Meredith Jane Monk (born November 20, 1942) is an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

performer The performing arts are The arts, arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art ob ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

vocalist Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, and

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

. From the 1960s onwards, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music,

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

, and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, recording extensively for

ECM Records ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) is an independent record label founded by Karl Egger, Manfred Eicher and Manfred Scheffner in Munich in 1969. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a variety of recordings, and ECM's a ...

. In 1991, Monk composed ''

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

'', an opera, commissioned and produced by the Houston Opera'' '' and the

American Music Theater Festival The Prince Theater is a non-profit theatrical producing organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and specializing in music theatre, including opera, music drama, musical comedy and experimental forms. Founded in 1984 as the American ...

. Her music has been used in films by the

Coen Brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...

(''

The Big Lebowski ''The Big Lebowski'' () is a 1998 crime comedy film written, directed, produced and co-edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. It follows the life of Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler. He is assaulted ...

'', 1998) and

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

(''Nouvelle Vague'', 1990 and ''

Notre musique ''Notre musique'' ( English: ''Our Music'') is a 2004 film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. The film reflects on violence, morality, and the representation of violence in film, and touches especially on past colonialism and the current Israeli–Pale ...

'', 2004).

Trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

musician

DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972 in San Jose, California, San Jose, California), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ and record producer. His debut studio album, ''Endtroducing.....,'' was released in 1996. He uses l ...

sampled Monk's "

Dolmen Music ''Dolmen Music'' is a 1981 studio album by American composer and vocalist Meredith Monk recorded over two sessions in March 1980 and January 1981 and released on the ECM New Series—her first of twelve releases for the label. Background DJ Sh ...

" on the song "

Midnight in a Perfect World "Midnight in a Perfect World" is a song by American DJ and music producer DJ Shadow. It was released as the lead single from his debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'', on September 2, 1996. The song peaked at number 52 on the Scottish Singles ...

". In 2015, she was awarded the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

Early life

Meredith Monk was born to businessman Theodore Glenn Monk (1909–1998) and singer Audrey Lois Monk (''née'' Audrey Lois Zellman; 1911–2009), in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

.Citing "Meredith J. Monk". DOB: 20 November 1942.

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. Certificate Number 35634. (accessible ''via''

Ancestry.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

, subscription required) Her mother, a professional singer of popular and classical music known under the stage name of Audrey Marsh, was herself the daughter of professional musicians: the

Russian Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest po ...

bass-baritone Joseph B. Zellman, and Rose (Kornicker) Zellman, a concert pianist of

German Jewish The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...

background from Philadelphia. Meredith has a sister, Tracy (born 1948). Monk has a bachelor's degree from

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...

, where she studied composition with then-graduate student and

Alwin Nikolais Alwin Nikolais (November 25, 1910 – May 8, 1993) was an American choreographer, dancer, composer, musician, and teacher. He created the Nikolais Dance Theatre, and was known for his self-designed innovative costume, lighting, and production des ...

dancer

Beverly Schmidt Blossom Beverly Schmidt Blossom (August 28, 1926 – November 1, 2014) was an American modern dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She was an original member and soloist with the Alwin Nikolais Dance Theater, a modern dance choreographer for Illinois Dan ...

. At the age of three, Monk was diagnosed with

strabismus Strabismus is an eye disorder in which the eyes do not properly align with each other when looking at an object. The eye that is pointed at an object can alternate. The condition may be present occasionally or constantly. If present during a ...

and her mother signed her up to a

Dalcroze eurhythmics Dalcroze eurhythmics, also known as the Dalcroze method or simply eurhythmics, is a developmental approach to music education. Eurhythmics was developed in the early 20th century by Swiss musician and educator Émile Jaques-Dalcroze and has inf ...

programme, a technique which integrates music with movement. Monk says that it "has influenced everything I've done. It's why dance and movement and film are so integral to my music. It's why I see music so visually."

