Page path:

crickets (1974)

Aram Saroyan

Aram Saroyan

Ti­tle of the com­pi­la­ti­on: 10+2:12. American Text Sound
Pieces
Ti­tle: Aram Saroyan: crickets (Track 13)
Editor: Charles Amirkhanian
Publisher: Arch Records, Berkeley
Da­te: 1974
Me­di­um: re­cord 30 cm + insert with biographies
Cover: Robert Leverant, Sharon Stein

 

Aram Saroyan's recording of the poem crickets consists of an approximately three-minute repetition of the word "crickets". Based on the background noise and the monotonous sound, it is recognisable that the repetition in this recording was technically generated. In addition to the sound recording, which exists in different versions, crickets has been written down as a poem and performed by Saroyan. He writes about the work: "The piece, with its single column of the word "crickets" running down the right hand side of the page, was in part inspired by the "zip" paintings of Barnett Newman. It was written in 1965 in my studio flat in New York City. So far as I know there were no crickets around."

PS