Meredith Monk is primarily known for her vocal innovations, including a wid… Read Full Bio ↴Meredith Monk is primarily known for her vocal innovations, including a wide range of extended techniques, which she first developed in her solo performances before forming her own ensemble. In 1964, she graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and in 1968 she founded The House, a company dedicated to an interdisciplinary approach to performance. Her performances influenced many artists, including Bruce Nauman, whomst she met in San Francisco in 1968. In 1978 Monk formed the ensemble called Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble (modelled after similar ensembles of musical colleagues such as Steve Reich and Philip Glass) to explore new and wider vocal textures and forms which often were contrasted with minimal instrumental textures. Powerful and influential pieces from this time include Dolmen Music (1979), which also was recorded for her first album released at Manfred Eicher's record label ECM in 1981. In the 1980s she wrote and directed two films, Ellis Island (1981), and Book of Days (1988), which developed from a single idea; "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", as Monk recounts in the liner notes of the ECM-recording. Apart from the film, different versions exist of this piece: two for the concert hall, and an album, explained by Meredith Monk and Manfred Eicher as "a film for the ears." In the early 1990s Monk composed an opera - Atlas which premiered in Houston in 1991. More recently, while continuing her work for her ensemble, she began writing for instrumental ensembles and symphony orchestra - her first symphonic work, Possible Sky (2003), and Stringsongs (2004), commissioned by the Kronos Quartet. In 2005, events were held all over the world celebrating the 40th anniversary of her career. These included a concert in Carnegie Hall, featuring Björk, whose singing is fundamentally indebted to Monk's, and others, including the composers Terry Riley, DJ Spooky (who has sampled her on his album "Drums of Death"), and John Zorn and the new music ensembles Alarm Will Sound and Bang on a Can All-Stars, along with the Pacific Mozart Ensemble.
She has won many awards including a MacArthur Fellowship, and she holds honorary Doctor of Arts degrees from Bard College, the University of the Arts (Philadelphia), The Julliard School, the San Francisco Art Institute and the Boston Conservatory.
Her music was used in films by Joel and Ethan Coen (The Big Lebowski, 1998) and Jean-Luc Godard (Nouvelle Vague, 1990 and Notre musique, 2004).
In a recent interview she said that her favourite music includes Brazilian music, especially Caetano Veloso's recordings, the music by Mildred Bailey ("the great jazz singer from the ‘30s and ‘40s"), and Bartok's cycle for piano Mikrokosmos.
She has won many awards including a MacArthur Fellowship, and she holds honorary Doctor of Arts degrees from Bard College, the University of the Arts (Philadelphia), The Julliard School, the San Francisco Art Institute and the Boston Conservatory.
Her music was used in films by Joel and Ethan Coen (The Big Lebowski, 1998) and Jean-Luc Godard (Nouvelle Vague, 1990 and Notre musique, 2004).
In a recent interview she said that her favourite music includes Brazilian music, especially Caetano Veloso's recordings, the music by Mildred Bailey ("the great jazz singer from the ‘30s and ‘40s"), and Bartok's cycle for piano Mikrokosmos.
Travelling
Meredith Monk Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Travelling' by these artists:
Anne Marie Almedal In the grey misty morning In the pale morning light In the…
B.L.A.U.W. Every night I wear the face I picked up from an…
Ben Beal So we travel around the globe And we stop at all…
Beth Hartshorne We'll pack all the essentials And leave the rest behind And …
Country Joe McDonald I lost my baby in outer space She's up there past…
Davy Dacy Di way mi mada raise me never call fi di…
Frank Spinath Every day I travel To keep my mind quiet in its…
Gabriel & Dresden C'mon pretty baby Love me 'till the brake of dawn Get up…
Grobschnitt Far Where the clouds and the winds Use to go Far Where t…
Hollow Hearts Travelling A cloudy any other day I woke up again Not…
J.O.E.L Every night I wear the face I picked up from an…
John Mayall We'll like to welcome why'all back to the club I'm your…
Lee Hot August night and the leaves hanging down and the grass…
Mr Quimby's Beard From world to world From star to star Searching for sound …
Mr. Airplane Man See the man he is Craving for a smoke The woman she…
Paper Lion Travelling the road, last known is where I want to…
Perry Blake It's been so long since i've seen your face Since i've…
Quentin Harris feat. Cordell McClary I'm losing sleep, no time to eat Work so hard every…
Seabound Every day I travel To keep my mind quiet in its…
Sophie Zelmani Baby, don't you worry so This ain't the time to suffer And…
String Driven Thing Would you like to fly with me Out across the evening…
SUGIURUMN feat JOEL EDWARDS One step at a time Driven no matter where I go Travelling…
Tom Verlaine Favorite daughter, wear this ring It will protect you when …
Travelling Travelling the road, less known is where I want to…
Utada 仕事にも精が出る 金曜の午後 タクシーもすぐつかまる(飛び乗る) 目指すは君 「どちらまで行かれます?」 …
We have lyrics for these tracks by Meredith Monk:
Turtle Dreams I went I went to the store I went to the STORE,…
Turtle Dreams (waltz) I went I went to the store I went to the STORE,…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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@FeonaLeeJones
I don't think people realize how much thought, energy, and careful planning was put into this piece. It is HARD to keep a listener engaged in a minimal piece, but Monk does an exceptional job at keeping the piece repetitive, but subtly changing the material that repeats. She carefully changes the texture just at the right time so we don't fall into the Philip Glass boredom trap. There are elements that slowly emerge as the piece progresses. There is a genius in this piece that I feel people overlook easily. The dynamics, the motifs, the textures all transform but we can barely tell, because she hypnotically invites us on this adventure with her. It is never boring, and we loose ourselves in its patternistic waves. It is highly conscious and intelligent music. Something I could have on repeat for hours.
@Easychord2
I first heard Meredith Monk on some odd radio station in New York in late 1985. At first, I thought, "this is so weird", but then I really liked it too. I had to seek her stuff out. I only play it a few times a decade, but I'm totally enthralled whenever I listen to it. I want her played at my funeral.
@slartibartfast2012
ocassionally in life, there's two things of some kind - sometimes a certain author's songs - which i can never tell which one i like more; that is, whichever one i'm listening at the moment, i think "no, this one is (even) better". Travelling and Gotham Lulaby is one such pair. Classic. Thanx for posting.
@cutchibodyhitthefloo
All right... First time listening to this and I really feel diferent. I've never listened to something like this. It's beautiful.
@leff444
like always fabulous ! Can't forgive myself, I'v missed a concert in Amsterdam.. Thank U Meredith U there...
@37Dionysos
THANK YOU. Electrifying! The whole first side of this album will knock you off your normal shoes
@agvesalevor1811
This women is a godness!
@ernestoroma1564
La piu' suggestiva e grande voce del XX secolo grande performer!!
@xeonslide
Igor stravinsky was doomed and rejected because people were afraid of everything new, yet musicians like Monk which i deeply admire are the ones who dared breaking the rules.. Experimental and contemporary artists will exist even if they were a dozen in this world, whether you like it or not because they are the ones who redefine the meaning of evolving sound..
@janjikelingking
those lyric hit me deep