As you know, musical instruments come in all shapes and sizes, but if I were to ask you to name one, you probably wouldn’t immediately think of a wall-sized computer, now would you? It’s important to remember that while not a violin or a piano, for one visionary, those wires and circuits were just as expressive as any instrument. Hi – I’m Loki Karuna, and on this edition of Noteworthy, I’m honoring a true pioneer of electronic music – a woman named Wendy Carlos.
Born in Rhode Island in 1939, Wendy grew up with a passion for both music and technology. In 1968, she proved to the world that machinery was capable of profound artistry by releasing Switched-On Bach: an album of music played entirely on the synthesizer. In the decades that followed, she continued writing her own original music, blending acoustics with electronics for the stage and for the silver screen, including this music she wrote for the 1982 film, TRON.
As a woman navigating both new approaches to music making and her trans identity, Wendy Carlos faced significant challenges, but she never stopped pushing boundaries. Her work fundamentally altered the course of both electronic and classical music, making her without a doubt one of history’s most Noteworthy composers.
Noteworthy is a production of WDAV Classical Public Radio.