Career

Meredith Monk is primarily known for her vocal innovations, including a wide range of

extended techniques In music, extended technique is unconventional, unorthodox, or non-traditional methods of singing or of playing musical instruments employed to obtain unusual sounds or timbres.Burtner, Matthew (2005).Making Noise: Extended Techniques after Exper ...

, which she first developed in her solo performances prior to forming her own ensemble. In December 1961, she appeared at the Actor's Playhouse in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

(NYC) as a solo dancer in an

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

children's musical theater adaptation of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

' ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'', entitled '' Scrooge'' (music and lyrics by Norman Curtis; directed and choreographed by Patricia Taylor Curtis). In 1964, Monk graduated from

after studying with

, and in 1968 she founded The House, a company dedicated to an interdisciplinary approach to performance. Monk's performances have influenced many artists, including

Bruce Nauman Bruce Nauman (born December 6, 1941) is an American artist. His practice spans a broad range of media including sculpture, photography, neon, video, drawing, printmaking, and performance. Nauman lives near Galisteo, New Mexico. Life and work ...

, whom she met in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in 1968. In 1978, Monk formed The Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble (modeled after similar ensembles of musical colleagues, such as

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer best known as a pioneer of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. Reich descr ...

and

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

), to explore new and wider vocal textures and forms, which often were contrasted with minimal instrumental textures. Monk began a long-standing relationship with the

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill, Minneapolis, Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, which continues to showcase her work to this day. During this period Monk recorded ''

'' (1979), her first album released on

Manfred Eicher Manfred Eicher (born 9 July 1943) is a German record producer and the founder of ECM Records. Life and career Eicher was born in Lindau, Germany. He studied music at the Academy of Music in Berlin. He started as a double-bass player of classi ...

's record label

ECM ECM may refer to the following: Economics and commerce * Engineering change management * Equity capital markets * Error correction model, an econometric model * European Common Market Mathematics * Lenstra's Elliptic curve method for factor ...

, in 1981. In the 1980s, Monk wrote and directed two films, ''Ellis Island'' (1981), and ''Book of Days'' (1988). These developed from her idea; "One day during summer of 1984, as I was sweeping the floor of my house in the country, the image of a young girl (in black and white) and a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

street in the

Jewish community Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

(also in black and white) came to me." Monk tells this account in the liner notes of the ECM-recording. Apart from the film, different versions exist of this piece. Two are for the concert hall, and an album, produced by Meredith Monk and Manfred Eicher, is "a film for the ears." Meredith Monk - Assorted Audio Cassette Tapes 02

Meredith Monk - Assorted Audio Cassette Tapes 02

In the early 1990s, Monk composed an opera called ''

'', which premiered in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, in 1991.Grimshaw, Jeremy
"Atlas, an opera in 3 parts for 18 voices & large ensemble"

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. Retrieved 6 July 2013. She has also written pieces for instrumental ensembles and

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

s. Her first symphonic work was ''Possible Sky'' (2003). It was followed by ''Stringsongs'' (2004) for string quartet, which was commissioned by the

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classical musi ...

. In 2005, events were held all over the world in celebration of the 40th anniversary of her career, including a concert in

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

featuring

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

Terry Riley Terrence Mitchell Riley (born June 24, 1935) is an American composer and performing musician best known as a pioneer of the minimalist music, minimalist school of composition. Influenced by jazz and Indian classical music, his work became notab ...

DJ Spooky Paul Dennis Miller (born September 6, 1970), known professionally as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is an American Electronic music, electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics "illbient" or "trip hop". ...

(who sampled Monk on his album '' Drums of Death''),

Ursula Oppens Ursula Oppens (born February 2, 1944) is an American classical concert pianist and educator. She has received five Grammy Award nominations. Biography Ursula Oppens was born on February 2, 1944, in New York City into a highly musical family fr ...

, Bruce Brubaker,

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

, and the new music ensembles

Alarm Will Sound Alarm Will Sound is a 20-member chamber orchestra that focuses on recordings and performances of contemporary classical music. Its performances have been described as "equal parts exuberance, nonchalance, and virtuosity" by the ''Financial Times ...

and

Bang on a Can Bang on a Can is a multi-faceted contemporary classical music organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon. Called "the c ...

