This audio recording of Benjamin Patterson’s realization of George Brecht’s Drip Music (Drip Event) (1959–62) was made in Paris following a public performance in June 2002 at La Ménagerie de Verre, and with the same setup. Without the photographic documentation, it would be hard to imagine the nature of the instrument used to create the hollow, almost wooden sounds captured here. Still, the pacing of the sonic attacks strongly evokes the irregular rhythms of dripping water, and as the drips slow down, the nature of the electronic manipulation of the sounds becomes more noticeable. Patterson’s version of Drip Music is more meditative and at times even more demanding for the audience to behold than other realizations included in chapter 6, which typically last only a few minutes. The accompanying photographs documenting the recording session show Patterson taking on the role of both director and audience for the piece, as he listens closely to the slow unfolding of drips over the course of almost forty minutes.
© 2022 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. © The Estate of Benjamin Patterson.
