Able to Be

Dutch composer Jacob ter Veldhuis, widely known by his pop-inspired name Jacob TV, writes music of rich melodic inspiration. His aesthetic brings together a traditional love for the human voice and an interest in tonality alongside very forward thinking ideas about cross influences between visual art, electronics, and instrumental texture. Jacob TV embraces open contradictions and has been called “the Andy Warhol of new music.” In his oeuvre one can find a massive lyrical oratorio based on Dante’s Divine Comedy as well as boombox music that utilizes sampled audio recordings from the 20th century. For example, his piece Able to Be uses quotations from Marilyn Monroe herself as well as electronically altered versions of her words. Throughout the work, Jacob TV explores irregular rhythm patterns that respond to features of human speech. This translates into changing meters and syncopations that infect all parts of the ensemble. Moments of sustained sound are used to highlight specific passages of text, whereas the general style is more percussive and pointillist.
Scored for tape, voice, and electrified ensemble (violin, flute, and percussion), Marilyn: Able to Be was commissioned by Elektra Ensemble in 2005. The composer states that it was “written in an attempt to show something of the real person behind the icon.” Thus despite the pop-art, kitschy sound effects created by widely arcing voice, electric violin, and overlapped audio recordings, one senses the composer’s sympathetic interest in one of America’s most troubled celebrities.

(c) Jason Stell