Waywords and Meansigns Opendoor Edition
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The Waywords and Meansigns Opendoor Edition debuted in 2017 as a part of the Waywords and Meansigns project, setting James Joyce's Finnegans Wake to music. The Opendoor Edition features over 100 artists and musicians performing unabridged passages of Finnegans Wake.[1] An open edition participants are invited to contribute to the Opendoor Edition on an ongoing basis. The edition first premiered on May 4, 2017.[2]
The genres in the Waywords and Meansigns Opendoor Edition are quite diverse, ranging from metal and industrial to folk and jazz.[3] Many tracks are experimental; some recordings adhere to fairly traditional song formats, while others offer audiobook-like readings with ambient accompaniment.[4]
The Waywords and Meansigns project began in 2014 to set James Joyce's Finnegans Wake to music unabridged. They released two unabridged editions of the text in 2015 and 2016.[5] Over 300 people have been involved in Wayords and Meansigns since 2014.[6]
The Waywords and Meansigns Opendoor Edition features contributors from 15 countries in "an all-star cast of weirdos."[7] The music is often experimental; the musicians' only requirements were that "the words be audible, unabridged and more or less in their original order."[8] All audio from the project is distributed freely online under Creative Commons licensing.
Contributors to Waywords and Meansigns are a self-described collection of "musicians, artists, poets, scholars, weirdos, passionate Wake-heads, those ignorant of the Wake, and anyone generally adventurous."[9] Artists participating in the Opendoor Edition include Krzysztof Bartnicki, Martyn Bates, John Wolf Brennan, Neil Campbell, Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth and Lou Rogai of Lewis & Clarke, Joe Cassidy of Butterfly Child, Hayden Chisholm, S.A. Griffin; Kinski, Ulrich Krieger, Jason Sebastian Russo, David Moss, Monica Queen, Schneider TM, Sally Timms, Mike Watt, and many more.[10]
The Guardian has highlighted the project for making Joyce's famously difficult novel more accessible.[11] Finn Fordham, a James Joyce scholar at Royal Holloway, University of London, has called the project "wonderfully innovative."[12]
Track listing
Tracks are organized by page and line number, followed by the artist name, and then occasionally followed by the track's nickname.
Chapter 1 (pp. 003–029)
003-010.24 - The Here Comes Everybody Players
003.01-003.09 - Hervé Michel and the box sets
003.01-003.14 - Roman Tsivkin and the box sets
010.25-016.09 - Chris Rael
013.20-015.11 - Peter Chrisp and the box sets
018.17-021.04 - John Cerreta - "Stoop to Prittle"
023.16-024.14 - Nigel Bryant - "O Foenix Culprit"
027.22-029.36 - Cedar Sparks (Tim Carbone and Lou Rogai)
Chapter 2 (pp. 030–047)
030-047 - Krzysztof Bartnicki and Bouchons d'oreilles with Wojtek Kurek
045-046 - Yehuda Vizan and the box sets
Chapter 3 (pp. 048–074)
048-050.35 - Wiel Conen & Charlotte Gilissen
052.18-053.35 - S.A. Griffin
053.36-055.02 - Joe Cassidy
055.03-056.19 - Neal Kosaly-Meyer
061.15-061.16 - Seán Mac Erlaine - "Nooningless Knockturne"
066.28-067.06 - Graziano Galati
067.07-067.27 - Schneider TM - "His Phizz Fell"
071.10-072.16 - Jon Wahl - "Abusive Names"
Chapter 4 (pp. 075–103)
75-103 - Matthew Duncan and James Heflin
Chapter 5 (pp. 104–125)
104-125 - Tim Cornelius