All-Stars, along with the Pacific Mozart Ensemble. Meredith Monk has been composer in residence for

, concluding in 2015. In an interview, Monk said that her favourite music includes Brazilian music, especially

Caetano Veloso Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (; born 7 August 1942) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicália, which encompas ...

's recordings, the music by

Mildred Bailey Mildred Bailey (born Mildred Rinker; February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a Native American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady", and "Mrs. Swing". She recorded the songs " For Sentime ...

("the great jazz singer from the ‘30s and ‘40s"), and Bartók's cycle for piano '' Mikrokosmos''.

Honors and legacy

Monk has won numerous awards, including a

MacArthur Fellowship The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and ...

and the

Creative Capital Creative Capital is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in New York City that supports artists across the United States through funding, counsel, gatherings, and career development services. Since its founding in 1999, Creative Capital has co ...

Award in the discipline of Performing Arts. She has also been a MacDowell Fellow six times (1987, 1988, 1994, 1996, 2001, Winter 2007). She has been awarded honorary Doctor of Arts degrees from

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...

, the

University of the Arts (Philadelphia) The University of the Arts (UArts) was a Private university, private Art school, arts university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its campus made up part of the Avenue of the Arts (Philadelphia), Avenue of the Arts cultural district in Center Cit ...

, the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

, the

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a Private college, private art school, college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mis ...

and the

Boston Conservatory Boston Conservatory at Berklee (formerly The Boston Conservatory) is a private performing arts conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, music, and theater. Boston Conservatory was founded o ...

. In 1979, the

Supersisters ''Supersisters'' was a set of 72 trading cards produced and distributed in the United States in 1979 by Supersisters, Inc. They featured famous women from politics, media and entertainment, culture, sports, and other areas of achievement. The ...

trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Monk's name and picture. In 1985, Monk won an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence for her contributions to the off-Broadway community. In 2007, she received in Italy the

Demetrio Stratos Efstratios Dimitriou (; 22 April 1945 – 13 June 1979), known professionally as Demetrio Stratos, was a Greek-Italian vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music researcher, best known as the co-founder, frontman and lead singer of th ...

International Award for musical experimentation. On September 10, 2015, US President

presented Monk with a

, the highest honor in the United States specifically given for achievement in the arts. Monk was given

The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize or Gish Prize is given annually to "a man or woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind's enjoyment and understanding of life." It is among the most prestigious and on ...

in 2017. Her music was used in films by

David Byrne David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has ...

('' True Stories'', 1986), the

(''

'', 1998),

(''Nouvelle Vague'', 1990 and ''

'', 2004), and in ''

The Rapture The Rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Christians who are still a ...

'' (1991). Hip hop artist

sampled "Dolmen Music" on the song "

" ('' Endtroducing.....'', 1995). French singer Camille paid an explicit homage to Meredith in her song "The Monk" (''

Music Hole ''Music Hole'' is the third studio album by French singer Camille, released on April 7, 2008. It was co-written with English producer MaJiKer. In the EPK for the album, Camille advised that the title "Music Hole" refers to the main parts of h ...

'', 2008) which in its construction also evoked Monk's work. In 2014, her music was also featured in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

series ''

True Detective ''True Detective'' is an American Anthology series, anthology Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Nic Pizzolatto for the premium cable network HBO. The series premiered on January 12, 2014, and ...

''.

Works

Instrumental works

*''Plainsong for Bill's Bojo'' electric organ (1971) *''Paris'' for solo piano (1972) *''Ellis Island'' for two pianos (1986) *''Window in 7's'' for solo piano (1986) *''Parlour Games'' for two pianos (1988) *''Phantom Waltz'' for two pianos (1990) *''St. Petersburg Waltz'' for solo piano (1994) *''Steppe Music'' for solo piano (1997) *''Clarinet Study #4'', for solo

