18 February 2008

A song for Snoopy Doggy Dog?

A Very Silent Night was a Christmas number one in New Zealand and raised nearly £9,000 for the country's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. However, none of the people who bought the record would hear a thing as the CD was recorded at a frequency inaudible to humans but audible to dogs

The makers hope it will be a worldwide hit.

Minutes of silence? Infinitely preferable to Britney Spears in my view...

8 comments:

Richard Havers said...

In late 2002 composer Mike Batt (famous as the creator of the Wombles) paid over £100,000 to the publisher of the late John Cage’s music; and in truth a good deal more than Mike probably made from this album. It was the price of silence. Batt used a minute's silence on his album, Classical Graffiti and in a sense of fun credited it to Batt/Cage. John Cage was the American enfant terrible of the avant-garde who died in 1992, having 40 years earlier a piece called 4'33". A work that consists of precisely that much silence. Live performances had a pianist sitting at the piano for the requisite time doing absolutely nothing; Cage reckoned it was his finest hour. During his lifetime Cage’s acolytes played around with the idea, in the same way as he took ideas from others and included them in his work. Unfortunately Peters Edition, his publisher, have jealously guarded what they see as theirs and apparently the sound of silence is all down to J. Cage and Peters Edition. It’s a good job Paul and Art had the good sense to sing “the Sound of Silence”.

jams o donnell said...

Wow Ricgard, There is something A bit wrong with that picture - having to pay over a shed load of royalties for silence!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Simi and I agree!

jmb said...

Richard's story is a good as yours. Except yours is not about silence, well not to the animals.

Maddy said...

How very interesting if slightly bizarre. I'd certainly prefer to avoid Britney given the option.
Cheers

jams o donnell said...

I agree jmb, Richard's story is mrvellous.
I wonder how Simi would react to the "song", Welshcakes

It is isn;t it Maddy. I'm not fan of Britney either as you probably guessed!

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Oops. Thought you are calling me. False alarm. But you are right about that CD. I have a very long list of ones I would replace by this one ;-)

jams o donnell said...

Me too Snoopy!