FLUORESCENT SOUND was David Tudor’s first composition, and was created as part of a performance with Robert Rauschenberg’s Elgin Tie at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 1964.

The original score called for over 200 fluorescent lights controlled by about 75 switches. The lights had contact microphones attached to them to pick up the sound of the pinging of the lights when switched on and off.  Tudor performed the switch box, turning on banks of lights until the popping and pinging stopped then turning them off again. With the huge number of switches at his disposal this turned out to be a full-time occupation. A time-score was created which indicated when these switches were to be turned on and off.

SPACE REQUIREMENT: TBD

BUDGET: TBD

Robert Rauschenberg with cow