Imagine a world without Spotify or YouTube, where the ability to record sound first became possible. In 1888, Edison’s phonograph was pure magic. But when the celebrated composer Sir Arthur Sullivan recorded his voice, he predicted a dark future. The composition for vocal ensemble After Dinner Toast explores this historical conflict: the wonder of a technological revolution and the fear of its consequences.
for musicians and concert programmers
for musicians and concert programmers
About the Composition
The composition is inspired by one of the most fascinating moments in music history: the day a great composer first foresaw the dark side of sound recording.
Edison’s Magic and Sullivan’s Warning
n 1888, Thomas Edison’s representative, Colonel Gouraud, introduced the improved phonograph to Europe. From his London home, which he dubbed “Little Menlo,” he demonstrated the marvel to the press. The admiration was immense; indeed, for the first time, voices and music could be captured, preserved, and replayed.
A key moment in this story, however, took place on October 5th of that year. During a dinner for London’s elite, Gouraud asked his guests to record a message for Edison. One of them was Sir Arthur Sullivan, the most famous composer of his time. The wax cylinder with his voice survives, but his message was no ode to progress. On the contrary, in his “After Dinner Toast,” he expressed a deep fear of the invention, predicting it would allow for “dreadful and bad music to be recorded forever.”
From History to Music
After Dinner Toast gives voice to this conflict in a unique way. Its heart is the warm, breathing sound of the vocal ensemble and the harmonium: the human voice in the here and now.
Against this, the electronics weave a complex layer through the music: a clear, modern recording of the very same ensemble is intertwined with new ‘old’ recordings, which sound as if the singers have just been captured by Edison’s crackling phonograph.
Was Sullivan right?
By attending a live concert with After Dinner Toast, the listener is left to look at our own saturated (online) audio landscape of endless streams and viral clips, and answer the final, unsettling question: was Sullivan right?
For performers
Instruments:
SATB; harm,
cel; elec
Duration:
20′
Year:
2011
Premiere:
11 September 2011
Orgelpark
Amsterdam
Category:
Solo singers
and orchestra
Language:
English
Lyricist:
Renske Vrolijk
Are you interested in performing this work? Please contact my publisher.
Renske’s sheet music
is published by Deuss Music.