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

(1999) *''Cello Study #1'' for solo

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

and voice (1999) *''Trumpet Study #1'' for solo

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

(1999) *'' Possible Sky'' for orchestra and voices (commissioned by

Michael Tilson Thomas Michael Tilson Thomas (born December 21, 1944) is an American conductor, pianist, and composer. He is Artistic Director Laureate of the New World Symphony, an American orchestral academy in Miami Beach, Florida, Music Director Laureate of the S ...

for the

New World Symphony New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

, 2003) *'' Stringsongs'' for

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

(commissioned by the

, 2004)

Vocal works

*''16 Millimeter Earrings'' for voice,

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

and tapes (1966) *''Blueprint: Overload/Blueprint 2'' for solo voice, echoplex and tape (1967) *''Dying Swan with Sunglasses'' (1967) *''Blueprint (3), (4)'' (1968) *''Co-op'' (1968) *''Juice: A Theater Cantata'' for 85 voices,

Jew's harp The Jew's harp, also known as jaw harp, juice harp, or mouth harp, is a lamellophone instrument, consisting of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue or reed attached to a frame. Despite the colloquial name, the Jew's harp most likely originated in ...

and two violins (1969) *''Needle-Brain Lloyd and the Systems Kid'' for 150 voices, electric organ, guitar and flute (1970) *''Vessel: An Opera Epic'' for 75 voices,

electronic organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the pump organ, harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has si ...

dulcimer The term dulcimer refers to two families of musical string instruments. Hammered dulcimers The word ''dulcimer'' originally referred to a trapezoidal zither similar to a psaltery whose many strings are struck by handheld "hammers". Variants of ...

and

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

(1971) *''Paris'' for piano, unaccompanied vocal duo (1972) *''Our Lady of Late'' for solo voice and

wine glass A wine glass is a type of Glass (drinkware), glass that is used for drinking or wine tasting, tasting wine. Most wine glasses are stemware (goblets), composed of three parts: the bowl, stem, and foot. There are a wide variety of slightly differe ...

(1972) *''Education of the Girlchild: an Opera'' for 6 voices, electric organ and piano (1972–73) *''Chacon'' for 25 voices, piano and percussion (1974) *''Anthology and Small Scroll'' for solo voice, piano and soprano recorder (1975) *''Venice/Milan'' for 15 voices and piano four hands (1976) *''Quarry: An Opera'' for 38 voices, 2

pump organ The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reed aerophone, free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ ...

s, 2 soprano

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...

s, tape (1976) *''Songs from the Hill'' for unaccompanied solo voice (1976) *''Tablet'' for 4 voices, piano four hands, 2 soprano recorders (1976) *''The Plateau Series'' for 5 voices and tape (1977) *''Recent Ruins'' for 14 voices, piano and 2 electric organs (1979) *''Dolmen Music'' for 6 voices, cello,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

(1979) *''

Turtle Dreams ''Turtle Dreams'' is an album by American composer and vocalist Meredith Monk recorded in 1983 and released on the ECM Records, ECM New Series later that year.

(Waltz)'' for 4 voices and 2 electric organs (1980) *''Specimen Days'' for 14 voices, piano and 2 electric organs (1981) *''View No. 2'' for solo voice and piano (1982) *''Tokyo Cha-Cha'' for 6 voices and 2 electric organs (1983) *''2 Men Walking'' for 3 voices and electric organs (1983) *''The Games'' for 16 voices,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

, keyboards, Flemish bagpipes,

bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...

s, Chinese horn and

rauschpfeife A rauschpfeife ( pl. rauschpfeifes or rauschpfeifen; German: Rauschpfeife, pl. Rauschpfeifen) is a capped conical reed musical instrument of the woodwind family, used in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. In common with the crumhorn and c ...

