Peter Ablinger:
instant music
water glass, spoon and instant coffee, 2018
sketch for "instant music", notebooks 2018
Instant Music. Instant Kaffee in ein Glas kaltes Leitungswasser einrühren. Umrühren. Dann mit dem Löffel auf den Glasboden (Mitte) trommeln: ein Glissando nach oben entsteht. Glas dabei in der Hand halten oder auf gedämpften Grund stellen. Wieder umrühren. Wieder trommeln: Gliss. fängt wieder von unten an. ZB. für mehrere unabhängige Performer. ZB. immer in langsamen Accelerandi-Ritardandi trommeln, oder auch nur in eine Richtung (accel. oder rit.).
Instant Music. Stir instant coffee into a glass of cold tap water. Stir. Then drum the bottom of the glass (center) with the spoon: a glissando upward is created. Hold glass in hand while doing this or place on steamed base. Stir again. Drum again: Gliss. starts again from the bottom. For example, for several independent performers. E.g. always drum in slow accelerandi ritardandi, or just in one direction (accel. or rit.).listen, 2:48 (alternative player)
The glissando rises a bit higher each time, even to a decime on the 3rd time. In 2019, "instant music" became a part of this piece: Doo-doo-dooh, premiered in Chicago in January 2020 by the Fonema Consort. The glissando, however, remained much flatter, rising perhaps only a third. What could be the reason for such an obvious difference? My suspicion goes in the direction of the chlorinated water - but this has not yet been conclusively verified.
In 2013, on a trip to Iran, I learned to drink instant coffee with cold water, which I have kept ever since, especially in the warm months. In the photo I am performing "instant music", on the occasion of an online workshop in 2021 with Iranian sound artists. More from that workshop here.
