HOW WENDY CARLOS REIMAGINED BACH USING THE SYNTHESIZER TO CONTRADICT TRADITIONAL CLASSICAL MUSIC

Alexia Boyagian

Music History at The University of Western Ontario

Written October 19th 2023

In 1968 Wendy Carlos chose to challenge classical music norms with her Album Switched-on Bach which topped the Classical Charts from 1969-72. This was a collection of pieces composed by Bach performed by Carlos on her Moog synthesizer. The Album was successful as it brought a completely different perspective to classical music. This was a solo album, using only one piece of technology on pieces that traditionally consist of multiple instruments. Take the piece “Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G Major” included in Carlos’ album. A traditional group such as the Netherlands Bach Society would perform this piece as it was originally composed, using three violins, three violas, three cellos, and a basso continuo. This, on its own, is a unique instrumentation for a baroque composer. Carlos takes this piece a step further using a single electronic instrument that alters the listener’s ideas of what classical music is supposed to be. Wendy Carlos uses the synthesizer to perform “The Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G Major” to expand on the conventions of timbre, using new electronic sounds to make classical music more accessible to modern audiences.

The Netherlands Bach Society stays true to Bach's original instrumentation of “Brandenburg Concerto” using three of each stringed instrument. The timbre of the viola, the violin, and the cello, is difficult to differentiate, which makes the piece sound more unified and smooth. Carlos, on the other hand, creates a more oscillating and chaotic feel by experimenting with different electronic timbres. The sounds create a warped, artificial imitation of the instruments in the original piece. This helps to accentuate exciting moments in a way that traditional instruments could not. For example, at time stamp 4:35, the tension begins to build with repeated staccato notes until the piece reaches a climax in which the notes begin to become more sustained. The timbre of the notes are very energetic, electronic, and brassy; they pique the interest of the listener especially when this is not a sound that is expected of traditional baroque music.

Although there are intense moments within the Netherlands Bach Society’s rendition, in those same moments, Carlos finds ways to instill absolute chaos using the synthesizer. This is incredibly surprising to the listener as Carlos not only warps and mimics the initial intended instrumentation, but begins to use sound that does not resemble any instrument at all. The piece’s mood becomes very futuristic at around time stamp 5:23. Staccato notes that resemble the banging of metal or cans are introduced while still staying in pitch. The sound distorts to a different timbre each time the chord arpeggiates which almost resembles science fiction. The synthesizer's infinite possibilities and control of timbre provide more opportunities for intensity and chaos that may not have been accounted for in a score that was written hundreds of years ago.

Carlos only performed Switched on Bach once and although the performance of this piece was incredibly successful she never performed again. There is no video recording of this performance, but based on videos of Carlos’ demonstrations of her synthesizer, and articles written on the performance, a lot can be inferred when discussing the performance aspect and the number of people involved in the presentation of this piece cannot be ignored. Carlos’ rendition was very unique visually compared to how it was originally intended to be performed. The original piece consisted of nine different instruments and nine people who each brought their own style and quality to the performance. Watching fewer people perform a piece that has many components means there is less to visually experience on stage. For example, in the Netherlands Bach Society’s rendition, each person is performing with physicality and energy. This provides more visually for the viewer, as many individual performances are happening simultaneously within the larger performance of the piece. On the other hand, Carlos’ performance consists of herself playing a singular instrument with few other musicians also on a synthesizer. Watching a few people press the buttons/keys of a synthesizer has the potential to be uninteresting, but it also gives the audience a chance to focus on the music and simply listen. Simplistic visuals bring closer attention to the music and the act of watching such intricate and nuanced music be performed on revolutionary technology is impressive on its own. The minimalist visuals leave room for the audience to take in the chaos that Carlos is creating and enjoy the music for its auditory complexity.

Wendy Carlos uses the synthesizer to contrast the traditional norms and changes the listeners perspective of the possibilities of classical music. Renditions of “Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 in G Major” like the Netherlands Bach Society follows the conventions in which it was written. Carlos introduces the possibilities of timbre with the synthesizer, providing new and surprising aspects to pieces that would never have been achieved with conventional instruments. In her album Switched-on Bach, Carlos digitizes Bach, changing the perspective on what classical music means to every person who chooses to listen to this performance.

Bibliography

Carlos, Wendy. “Brandenburg Concerto no.3 in G Major,” Album Switched-on Bach, October 1968. Recording, time stamp 25.43, https://archive.org/details/wendy-carlos-switched-on-bach-5.1

Carlos, Wendy. “Wendy Carlos In Live Synthesizer Concert,” Wendy Carlos Personal Website, March 14th 1997, https://www.wendycarlos.com/photos.html .

Carlos, Wendy. “Wendy Carlos Interview 1989 BBC Two,” 2019, Youtube Video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3cab5IcCy8&t=1s

“How the World Met Moog,” Moog, https://www.moogmusic.com/media/switched-bach-how-world-met-moog

Villalba, Juanjo. “Wendy Carlos: The Brilliant but Lonely Life of an Electronic Music Pioneer,” Elpais, December 12th, 2022. https://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-12-12/wendy-carlos-the-brilliant-but-lonely-life-of-an-electronic-music-pioneer.html

“Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 in G Major,” The Netherlands Bach Society, September 24th 2020. Video, https://www.bachvereniging.nl/en/bwv/bwv-1048 .