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The Wedding Song is a traditional Peruvian song recorded by John Cohen and featured on the Voyager Golden Record, a collection of images and sounds representing Earth and humanity, affixed to the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft. The song, also known as Young Girl of Huancavelica, is sung in Spanish and Quechua and is believed to reference a sergeant or lieutenant, possibly a male perpetrator. The inclusion of the song on the Voyager record showcases the diversity of human musical styles and represents South American tradition, specifically Peruvian culture. The Voyager spacecraft, constructed by the United States, carries a message of unity and peace, aiming to reach advanced spacefaring civilizations that may exist among the stars.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Song | Wedding Song |
| Artist | John Cohen |
| Language | Quechua and Spanish |
| Genre | Folk |
| Year of Recording | 1977 |
| Country | Peru |
| Region | Huancavelica |
| Purpose of Recording | To represent human emotion and South American tradition |
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What You'll Learn
- The song was recorded by John Cohen in Peru
- It was chosen by Alan Lomax to represent South American tradition and evoke human emotion
- It was included on the Voyager Golden Record, affixed to the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft
- The record contains images, sounds, songs, and messages that represent human life on Earth
- The record is intended to be encountered and played by advanced spacefaring civilizations
The song was recorded by John Cohen in Peru
John Cohen was an American folk musician, musicologist, photographer, and filmmaker. He was born in Queens, New York, in 1932 and passed away in 2019. Cohen was a founding member of the New Lost City Ramblers, a New York-based string band. He was also a professor of visual arts at SUNY Purchase College for 25 years.
Cohen recorded what has traditionally been titled "Wedding Song" on the Voyager Golden Record. The song was performed by an unknown artist, now attributed to "Young Girl of Huancavelica". The recording was included on the Voyager Golden Record, attached to the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. Cohen's recording of the Peruvian wedding song was chosen from among 700 pieces by ethnomusicologists known to Alan Lomax, who was tasked with selecting music for the Voyager project. Lomax was a persistent advocate for including ethnic music on the Voyager record, even at the expense of Western classical music.
Cohen made several expeditions to Peru to film and record the traditional culture of the Q'ero, an indigenous people. He travelled to the Peruvian Andes in 1956 to write his master's thesis on their weaving techniques. Cohen visited Peru eight times between 1956 and 2005. His work in Peru included audio recordings of Andean music, documentary films, and books about weaving, music, festivals, and dance. Cohen's wife, Penny Seeger, accompanied him to Peru and collaborated on recording music.
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It was chosen by Alan Lomax to represent South American tradition and evoke human emotion
Alan Lomax was an American ethnomusicologist and folk-music scholar. He was born in Austin, Texas, in 1915 and died in Florida in 2002. Lomax is known for his work in preserving and popularising folk music from various traditions around the world, including the US, Europe, and South America. He was passionate about promoting cultural equity and diversity, and his work included producing concerts and radio shows that showcased diverse musical styles, such as flamenco, calypso, country blues, and Andean music.
Lomax's involvement with the Voyager record can be traced to his recommendation of a particular recording. The recording in question, known as the "Wedding Song," is a traditional South American song, sung in Spanish and Quechua. It was recorded by folk singer John Cohen and is included on the Voyager Golden Record as Track 27, attributed to a Young girl of Huancavelica. The song was chosen for the Voyager project because it represented South American tradition and evoked a sense of human emotion, with the hope that it would communicate that feeling to distant listeners light years away.
Lomax's legacy lies in his dedication to preserving and sharing folk music traditions from around the world, and his work continues to inspire and shape cultural understanding and diversity. His efforts to promote cultural equity and his contributions to our understanding of folklore and ethnomusicology have left a lasting impact on the field.
The inclusion of the "Wedding Song" on the Voyager record, influenced by Lomax's recommendation, is a testament to the song's cultural and emotional significance. By including this traditional South American song, the Voyager project not only showcases the diversity of human expression but also highlights the universal nature of human emotions and experiences. This choice reflects Lomax's vision of using folklore and music to build bridges between different cultures and foster a sense of shared humanity.
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It was included on the Voyager Golden Record, affixed to the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft
The "Wedding Song", recorded by John Cohen, was included on the Voyager Golden Record, affixed to the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. The song was traditionally performed by an unknown artist, but is now attributed to the "Young Girl of Huancavelica". The Voyager Golden Record was constructed by the United States of America and contains 116 images, a variety of sounds, and messages from President Jimmy Carter and U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim. The record also includes natural sounds, musical selections from different cultures and eras, and spoken greetings in 55 languages.
