We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

One Boy's Day (Electronic Beds)

by Mikel Rouse

supported by
Anthony B. Creamer III
Anthony B. Creamer III thumbnail
Matthew Goldenberg
Matthew Goldenberg thumbnail
pauperjojo
pauperjojo thumbnail
/
1.
7:00 AM Mr. Harold Devens 31:52 video
buy track
2.
7:30 AM Mrs. Amy Howells 30:51
buy track
3.
8:00 AM Mrs. Anna Hebb 32:10
buy track
4.
8:30 AM Mrs. Rita Devens 31:25
buy track
5.
9:00 AM Mr. Mike Bodin 33:19
buy track
6.
9:30 AM Miss Betty Tilton 31:09
buy track
7.
10:00 AM Mrs. Susan Chadwick 30:46
buy track
8.
10:30 AM Mrs. Anna Hebb 32:04
buy track
9.
11:00 AM Mr. Harold Devens 31:52
buy track
10.
11:30 AM Miss Joan Poole 34:04
buy track
11.
12:00 PM Miss Betty Tilton 31:29
buy track
12.
12:30 PM Mr. Mike Bodin 33:18
buy track
13.
1:00 PM Mrs. Rita Devens 31:34
buy track
14.
1:30 PM Mrs. Susan Chadwick 32:14
buy track
15.
2:00 PM Miss Joan Poole 34:02
buy track
16.
2:30 PM Miss Betty Tilton 31:41
buy track
17.
3:00 PM Mrs. Rita Devens 31:40
buy track
18.
3:30 PM Mr. Harold Devens 31:55
buy track
19.
4:00 PM Mrs. Susan Chadwick 32:10
buy track
20.
4:30 PM Miss Joan Poole 34:04
buy track
21.
5:00 PM Miss Betty Tilton 31:58
buy track
22.
5:30 PM Mr. Mike Bodin 33:18
buy track
23.
6:00 PM Mrs. Anna Hebb 32:11
buy track
24.
6:30 PM Mrs. Amy Howells 30:57
buy track
25.
7:00 PM Mrs. Susan Chadwick 30:48
buy track
26.
7:30 PM Mr. Harold Devens 32:42
buy track
27.
8:00 PM Mr. Mike Bodin 33:18
buy track

about

This long-form album represents the 27 electronic beds for the 13+ hour music theater installation One Boy's Day. These beds are to be accompanied by live musicians which switch off every half hour corresponding to the original observers. The premiere was set for April 30, 2021, but due to Covid restrictions, the premiere has been postponed. I thought it might be interesting to offer these tracks as a preview of what is to come on the premiere date. Info at: ONEBOYSDAY.ORG

More about ONE BOY'S DAY

Seeking the extraordinary in the mundane, One Boy’s Day creates a contemplative space for audiences to consider the past, reflect upon the present, and generate hope for our future. At a time when definitions of community, privacy, and citizen- ship are becoming increasingly contentious, this deeply poetic work puts children at the center and asks how their lives have changed over the past 70 years, opening up the intimate account of one boy from a largely homogenous, middle-class town to the rich multiplicities of a diverse present-day America.

In 1949, eight social scientists descended upon rural Kansas to engage in a detailed observational study of human behavior. In their quest to document the life of an “ordinary” child, their primary subject became seven-year- old “Raymond Birch,” and their resulting 435-page report on one boy’s day aimed to describe “how children actually behave in real-life situations” and offer insight into what makes an “ideal” American community. The study is a meticulous minute-by-minute account of Raymond’s every activity—from getting up and eating breakfast to playing with his friends, from studying English and participating in music class to eating dinner and going to bed.

Decades later, composer and director Mikel Rouse—a long- time collaborator with Krannert Center through projects including Dennis Cleveland, The End of Ci- nematics, Gravity Radio, and The Demo—discovered and became fascinated with this study. Along with artistic collaborators Jeff Sugg, Jim Findlay, Christopher Ericson, Matthew Gandolfo, Hideaki Tsutsui, and William Knapp, Rouse created a time-accurate, immersive, multimedia installation and music concert with video, light, sound, and text and architectural environments based on the 1949 research. One Boy’s Day lasts for 13 hours and 33 minutes—from the time Raymond Birch woke until the time he went to bed. Throughout the duration of this innovative piece, which Krannert Center has helped foster for over three years, audience members are encouraged to come and go as they please, watching the work as a staged performance or moving inside the installation. Live music (string quartet, chorus, and local improv musicians) will combine with live and recorded video capturing teachers and classes onstage for the first time. Orchestrating an “average day” in class will offer the opportunity to reflect on and appreciate the powerful work of teachers while highlighting children and the profound beauty of their contributions.

credits

released April 30, 2021

Recorded and Mastered at Center of the Earth, NYC

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Mikel Rouse image

Mikel Rouse New York, New York

Mikel Rouse is a New York-based composer, director, performer and recording artist hailed as “a composer many believe to be the best of his generation.” (NY Times 2002) His works include 25 records, 7 films (including Funding and Music For Minorities), and a trilogy of media operas: Failing Kansas, Dennis Cleveland and The End Of Cinematics. ... more

contact / help

Contact Mikel Rouse

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Mikel Rouse, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring Riley Pinkerton (aka The Rat Queen) from the theatrical NYC rockers, Castle Rat.
listen now