The Boy Who Heard Music
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''The Boy Who Heard Music'' is a rock opus that began life as an Internet novella written by musician and songwriter
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...
. Townshend wrote in the foreword to the novella that he typically sketches out his opera in this way to lay out the plots and storylines, but in this case he published the material on an Internet blog site in 2005 and 2006, opening an interactive discussion with readers. The work was later released as a
maxi-single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...
and album by
The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
and adapted as a rock opera.


Synopsis


Main characters

* Ray High – older musician and narrator *Leila Irani – member of Glass *Gabriel Pirelli – member of Glass *Joshua Cass – member of Glass *Victoria – Internet Glass fan *Angie – Glass fan, mother of Gabriel's son *Dotty – Leila's friend, member of Glass *Phil – member of Glass *Simon – Josh's uncle *Trilby – Gabriel's aunt *Myrna – Simon's sister and Josh's mother *Damoo – Leila's father, Ray's business partner * Rastus Knight – Ray's manager *Harold Silverman – Ray's art tutor, mentor and influence


Story events

The story covers a period in the life of three children from different ethnic backgrounds who grow up to form a band and develop the "Gridlife" concepts of older musician Ray High (a character who also appeared in Townshend's musical ''
Psychoderelict ''Psychoderelict'' is a concept album written, produced and engineered by Pete Townshend. Some characters and issues presented in this work were continued in Townshend's later opus ''The Boy Who Heard Music'', first presented on The Who's album ...
''). High is the narrator of the story which starts off in the year 2035, with the old Ray High in a mental institution in London. He is in an alternate plane of existence called "In the Ether" and looking backward. The younger characters are Gabriel who "could hear music", Josh who "could hear voices" and Leila who "could fly." The three live in the same neighbourhood but are of different religious faiths: Gabriel is Christian, Josh is
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
and Leila is
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
. Ray High and Leila's father Damoo have been in a partnership called BBZee Studios. As children, Gabriel, Josh and Leila present a play in the studio which involves Josh's Uncle Simon dying and ascending to heaven. The children become interested in Ray and his band after watching tapes of an old concert, and form their own band called The Glass Household, based on Ray's notes and writings. Their fans often refer to the band as "Glass", which becomes a hit under the management of Ray's previous manager Rastus and his company PlusBond. The band's contract puts Leila in control of the company's pop-music distribution and she uses it to begin to make Ray's old ideas about the "grid" come true. The two boys compete for Leila's affections, and she marries Gabriel, who finds it difficult to satisfy her. He becomes an alcoholic and a web porn addict and voyeur, reported by the press to have affairs with both men and women. While searching on his name, Gabriel discovers pictures of himself being sexually abused as a child. When Gabriel gets another woman pregnant, Leila leaves him to have an affair with Josh. Gabriel's son is killed in a car accident, and Gabriel's grief is used as the public reason why Gabriel will not participate in a Glass reunion concert in New York, though actually he and the other members of Glass are involved in a power struggle over control of rights to the music. Gabriel is an ageing, reclusive drunk living in Ray High's old house when Josh shows up on his doorstep. Because Gabriel has refused use of Glass's music, Josh has run out of money, and he asks Gabriel to release the rights to the music so he can stage a Gridlife concert. Gabriel agrees, and the group travels separately to New York City, where the concert will be staged. Gabriel meets a woman in the
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, where he hears screaming children. Opening a window, he hears all the tragedies of New York playing out in the streets below. However, the concert will go on as scheduled as a tribute to the victims. The concert takes place in
Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
with many bands participating in a programmed "Method" which produces individualised music for audience members, all of it combining to make the sound of an ocean. Ray seems to be there to take his bows, but he is actually watching a representation of the event at his old studio in
Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a town located within the London Borough of Hounslow in West London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's or ...
which is connected to the mental institution. As the concert concludes, Josh grabs a gun from a security guard and shoots Gabriel. A massive staircase appears, accompanied by demons and angels, and Gabriel ascends. This is mirrored by the staircase at the studio where the children held their play many years ago. The steps from the children's old stage set now lead to a pub called "The
Black Hole A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravitation, gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other Electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts t ...
." At an afterparty for the show, Gabriel passes by, entering the pub, and Ray says that he can no longer return because he has passed through The Mirror Door. Josh imagines Gabriel in The Black Hole, "piecing together the fragments with the help of a whiskey." Josh and Leila have tea, and then Leila leaves Josh in his own mental institution cell, alone with his "voices."Pete Townshend ''The Boy Who Heard Music'', Eel Pie Publishing Ltd., 2005