(1983) *''Astronaut Anthem'' for chorus

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

(1983) *''Panda Chant I'' for 4 voices (1984) *''Panda Chant II'' for 8 voices (1984) *''Graduation Song'' for 16 voices (1984) *''City Songs'' (1984) *'' Book of Days'' for 25 voices, synthesizer,

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

or 7 voices, synthesizer (Chamber Version) (1985) recorded for

*''Scared Song'' song for solo voice, synthesizer and piano (1986) *''I Don't Know'' song for solo voice and piano (1986) *''Double Fiesta'' solo voice and 2 pianos (1986) *''String'' unaccompanied solo voice (1986) *''Duet Behavior'' for 2 voices (1987) *''The Ringing Place'' for 9 voices (1987) *''Cat Song'' for solo voice (1988) *''Processional'' for solo piano and voice (1988) *''Light Songs'' for solo voice (1988) *''Fayum Music'' for voice, hammered dulcimer, double ocarina (1988) *''Book of Days (film score)'' for 10 voices, cello, shawm, synthesizer, hammered dulcimer, bagpipe and

hurdy-gurdy The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a hand-turned crank, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin (or nyckelharpa) bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar ...

(1988) *''

: An Opera in Three Parts'' for 18 voices 2 keyboards, clarinet, bass clarinet, sheng, bamboo sax, 2 violins, viola, 2 cellos, French horn, percussion, shawm (1991) *''Three Heavens and Hells'' for 4 voices (1992) *''Volcano Songs (Duet)'' for 2 voices (1993) *''St. Petersburg Waltz'' for solo piano and 2 voices (1993) *''New York Requiem'' for solo voice and piano (1993) *''Volcano Songs (Solo)'' for solo voice, voice with taped voices and piano (1994) *''American Archaeology #1: Roosevelt Island'' for 9 voices, organ, bass, medieval drum and shawm (1994) *''Star Trek: Envoy'' for composing/directing/performing in the Den-Kai/Krikiki Ensemble (1995) *''Nightfall'' for 16 voices (1995) *''The Politics of Quiet'' for 10 voices, 2 keyboards,

horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

bowed psaltery The bowed psaltery is a type of psaltery or zither that is played with a bow (music), bow. In contrast with the centuries-old plucked psaltery, the bowed psaltery appears to be a 20th-century invention. History Violin zither In 1925, a German p ...

(1996) *''Magic Frequencies'' for 6 voices, 2 keyboards, percussion, theremin and violin (1998) *''Cello Study #1'' solo cello and voice (1999) *''Eclipse Variations'' for 4 voices, esraj, sampler, recorded in surround sound, commissioned by Starkland (2000) *''Micki Suite'' for 4 voices (2000) *''mercy'' for 7 voices, 2 keyboards, percussion, multiple woodwinds, violin (2001) *''When There Were Work Songs'' for vocal ensemble (2002, commissioned by the Western Wind Vocal Ensemble) *''Last Song'' for solo voice and piano (2003) *''impermanence (part 1)'' for 8 voices, piano, keyboard,

marimba The marimba ( ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the mari ...

vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...

, percussion, violin, multiple woodwinds,

bicycle wheel A bicycle wheel is a wheel, most commonly a wire wheel, designed for a bicycle. A pair is often called a wheelset, especially in the context of ready built "off the shelf" performance-oriented wheels. Bicycle wheels are typically designed ...

(2004) *''Night'' for 8 voices, bowed psaltry, chamber orchestra (1996/2005) *''impermanence (part 2)'' for 8 voices, piano, keyboard, marimba, vibraphone, percussion, violin, woodwinds and bicycle wheel (2006) *''Songs of Ascension'' for vocal ensemble, woodwinds, percussion, shrutis and string quartet (2006, commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, with Ann Hamilton) *''Basket Rondo'' for 6 voices (2007), commissioned by the Western Wind Vocal Ensemble *''Weave'' for solo voices, chorus and orchestra (2010, commissioned by

Grand Center The Grand Center Arts District is located in St. Louis, Missouri, north of the Saint Louis University campus. Referred to colloquially as Grand Center, the neighborhood's formal name is Covenant Blu Grand Center. The neighborhood's is a member ...

Inc and the

Los Angeles Master Chorale The Los Angeles Master Chorale is a professional Choir, chorus in Los Angeles, California, and one of the resident companies of both The Music Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1964 by Roger Wagner to be one ...

