Taking its title from a George Ives invention--an instrument made from a group of humans, each of whom sings a single note, arrayed like a xylophone--Humanophone would seem to be about music. But its real subject is the artist's creative dilemma: how one delivers a new idea (a musical composition, a poem) through existing media. With everything from kumquats to abandoned wedding pictures, Clara Bow to Bill Robinson, Keats's belle dame to Dante's Francesca, feng shui to a recipe for octopus, Humanophone celebrates how the body shapes art from the world it is given.
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
The humanophone is a musical instrument made up of singers, each of whom sings only one pitch, so that each change of pitch in a musical line brings a change of timbre. It was invented by New England bandmaster George Ives (father of Charles), one of three American musical avant-gardists whom Holmes limns in the longest poems in this collection, which, after a half century in which poetry seemed joined at the hip to painting, reaffirms the affinity of music and poetry. Holmes' other heroes are Raymond Scott, composer for Warner Brothers' original Loony Toons, and Harry Partch, who descried 43, not just 12, discrete tones in the musical scale. Out of their words and deeds Holmes makes moving and amusing poems. She opens the book with the musicological "Whistle"; discusses music, musicians, and the musicality of everyday life in several poems; gives others specifically musical titles, such as "Cold Song"; and seems to accompany the few that subtly disclose a disintegrated love affair with a sad pedal point. Altogether, a most memorable concert. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
"...true originality of conception, inventive audacity... The delicacy and subtlety of [Holmes'] work have grown with each reading." -- W.S. Merwin, conferring the Pablo Neruda Award
"Witty, learned, bedazzling, bold... beautifully unpredictable... the variety of her purposes winningly enliven the forms they invent." -- James Applewhite, author of Daytime and Starlight
"Witty, learned, bedazzling, bold... beautifully unpredictable... the variety of her purposes winningly enliven the forms they invent." -- James Applewhite, author of Daytime and Starlight
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Music to My Ears,
By A Customer
This review is from: Humanophone (Paperback)
With Humanophone, Janet Holmes has created a new musical sound that jumps off of the page. Like the musical styles she invokes in the subject of many of these poems, Ms. Holmes poetic voice mimics with the instrumentality of her images. This innovate collection of poetry plays with language in exciting new ways.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Language and Music,
By A Customer
This review is from: Humanophone (Hardcover)
Humanophone, with its exploration of the work and life of three fascinating, radical composers, does an amazing job of bringing words to music, music to words.
0 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Stroke, stroke,
By A Customer
This review is from: Humanophone (Hardcover)
Could the author of this book possibly stroke her ego even more? I mean, come on, lady, if you were that good, you wouldn't have to put your book on your own list of great books. Are you related to Allen Ginsberg, by any chance? Take that ego, and shove it.
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