107 - Hayden Chisholm
Chapter 6 (pp. 126–168)
136.01-136.36 - Lavinia Murrary - "Mursque"
139.15-139.28 - Maharajah - "Ann Alive"
139.29-140.07 - Maharadja Sweets
140.08-141.07 - Papa Sprain
141.08-141.27 - Coldharbourstores - "Question 5"
141.28-142.29 - Old Fiends (Jason Merritt, Kenneth Griffin, Jason Sebastian Russo, and Paul Dillon)
142.30-143.02 - Little Sparta with Sally Timms and Martin Billheimer - "Question 6. How Are Yor Maggies"
148.33-152.15 - Kevin Spenst and Hitori Tori - "Question 11"
152.16-159.18 - Mr. Smolin - "The Mooks & The Gripes"
159.19-163.07 - William Sutton
163.08-165.07 - Conspirators of Pleasure (Simon Underwood and Poulomi Desai)
Chapter 7 (pp. 169–195)
169-195 - Gavan Kennedy
169-195 - Mike Watt and Adam Harvey - "Shem the Penman"
170.25-174.04 - Layne Farmen of "Faraday"
174.05-175.06 - The Philip Cleary Ensemble - "The Cull"
175.07-175.28 - Mr. Smolin - "The Ballat of Perce Oreille"
175.29-181.33 - The Philip Cleary Ensemble - "a Dubliner (and a spy)"
181.34-182.29 - Karen Ponzio
Chapter 8 (pp. 196–216)
205.16-210.06 - Joe Fee - "Anna Livia"
213.11-216 - Re-Scribe
215.36 - Seán Mac Erlaine - "My Ho Head Halls"
Chapter 9 (pp. 216–259)
223.12-224.07 - Sauerbraten Beef Ring - "Nought A Wired From The Wordless Either"
224.08-226.20 - Lucy Hollier - "The Pearlagraph"
226.21-228.02 - David Hurn and Abigail Hopkins
228.03-229.01 - Joel Wranning
229.01-229.29 - Owen Tromans
229.29-230.25 - Brendan Kinsella and Brian Tyree
230.26-231.22 - STV
231.23-232.26 - Michael Maier and Brian Tyree
254.01-254.08 - Chelidon Frame - "Our Seawall"
254.08-254.09 - Mr. Smolin - "Ancients Link With Presents"
254.09-254.17 - Lys Guillorn - "Have Done, Do and Will Again"
254.18-254.29 - Lys Guillorn - "The Mar of Murmury"
254.29-255.03 - Lys Guillorn - "Hoet of the Rough Throat Attack"
256.01-259.10 - Gareth Flowers
257.29-259.10 - Krzysztof Bartnicki and the box sets
Chapter 10 (pp. 260–308)
260-270.31 - Super Nova Nudge
263.17-263.30 - Liz Longo
266.20 - Liz Longo
273.01-273.28 - Phil Minton
274.02-275.13 - Gregory Betts
284.04 - Seán Mac Erlaine - "Brick Bath"
288, fn. 1 - Seán Mac Erlaine - "An Ounceworth of Onions for a Pennyawealth of Sobs"
293.01-300.08 - Sticky Foster and Usurper
304.05-305.11 - Janken's Henchmæn featuring Marco Toriani - "Magic J Amezons"
305.08-306.07 - Janken's Henchmæn - "FAQ Deady"
306.08-306.10 - Janken's Henchmæn featuring MonkeYear - "Aen.C"
306.16-306.31 - Janken's Henchmæn featuring MonkeYear - "Frogterdati"
307 - Greg Nahabedian
308 - body bender - "Delays"
Chapter 11 (pp. 309–382)
310.22-311.20 - Doug Eisenstark
310.22-311.20 - Matt Battle
311.21-312.16 - Insides
312.17-313.13 - Barry Bender - "To Old Sporty"
313.14-314.14 - M. David Hornbuckle - "Whereofter"
314.15-315.08 - Alek Erickson
316.11-319.02 - Steve Fly
319.03-319.36 - Cathal O' Leary
322.01-323.24 - Kinski
323.25-324.17 - Tenement and Temple (Monica Queen and Johnny Smillie)
324.18-326.20 - Renata Meints
326.21-326.36 - Tom Segear
329.14-330.11 - Steve Pantani - "And Dub Did Glow"
330.20-332.09 - John Wolf Brennan
332.10-333.05 - David Moss & Boris Hegenbart - "stepping the tolks"
333.06-334.05 - meunders
372.23-373.12 - Haunted Robot, Ltd. and Dameon Merkl - "Last ye, lundsmin"
380.07-382.30 - The Science Of Deduction
Chapter 12 (pp. 383–399)
383-399 - Andrea Riley's Opendoor Score - Score only, record your own interpretation or performance!!