) *''Quilting'' for 9 voices (2011) *''On Behalf of Nature'' for 8 voices, violin, keyboards, French horn, clarinet, bass and contrabass clarinet, wooden flutes, vibraphone, marimba and percussion (2013)

Discography

* '' Key'' (Increase Records, 1971 / Lovely Music, 1977 and 1995) * '' Our Lady of Late'' (Minona Records, 1973 / wergo, 1986) * '' Songs from the Hill/Tablet'' (wergo, 1979) * ''

'' (ECM, 1981) * ''

Turtle Dreams ''Turtle Dreams'' is an album by American composer and vocalist Meredith Monk recorded in 1983 and released on the ECM Records, ECM New Series later that year.

'' (ECM, 1983) * '' Do You Be'' (ECM, 1987) * ''Book of Days (Meredith Monk album), Book of Days'' (ECM, 1990) * ''Facing North'' (ECM, 1992) * '' Atlas: An Opera in Three Parts'' (ECM, 1993) * ''Volcano Songs'' (ECM, 1997) * ''

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts. In the social and le ...

'' (ECM, 2002) * ''

Impermanence Impermanence, also known as the philosophical problem of change, is a philosophical concept addressed in a variety of religions and philosophies. In Eastern philosophy it is notable for its role in the Buddhism, Buddhist three marks of existe ...

'' (ECM, 2008) * ''

Beginnings Beginnings may refer to: Literature * ''Beginnings'' (collection), a 1988 collection of short stories and poems by Gordon R. Dickson * ''Beginnings'' (Honorverse), a 2013 collection of short stories in the Worlds of Honor series * ''Beginnings ...

'' (Tzadik, 2009), compositions from 1966 to 1980 * '' Songs of Ascension'' (ECM, 2011) * '' Piano Songs'' (ECM, 2014) * ''On Behalf Of Nature'' (ECM, 2016) * Nightfall (Noel Akchote, 2016) * ''Memory Game'' (Cantaloupe, 2020)

Films

* 1983 — ''

Turtle Dreams ''Turtle Dreams'' is an album by American composer and vocalist Meredith Monk recorded in 1983 and released on the ECM Records, ECM New Series later that year.

'' - Public access film. * 1989 — ''Book of Days''. Director and co-writer with Tone Blevins. * 1993 — ''The Sensual Nature of Sound: 4 Composers – Laurie Anderson, Tania León, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros''. Directed by Michael Blackwood. * 1983 — ''Four American Composers'' "Meredith Monk." Directed by

Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a British film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Mannerist painting in particular. Common traits in his films a ...

. * 1996 — ''Speaking of Dance: Conversations With Contemporary Masters of American Modern Dance''. No. 22: Meredith Monk. American Dance Festival. Directed by Douglas Rosenberg. * 2020 – ''ECM50 , 1981 – Meredith Monk: "Dolmen Music"'', short documentary about Meredith Monk's work for ECM Records, dir. Ingo J. Biermann, 2020, 21 min. * 2025: '' Monk in Pieces'', a documentary film

References

External links

Meredith Monk's official site

Meredith Monk on ECM Records

Meredith Monk

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

. *
Meredith Monk Archive, 1959-2006
Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. * * * * * *
Meredith Monk
in th
Video Data BankMeredith Monk interview Meredith Monk performs ''Our Lady of Late'', for solo voice, wine glass, and percussion, July 23, 1975, Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, Naropa Institute, Boulder, ColoradoArchive film of Meredith Monk/The House performing Magic Frequencies in 1998 at Jacob's Pillow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monk, Meredith 1942 births Living people 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American classical composers 20th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century American women composers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American classical composers 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American women composers American lesbian musicians American LGBTQ composers American LGBTQ singers American opera composers American people of German-Jewish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent American women in electronic music Avant-garde singers Bessie Award winners ECM Records artists George School alumni Lesbian composers Lesbian singers LGBTQ classical composers LGBTQ people from New York (state) MacArthur Fellows Postmodern composers Sarah Lawrence College alumni American women opera composers The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize winners