Interpreted and realized as an instrumental version by Arnold Dreyblatt, 2015, 2017, 2019

Terry Fox's work on the Berlin Wall consists of various sketches and drawings under the title: “Berlin Wall Scored for Sound” which were developed during his stay in Berlin as a DAAD fellowship in 1980/81. In many of these drawings the outlines of the Berlin wall were laid over a topographic system, in which spatial coordinates are mapped to time durations and contours are categorized and identified by letters of the alphabet. An audio realization based  on these drawings appropriates sound recordings from Terry Fox’s own personal audio performance archive was issued in 1988 under the title: “Berlino” (Het Apollohuis, Einhoven). 

In 2015, together with Dr. Angela Lammert, I curated an exhibition of Fox’s work entitled, “Elemental Gestures” at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin for which I realized a spatial room installation of “Berlino” in collaboration with the Electronic Studio as one of three sound rooms.   As part of the accompanying performative program, I  concieved an instrumental version of “Berlin Wall Scored for Sound” for brass instruments, which was premiered on November 11, 2015.  On October 28, 2017, I realized a version for String Quartet which was performed by the Kairos Quartet at the "Sonification Festival - Audible Data Streams" in Berlin. A second realization of the String Quartet version was performed by the Del Sol Quartet on October 11, 2019 at The Lab in San Francisco as part of a city-wide program dedicated to Terry Fox

In my interpretation of Terry Fox’s score, I interpreted the assigned letters in the drawings as musical pitches, with the exception of “X” which I have mapped to “silence”.  I found it interesting that the letters of the alphabet which he chose represents the lines of the treble staff, and have noted that his work often contains musical references.  and could be understood as a kind of “open” score for possible performance.

I applied the precise durations for each letter/pitch found in the drawing, resulting in a linear composition of 15 minutes and 32 seconds.  In preparing this realization, I kept in mind the resonating sustaining sonorities of Terry Fox’s legendary sonic performances on long piano wires in architectural spaces, as well his collaborations with instrumentalists (for example the cellos and double bass in “Rallentando”, 1988) and my own background as a minimalist composer – these have all served as a guide.  In this performance, the instrumentalists sustain each “note” without vibrato or dynamic changes and are encouraged to explore harmonic partial vibrations while holding each pitch for the assigned duration. During each pitch block, the musicians may choose a particular octave for the duration, holding this note until the next pitch change. The newest version, performed by the Kairos String Quartet, comes closest to Terry Fox’s lifelong exploration of harmonic string vibration.     – Arnold Dreyblatt, 2017

“On a large map I located four "corners" in the wall surrounding West Berlin. These corners or "points" thus divided the wall into four sections. A straight line was drawn through each section from point to point. When the four sections were joined end to end, the map of Berlin became a very long straight line with the pattern of the wall zig-zagging and looping through it. Four more lines were drawn, evenly spaced and parallel to this center line, two above it and two below, creating a musical stave. The entire length of the wall was measured from the map in centimeters.The centimeters were then transposed into seconds so that distance became measured in time. The topographical or geometrical peculiarities of the wall were then divided into five categories and assigned letters (E, G, B, D, F). One strange formation of the wall, resembling the Horsehead Nebula, was given its own letter: X. The complete score, for six different sounds, is endless, forming a loop, like the wall it describes...”    – Terry Fox

In 2017, the Center for Contemporary Art in Kitakyushu, and the famous club Super Deluxe in Tokyo, Oren Ambarchi and Jim O’Rourke organized a series of concert collaborations in Japan.

December 13, 2017
Center for Contemporary Art Kitakyushu
Playhouse, Kitakyushu Performance Art Center
Concert with Arnold Dreyblatt, Oren Ambarchi, Jim O’Rourke and Konrad Sprenger

December 15, 2017

Super Deluxe, Tokyo
Arnold Dreyblatt: Solo Concert

December 16, 2017:
Arnold Dreyblatt Tokyo Ensemble 2017
Super Deluxe, Tokyo
Arnold Dreyblatt, Jim O’Rourke, Oren Ambarchi, Samuel Dunscombe, Judith Hamann, Joe Talia, Eiko Ishibashi, Atsuko Hatano

Jörg Hiller (Konrad Sprenger) is an artist, musician, composer, dj, and music producer who has been Dreyblatt's most important collaborator in recent years - including many performances and recording projects as well as the production of his current Ensemble (in which he has a prominent role with percussionist, electronic sounds and producer, ).  Has also been involved in editing and mixing many recordings of Dreyblatt's music, including The Adding Machine, Cantaloupe, 2001, Resonant Relations, Cantaloupe, 2005, Who's Who in Central & East Europe 1933, Tzadik, 2010 and the recent release of “Resolve” on Drag City, Chicago, 2023.

In 2013 the retrospective LP entitled "Choice" was issued on Hiller's  own "Choose" label in Berlin.
In 2022 Dreyblatt participated with the Modular Organ System of Conrad Sprenger and Phillip Sollmann at the CTM festival.

KONRAD SPRENGER website: https://www.konradsprenger.com

Jim O'Rourke was singlehandedly responsible for re-introducing Dreyblatt's music to a wider audience.  He introduced Dreyblatt to Jeff Hunt who issued "The Sound of One String" on Table of the Elements. He invited Dreyblatt to perform at Lounge Ax in Chicago on May 25, 1997. Performers: Arnold Dreyblatt, Excited Strings Bass, Jim O'Rourke, Snare Drum, Kevin Drumm, David Grubs, Guitars, Maureen Loughnare, Violin, Curated by Jim O'Rourke Additionally, O'Rourke reissued and remastered Dreyblatt's LP "Nodal Excitation", originally released on India Navigation" which was issued on Dexter's Cigar / Drag City" in  1996. David Weinstein produced a concert at Tonic on January 18 and 19, 2001 with Arnold Dreyblatt and The Orchestra of Excited Strings, Jim O'Rourke and Tony Conrad.  A collective set took place at the end of each night. O'Rourke also wrote the liner notes for the "Appalachian Excitation" LP by Arnold Dreyblatt and Megafaun in 2013. In December, 2017, Dreyblatt toured in Japan with Jim O’Rourke, Oren Armarchi and Konrad Sprenger (Jörg HIller) involving concerts in Tokyo and Kitakyushu.

