. Tacet]

[I. Tacet]

(No audio)

(bez zvuka)

And here's movement two.

A ovo je drugi stavak.

It will be two minutes and 23 seconds.

Trajat će 2 minute i 23 sekunde.

[II. Tacet]

[II. Tacet]

(No audio)

(bez zvuka)

And here is the final movement.

Evo i posljednjeg stavka.

It will be one minute and 40 seconds.

Trajat će 1 minutu i 40 sekundi.

[III. Tacet]

[III. Tacet]

(No audio)

(bez zvuka)

And that's it.

I to je to.

We did it.

Uspjeli smo.

Thanks for listening.

Hvala vam na slušanju.