Alvin Lucier’s I Am Sitting In A Room is a seminal work of 20th century music. The composer speaks a few sentences into a recorder. The sentences are played, retaped, and played again until the natural resonancy of the room gradually transform the words into pure sound. Musical tones emerges, new sounds develop until what originally started as voice becomes something totally different. To listen to this piece from beginning to end is a marvelous experience and as close to entering an altered state of reality as music will take you.

This particular recording, available on the wondrous Ubuweb, is the first recorded version of this composition. It was recorded in 1970 and is 15 minutes long. The work is available in 128kbps MP3. I strongly recommend downloading and listening to this marvelous piece but also suggest you check out and perhaps purchase the later definitive version which is 45 minutes long and commercially available. Note to Emusic subscribers: You can get this CD at Emusic. Since it is only one track, it will cost you one download being the equivalent of about 33 cents. What a deal!

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