Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
Composer Transforms Iconic Artworks into Music for Accessible Art Experience
Composer Bobby Goulder, who experiences visual impairment from Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy, has reimagined celebrated artworks as musical compositions. This novel concept seeks to enhance accessible art experiences for a wider audience. In partnership with specialists at Dolby Laboratories, Goulder has created the album, Sound of a Masterpiece, designed to translate iconic paintings into sonic form.
Making Art Accessible Through Sound
This undertaking is part of a broader movement to foster greater inclusivity and accessibility in art, particularly for individuals with vision loss. Goulder conveyed his aspiration that the new album will facilitate engagement and connection with these famous paintings for all listeners. The Sound of a Masterpiece album consists of 13 tracks, each drawing inspiration from celebrated pieces like Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Monet’s Water-Lily Pond, and Edvard Munch’s The Scream. Reflecting on the project, Goulder stated, “This endeavor merges several passions: the interplay between diverse artistic disciplines, the progression of musical and sonic innovation, and enhancing arts accessibility for the visually impaired community.” He further noted, “Our ambition is to offer an enriched understanding of these paintings, presenting each as a narrative rather than a mere visual capture.”
Daniela Bischof of Dolby Laboratories, contributing partner in the album’s production, remarked, “We anticipate that Sound of a Masterpiece will empower listeners to genuinely perceive and engage with iconic artworks, simultaneously broadening art accessibility through auditory means – encouraging a more profound connection with creativity, emotion, and historical context.”
Musical Interpretations of Masterpieces
Each track employs unique soundscapes and instrumentation to capture the emotions and thematic elements inherent in each featured artwork.
The Scream
For instance, the track inspired by Edvard Munch’s The Scream incorporates a profound, weighty piano underpinned by distorted, unsettling natural sounds. These sonic elements escalate to an intense crescendo, mirroring the painting’s depiction of anxiety.
Water-Lily Pond
The composition interpreting Monet’s Water-Lily Pond presents delicate, ethereal piano melodies, reminiscent of composer Claude Debussy’s impressionistic style. Sounds of flowing water and droplets are integrated, evoking the shimmering light across the water’s surface.
Mona Lisa
The musical translation of the Mona Lisa alternates between cheerful and melancholic tones to represent her enigmatic expression. Plucked piano strings, with an uncanny quality, are used to echo instrumentation from the Renaissance era.
Album Availability and Charitable Contribution
Sound of a Masterpiece is available on major platforms including Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Tidal. All proceeds from the album will be donated to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
Robin Spinks, Head of Inclusive Design at RNIB, conveyed his enthusiasm for partnering on this innovative venture. As an individual with low vision, he described how “the depth, texture, and richness delivered through the remarkable soundtracks truly animate these artworks.”
He further added, “This exceptional project will enable numerous blind and partially sighted individuals to achieve an enhanced experience and appreciate artwork in novel and profound ways.”
Public’s Eagerness to Experience Original Artworks
Among the artworks most highly anticipated for in-person viewing are Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and The Scream, followed by Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Monet’s Water-Lily Pond.