Chapter 13 (pp. 403–428)
403-418.08 - Ross&Wayne
403.01-405.02 - Candle
418.09-419.08 - Ross&Wayne
418.10-419.08 - Aleorta - "Grace ondt Hope"
419.09-428 - Ross&Wayne
429 - Mary and Sara Jewell
Chapter 14 (pp. 429–473)
446.11 - Seán Mac Erlaine - "Zuccherikissings"
446.16-446.17 - Seán Mac Erlaine - "Rainkiss on Me Back"
Chapter 15 (pp. 474–554)
494.27-497.03 - Layne Farmen of "Faraday"
499.04-499.36 - Human Flourishing
500.01-501.06 - Adam Matlock
504.20-505.31 - Belorusia
506.34-509.36 - Rod Stasick - "Peace Antiques"
510.01-510.36 - Junklight
511.01-511.36 - Hardworking Families
512.01-512.20 - PhÆDRx - "To The Pink, Man!"
534.07-535.12 - Neil Campbell - "Calm Has Entered"
538.18-540.36 - Ulrich Krieger - "Finnegans Longstone"
540.09-550.03 - Bruce Woodside - "Haveth Childers Everywhere"
550.04-554.10 - At it Again!
Chapter 16 (pp. 555–590)
556.01-556.22 - Martyn Bates - "Night by Silentsailing Night"
589.12-589.19 - Stanton Warren - "...and the band played on"
Chapter 17 (pp. 593–628)
593 - Adrian DiMatteo
594.01-595.29 - Rich Chapman
595.30-596.33 - watercodes
596.34-597.23 - Epiphany Now
597.24-598.27 - Hayden Chisholm
598.17-600.04 - Mariana Lanari and Sjoerd Leijten - "Supernoctural"
598.28-599.24 - Les orages de janvier - "Sable Rampant"
601.21-602.08 - Cathal O' Leary
602.09-603.33 - Mark Sheeky - "Finnegan's Judgement"
603.34-604.22 - Kaia Jackson
604.22-606.12 - Gerry Smyth
606.13-607.16 - Doug Eisenstark
607.17-607.36 - John Shakespear - "High Tigh Tigh"
608.01-608.36 - Asha Passalacqua
609.01-609.36 - Ken Davidson
610-611.02 - The Most Ever Company - "Muta & Juva"
613.01-615.11 - Peter Quadrino - "Vicocyclometer"
615.12-619.16 - Kamil Szuszkiewicz featuring Pictorial Candi - "Pollabella"
627.34-003.18 - Steve Gregoropoulos - "Recirculation"
Reception
The Opendoor Edition's music received generally positive reviews, including a 7.8 rating from Paste.[13] Open Culture's Josh Jones deemed the Opendoor Edition "one of the most appropriate responses to the novel in the 78 years since its publication."[14] Other writers did not review the music but focused primarily on the project's ambitious and unusual nature.[15][16]
In her PopMatters review, Maria Schurr wrote: "The well of inspiration springing from Joyce's words is thrillingly infinite."[17] Paste's Jay Horton wrote of the third edition: "It's soon enough made clear that there are as many varieties of musical renderings as there are interpretations of its prose, which sparks the likely-unavoidable problem concerning the songs and the book they're taken from and the ideas it (barely) contains – there's just too damn many."[18] Culture.pl described listeners as "wallowing in the infinite possible meanings that Finnegans Wake inspires."[19]