Musical Inventiveness and Electronic Sophistication

March 30, 2015 12:01 PM

Children's music composer Ruth White is better known for her early work with the Moog synthesizer - including an album based off the poetry of Baudelaire.

In addition to the Baudelaire album Flowers of Evil and the classic Moog album Short Circuits, Ruth White also composed 7 Trumps from the Tarot Cards and Pinions to accompany a University of California dance performance.

Listen to Flowers of Evil in its entirety here, or cuts from 7 Trumps.

posted by beefetish (5 comments total)

I had an album by her when I was in high school (about 1970), and really liked it a lot!
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:08 PM on March 30, 2015

I love hearing authentic vinyl static and noise on YouTube videos. While I understand a clean record shouldn't have these bits of distortion, it makes the whole weird experience of listening to audio from over 40 years ago seem somehow more grounded than if the audio were pristine, as if I was listening to a friend's recent thrift store pick rather than something streaming online.

Great find, thanks for sharing!
posted by filthy light thief at 12:40 PM on March 30, 2015

BLOOD
BLOOD
BLOOD

Flowers of Evil is a wonderful suite; Evening Harmony in particular for its slow disintegration into dissonance.
posted by solarion at 1:28 PM on March 30, 2015

This is fascinating; thanks for the post! I practice/study electroacoustic composition and had never heard White's work before.
posted by alexandermatheson at 1:28 PM on March 30, 2015

wow, the Flowers Of Evil piece is great!. thanks.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 7:39 PM on March 30, 2015