"Arnold Dreyblatt once wrote on one of his earliest records that his music was somewhat akin to a juggler, he does stuff down there to make stuff happen up there. This still is the best description i have ever heard of not only Mr. Dreyblatt's music, but for a whole range of phenomenon that i have seen through life. It isn't just confined to music, or even to the subset of music that his music shares with other like-minded geniuses, it can be seen flowing through all aspects of life, some people would call it karma, on the other end of the spectrum someone might call it investment, but what it comes down to is the cause and effect of the vibrating world. The world vibrates because it is constantly changing, no matter what efforts are made to stabilize it. To try and freeze and pinpoint what is going on in Arnold Dreyblatt's music is like spending time looking for the wizard behind the curtain while all along there is the fantastic giant thingthere in front of you the whole time. Many times when i have tried to turn friend's on to his music i tell them , "look up" (and of course "turn it up"), because just like painters say that the eye must learn to read, the ear needs some help with it's sense of direction. And Arnold Dreyblatt's music is one hell of a giant intersection, there's no lack of propulsion; left, right, up, down, it's all there with a seriously overworked traffic controller at it's center. But above all this hubub, stories above, there is the air that is thrown into currects by all the activity below, becoming visible, crashing into each other and sending new currents on their way. I have often heard "you can't grab air", but of course you can, it just visits your hand for a moment. But with Arnold Dreyblatt, the air grabs you, and you can stay as long as you like. (and turn it up.....)"  - Jim O'Rourke, 2013

The first collaboration with the great clarinetist and mandolinist Andy Statman was in 1991 in New York for the recordings which were later included on the CD compilation: 'Haymische Groove' from Extraplatte in Vienna (See Discography). In 1995 Statman was invited to the 10 Year Berlin Anniversary Concert of The Orchestra of Excited Strings at Podewil in Berlin, where he performed as a guest soloist with the Ensemble. In 1980, Dreyblatt wrote the album notes to Statman's Rounder LP "Flatbush Waltz".  In 1983, Dreyblatt arranged a tour for Statman with concerts in Berlin and Prague.

The vocalist Shelley Hirsch (New York) sang and improvised with The Orchestra of Excited Strings in Dreyblatt's Opera Who's Who in Central & East Europe 1933 in performances from 1991 to 1997 and in concerts with the Orchestra of Excited Strings  through during this period.

Dreyblatt collaborated in a number of projects with the composer, musician and artist Paul Panhuysen (1934-2015).  He was invited for an artist residency at Het Apollohuis in Eindhoven, and toured with Panhuysen in the duo project "Duo Geloso". Dreyblatt also performed with Panhuysen on his "Long String Installlation" on a number of occasions.  He contributed to the publication "Echo, The Images of Sound" in 1987.  Panhuysen was a strong supporter of Dreyblatt's work in the 1980's.

"Duo Geloso": A Music Performance Collaboration on various combinations of modified, self-made and traditional instruments including electric and hawaiian guitars, accordian, piano, violin with voice and electronics.
Performances 1987-1988: Cologne: Stadtgarten, Bremen: Gesellschaft für Aktuelle Kunst, Braunschweig: Film Fest, Rotterdam: De Unie, Gent: Stichting Logos, Hasselt: Instituut voor Bildende Kunsten, East Berlin: Marienburgerstrasse Festival, De Unie, Rotterdam

I have worked closely with Pierre Berthet since 1988, when we first met in Liege and we performed our collaboration "End Correction" at concerts in Holland, Italy and Belgium. Pierre has also performed in my ensemble, "The Orchestra of Excited Strings" from 1991 - 1997 in many concerts throughout Europe and the U.S.A.

Performances "End Correction":  1988-89: Eindoven: Effenar, Groningen: De Salon, Den Haag: Oyvaer Desk, Liege: Summer Festival, Ferrara: Aterforum Festival

Tibor Szemzö invited Dreyblatt to Budapest first in 1983 and Dreyblatt continued to perform in Budapest through the 80's.  They formed a duo in 1987 with Dreyblatt on Lap Steel Guitar and Tibor Szemzö on Processed Bass Flute with Acoustic Feedback.

Performances (on tour with Alvin Curran and Paul Panhuysen):
1987: Budapest: Theater Skene, Kinizsi Club; Miskolcs: Bartok Akademie, Petrofi Cznarnok
1986: Berlin-Ost: Marienburgerstrasse Musik Festival

Concerts produced by Tibor Szemzö in Budapest:
1983: Solo Performance, Theater Skene
1986: The Orchestra of Excited Strings, Petrofi Cznarnok

Dreyblatt met Ellen Fullman in the late 70's in New York when she was beginning to develop her Long String Insturment. They formed a non-profit in New York called "Sound Support" in 1982.

Dreyblatt performed with Fullman on a European tour of her Long String Instrument in Stuttgart, Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Berlin in 1986.

In 2004, Dreyblatt introduced her to Jörg Hiller (alias Konrad Sprenger) and suggested that they record some of her song compositions from the seventies, along with one of his favorites, "I Ain't Got No Home" from Woody Guthrie, which resulted in the much acclaimed CD, "Ort" on Hiller's Choose Label and a number of live tours.