I knew yesterday held some musical significance, but then, even after consulting all my usual sources, I just couldn’t figure out what it was. Wouldn’t you know it, yesterday was the announcement of this year’s Pulitzer Prizes, something I had made a mental note of weeks ago. But apparently my mental note pad isn’t what it used to be.

This year’s Pulitzer Prize for Music was awarded to Raven Chacon for “Voiceless Mass.” As the title suggests, there are no voices in the work, which is scored organ and large ensemble (percussion, wind instruments, strings, and electronics). The work was given its premiere last November at Milwaukee’s Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.

“This was a response to buildings like the church (and other institutions like it), that suppresses voices,” Chacon said in an interview with the Albuquerque Journal.

Chacon, 44, is a composer, performer, and installation artist from the Navajo Nation. He is the first Native American to be honored in the Pulitzer’s music category.

https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/raven-chacon

“Voiceless Mass” doesn’t appear to be posted anywhere on line, but here are some samples of Chacon’s other work.

“American Ledger (No. 1)”

“The Journey of the Horizontal People”

A selection from “Tremble Staves” – though floating your cello in a canal is not recommended!

More “Tremble Staves”

The composer talks about his music, including a selection from “Report,” for firearms ensemble!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJdaJuklZGA

I can’t say that I’ll be whistling a lot of this, but there’s something to be said for ritual, spatial music, and installation art. Even so, I think I’m intrigued by “Tremble Staves” for all the wrong reasons. It puts me in mind of the Falcon and the Silver Surfer, from back in my Marvel Comics days.

Congratulations, Raven Chacon!