Analysis

As is usual with Townshend's musicals and opera, the material seems semi-autobiographical, with Ray High resembling Townshend himself and the bands' histories paralleling that of The Who before and after the hiatus in the band's active working career. This particular story also appears to be a continuation of material presented in ''
Psychoderelict ''Psychoderelict'' is a concept album written, produced and engineered by Pete Townshend. Some characters and issues presented in this work were continued in Townshend's later opus ''The Boy Who Heard Music'', first presented on The Who's album ...
,'' using some of the same characters and extending Townshend's ideas about use and abuse of the Internet as a vehicle for media distribution. The construction which gives the main characters different backgrounds provides a subtext of religious and ethnic discussion relating to issues of co-operation and conflict in current events.


The Method

With the issue of ''Endless Wire'', Townshend opened a website called The Lifehouse Method which makes musical portraits for "sitters" through a software application. A musical team including composer
Lawrence Ball Lawrence Ball (born 17 September 1951) is an English musician and composer who lives in North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge o ...
expects to further develop some of these portraits into larger compositions for a concert or series of concerts, resembling the "Method" described in the novella.


Versions


Musicians

Musicians for the mini-opera and full album version include: *
Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the Rock music, rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include "My Generation", "Pinball Wizard", "Won't Ge ...
: vocals *
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...
: guitars, vocals, "mini guitar" *
Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific session bassist, he has played bass for acts such as The Who, the John Mayer Trio, Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan, Jeff Beck ...
: bass guitar *
Peter Huntington Peter Huntington (born 1973) is a British drummer for Rachel Fuller, and occasional drummer for her partner, Pete Townshend. Due to Zak Starkey's touring commitments with the band, Oasis, Huntington was the main drummer for The Who's first al ...
,
Zak Starkey Zak Richard Starkey (born 13 September 1965) is an English rock drummer who has performed and recorded with English rock band the Who since 1996. He is also the third drummer to have appeared with English rock band Oasis. In 2020, Starkey toure ...
: drums *
John "Rabbit" Bundrick John Douglas "Rabbit" Bundrick (born November 21, 1948 in Houston, Texas) is an American–English rock keyboardist. He is best known for his work with The Who and associations with others including Eric Burdon, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Roge ...
: keyboards, organ *
Simon Townshend Simon Townshend (; born 10 October 1960) is a British guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is the younger brother of the Who's guitarist Pete Townshend, and is most associated with The Who and the various side projects of its original members ...
&
Billy Nicholls William Morris Nicholls Jr (born 15 February 1949) is an English singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and musical director. He was born into a musical family, his father Billy Nicholls (Sr.) being a double bassist and big band singer, ...
: backing vocals


Mini-opera

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
's mini-opera ''
Wire and Glass ''Wire & Glass'' (subtitled "Six songs from a mini-opera") is the only EP released from The Who's 2006 album, '' Endless Wire''. The EP was released exclusively to the iTunes Music Store on 17 July 2006 but a Maxi-CD/12" was released a week l ...
'' was based on the novella story, first released as a maxi-single and then appearing on The Who's 2006 album '' Endless Wire''. ''Wire and Glass'' was released in the UK 17 July 2006 on iTunes and 24 July 2006 as a CD. Songs from the mini-opera Wire and Glass include: *"Sound Round" – 1:22 *"Pick Up the Peace" – 1:28 *"Endless Wire" – 1:51 *"We Got A Hit" – 1:18 *"They Made My Dream Come True" – 1:13 *"Mirror Door" – 4:16