The Voyager Golden Record was created to represent Earth and was affixed to the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft, which were launched in 1977. The Voyager probes moved beyond the orbit of Pluto in 1990 and entered empty space. It is unlikely that the records will be encountered and played unless there are advanced spacefaring civilizations in interstellar space. However, the inclusion of the "Wedding Song" on the Voyager Golden Record represents an attempt to communicate human emotion and South American tradition over vast distances and time.
The song was chosen by Alan Lomax, who was contacted by Carl Sagan to help make the musical selections for the record. Lomax had recently compiled an anthology of world songs, choosing pieces that effectively illustrated the breadth and depth of human musical style. He contributed 15 of the 27 final performances on the Voyager record, advocating for the inclusion of ethnic music. The "Wedding Song" was chosen because it represented South American tradition and its sound was evocative and human.
The inclusion of the "Wedding Song" on the Voyager Golden Record is significant because it represents an attempt to communicate and connect with potential spacefaring civilizations, as well as showcase the musical diversity and human emotion of Earth. The song's mention of a sergeant or lieutenant, sung in Spanish and Quechua, adds a layer of intrigue and storytelling that could be interpreted by distant listeners.
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The record contains images, sounds, songs, and messages that represent human life on Earth
The Voyager Golden Record, affixed to the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, contains a variety of images, sounds, songs, and messages that represent human life on Earth. The record was curated by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan, who was tasked with gathering content that would introduce Earth to potential advanced spacefaring civilizations that might encounter the Voyager probes. The record contains 116 images, including pictures of human life and the planet, as well as natural sounds, animal sounds, and human sounds like footsteps and laughter.
The musical selections on the Voyager Golden Record feature songs from different cultures and eras, including a wedding song from Peru, recorded by John Cohen, and titled "Young Girl of Huancavelica". This song was chosen to represent South American tradition and evoke human emotion. The record also includes classical pieces by composers such as Bach and Mozart, as well as ethnic music from various countries, showcasing the diversity of human musical styles.
In addition to the songs and images, the Voyager Golden Record contains spoken greetings in 55 languages, with an initial greeting in English from the then-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kurt Waldheim. The record also includes printed messages from notable figures such as President Jimmy Carter and U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim. These messages reflect on humanity's place in the cosmos and express hope for potential interstellar communication.
The inclusion of the wedding song from Peru, alongside other diverse content, contributes to the overall representation of human life on Earth. The song provides a glimpse into South American culture and tradition, adding to the rich tapestry of sounds, images, and messages that make up the Voyager Golden Record. This record is a time capsule of sorts, offering a snapshot of human civilization and our desire to connect with potential life beyond our planet.
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The record is intended to be encountered and played by advanced spacefaring civilizations
The Voyager Golden Record is a 12-inch copper disk, plated with nickel and gold, containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. It was launched into space in 1977 on the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, which have since travelled farther from Earth than any other man-made object. The record includes an eclectic mix of music from around the world, including ethnic music and both Eastern and Western classics. One of the songs featured on the record is the "Wedding Song", recorded by John Cohen in Peru. The song is traditionally titled "Wedding Song" and has been attributed to an unknown artist, but it is now believed to be performed by the "Young girl of Huancavelica".
> The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced spacefaring civilizations in interstellar space. But the launching of this 'bottle' into the cosmic 'ocean' says something very hopeful about life on this planet.
The record also includes a diagram of vertebrate evolution, with drawings of an anatomically correct naked male and female, and an hour-long recording of the brainwaves of Ann Druyan, who was thinking about Earth's history, civilizations, and the problems they face during the recording. The record is designed to be a time capsule, and it is possible that a civilization that encounters it will be able to use the ratio of remaining uranium to other elements to determine its age.
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Frequently asked questions
The Voyager Golden Record is a collection of images, sounds, songs, and messages that represent Earth and human life. It was affixed to the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, which were launched in 1977.
The "Wedding Song," recorded by John Cohen, is a traditional Peruvian song. It is sung in Spanish and Quechua and is believed to have been included on the Voyager record to represent South American tradition and evoke human emotion.
The music for the Voyager record was chosen by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan, with significant contributions from ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax. Lomax advocated for including ethnic music and suggested fifteen of the twenty-seven final performances.
The Voyager record includes natural sounds, animal sounds, human sounds (like footsteps and laughter), musical selections from different cultures and eras, and spoken greetings in 55 languages.
