A slightly different Music-Box (1979)

Ti­tle of the album: Bellenorgel. New self-made electroacoustical instruments
Ti­tle: A slightly different Music-Box (Track 01)
Publisher: D. Sotiaux/Igloo, Brussels
Da­te: 1979
Me­di­um: re­cord 30 cm + insert
Cover: A. Geronnez

Godfried-Willem Raes' piece, A slightly different Music-Box, is part of the album Bellenorgel and was released in 1979. Bellenorgel is a sound sculpture project it consists of a mechanical device that activates and strikes numerous sound-producing objects. Over a period of two years, Raes collected sound generators that, in their social occurrence, are intended to move people to action. Raes uses doorbells, telephone bells, horns, bicycle bells, the ticking and ringing of an alarm clock, alarm horns and more. In this way, Raes examines the function of these sounds and signals in everyday life as well as our condition and ability to interpret the sounds and act accordingly. He thus simultaneously poses the question of alternative human action in response to a known signal, as well as the case in which an unknown signal is perceived. He examines our ways of interpreting and reacting to known and unknown signals, the suddenness of their appearance, the inability not to perceive or react to the signals, and the emotional response.

During the performance, the machine runs in a partly automatic, periodically repeating mode and partly in a programmable, non-periodic mode. The proportion of the two modes is variable and ran at a ratio of about 60 to 40% for the recordings of Bellenorgel.

PS