Full album

The album ''Endless Wire'' included the mini-opera, but also other songs which to relate to the opera (*). ''Endless Wire'' was released 30 October 2006 in the UK and 31 October 2006 in the US The track listing includes: *"Fragments"* (Townshend,
Lawrence Ball Lawrence Ball (born 17 September 1951) is an English musician and composer who lives in North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge o ...
) – 3:58 *"A Man in a Purple Dress" – 4:14 *"Mike Post Theme" – 4:28 *"In the Ether"* – 3:35 *"Black Widow's Eyes" – 3:07 *"Two Thousand Years" – 2:50 *"God Speaks of Marty Robbins"* – 3:26 *"
It's Not Enough ''Endless Wire'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 30 October 2006 in the UK through Polydor Records and the following day in the US by Universal Republic. It was their first new studio album of origin ...
"* (Townshend,
Rachel Fuller Rachel Fuller (born 24 July 1973) is a British musician. She is a successful independent pop music artist, a composer, and occasional collaborator with her husband rock musician Pete Townshend. Early life Born in Ipswich, England, Fuller late ...
) – 4:02 *"You Stand by Me" – 1:36 The mini-opera: *"Sound Round" – 1:21 *"Pick Up the Peace" – 1:28 *"Unholy Trinity" – 2:07 *"Trilby's Piano" – 2:04 *"Endless Wire" – 1:51 *"Fragments of Fragments" (Townshend, Ball) – 2:23 *"We Got a Hit" – 1:18 *"They Made My Dream Come True" – 1:13 *"Mirror Door" – 4:14 *"Tea & Theatre" – 3:24


Rock opera

Townshend continued working on the story as a full-length rock opera with the help of Steve Beskrone, John Hickok, Kevin Kuhn, Matt McGrath, John D. Putnam (a guitarist for the ''
Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...
'' Broadway musical), Bree Sharp, drummer/percussionist
David Van Tieghem David Van Tieghem (born April 21, 1955) is an American composer, percussionist and sound designer, best known for his philosophy of utilizing any available object as a percussion instrument and for his collaborations with the experimental artists ...
, and John Patrick Walker. A rough version of ''The Boy Who Heard Music'' debuted 13 July 2007 as part of
Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...
's Powerhouse Summer Theater workshop series. The production was adapted and directed by
Ethan Silverman Ethan may refer to: People * Ethan (given name) Places *Ethan, South Dakota * Fort Ethan Allen (Arlington, Virginia) Fiction *''Ethan of Athos'', 1986 novel by Lois McMaster Bujold *" Ethan Brand", 1850 short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne *''Eth ...
and presented as a staged concert reading with minimal dialogue. The cast included John Hickok as Ray High, Jon Patrick Walker as Josh,
Matt McGrath Matthew John "Matt" McGrath (December 28, 1875 – January 29, 1941) was a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, the New York Athletic Club, and the New York City Police Department. At the time of his death at age 64, he attained the ran ...
as Gabriel, and
Bree Sharp Bree Sharp (born December 17, 1975) is an American musician and actress. As of the 2010s, she is the lead vocalist of the electropop band Beautiful Small Machines. Early life and education Sharp was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and learn ...
as Leila.TBWHM Workshop
/ref> Songs in this adaptation included: ;Act I *"Prelude" *"Pick Up the Peace" – Ray *"In the Ether" – Josh, Ray *"God Predicts Marty Robbins" – Gabriel, Ray *"Unholy Trinity" – Gabriel, Josh, Leila *"Trilby's Piano I" – Gabriel *"I Can Fly" (by Rachel Fuller) – Leila *"There's No Doubt" – Gabriel, Josh, Ray *"Endless Wire Prelude" – Josh, Leila, Gabriel, Ray *"Sound Round" – Ray and Company *"Real Good Looking Boy" – Ray, Josh, Gabriel *"Trilby's Piano II" – Trio *"Fragments" – Company *"Endless Wire" – Company ;Act II *"We Got a Hit" – Company *"She Said He Said" – Gabriel, Leila *"Uncertain Girl" – Josh *"Heart Condition" – Leila *"
It's Not Enough ''Endless Wire'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 30 October 2006 in the UK through Polydor Records and the following day in the US by Universal Republic. It was their first new studio album of origin ...
" (by Pete Townshend and Rachel Fuller) – Gabriel, Josh, Leila *"They Made My Dream Come True" – Ray *"In the Ether" – Ray *"Trilby's Piano III" – Gabriel, Josh, Leila *"Mirror Door" – Company *"Fragments" – Company *"Tea & Theatre" – Ray, Josh, Leila The song "Real Good Looking Boy" was previously issued on The Who's compilation album '' Then and Now''. The song "I Can Fly" was previously issued on Fuller's EP ''Shine''.


References


External links

*
Reviews and photos from Vassar production
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boy Who Heard Music The Who British novellas Concept albums Rock operas Multimedia works Pete Townshend 2006 albums