Emilio, from Chiapas, Mexico, sent in a home brew of some of his sound experiments. Four “soundscapes,” each one representing a different element (Earth, Fire, Air, and Water), are listenable through the earthy table below. These tracks are rich with texture and familiarity, especially “Fire,” which filled my thirsty ear with popcorn popping over an oscillating sea tide…
Earth (47:27 Min.):
Fire (7:02 Min.):
Air (6:57 Min.):
Water (46:21 Min.):
This acoustic art installation was created for the Galería del Centro Cultural de Chiapas Jaime Sabines on August 9, 2007.
Emilio’s soundscapes were inspired by the acoustic theories of R. Murray Schafer, the man who introduced the concept of soundscapes and coined the term schizophonia.
More sound experiments and acoustic art can be found on Emilio’s website, ArchivoSonoro.org.
Judy Dunaway, also known as “The Mother of Balloon Music,” is an experimental composer, conceptual artist, social activist, and noise enthusiast. She has created over thirty works using latex balloons as her instrument of choice!
One of my favorite pieces, “Surabaya,” can be heard below:
Through POPPING, squeezing, and rubbing, Judy has carved quite a strange niche for herself in the music world. She has performed alongside string quartets and has released an album entitled “Mother of Balloon Music.”
Any knowledgeable landscape artist or tile setter knows that any leftover rock or tile must be recycled into lithophones. No brainer right? Well, Tom of TinkerTunes.com did just that using some scraps of Indiana limestone and some leftover granite countertop.
Not only is Tom an instrepreneur, he is also a furniture maker and turns old upright pianos into desks. His website, TinkerTunes.com, has some interesting musical content including a document of his experience with building “friction harps.”
Congrats to Abram and pop, you guys deserve it! I’ll be sending the prizes your way.
And a HUGE thanks to all those who participated, I hope you guys keep us updated with any new musical instrument endeavors you may have in the future!
Poll Results:
Abram and Pop with “Three Guitars and a Bucket” - 112 votes
Gerard with “Cat’s Cradle” - 82 votes
Ranjit with “Trumpet Marine” - 17 votes
Greg with “Cracked Cymbal” - 7 votes
Rarely does an instrument’s form match up with it’s sound as perfectly and whimsically as the daxophone’s. Invented by Hans Reichel of Germany, the daxophone is a friction idiophone who’s vibrating mechanism is an oddly but tactically shaped wooden tongue which is attached to a block of wood. The vibrations travel from the vibrating blade to the block where a contact microphone amplifies the sound. The whole concept is similar to plucking a ruler half-way off a table.
The daxophone’s sound can vary widely depending on the tongue used and the method of vibration (e.g. bowed, blowed, boinged, bent, bonked). Different shaped tongues can be used to produce different styles and effects.
Among being a musical instrument inventor, Hans is also a typeset designer. Naturally, he created a typeset of daxophone tongues to deliver his tongue plans.
What’s more intimate than walking on the beach at sunset? Walking on the beach at sunset while listening to the sweet serenade of a wave-powered organ of course! and if you ever find yourself in San Francisco, Blackpool, or Zadar, I suggest you make a date to visit the local sea organ.
#1 The Sea Organ of Zadar, Croatia
This incredible piece of architecture is built along the coast line of the 3,000-year-old city Zadar, Croatia. The Sea Organ of Zadar attracts thousands of tourists and locals each year with its soothing and “meditative” lullaby. The organ was created as an architectural object to remedy the never-ending concrete wall which was the product of post-WWII reconstruction.
A set of thirty-five pipes run through two-hundred and thirty feet of white marble steps. The marble steps dissolve into the sea. Underneath, the pipes open to receive the oscillating energy of the sea waves. The resulting compression and decompression of air powers the sound of the pipe organ. A row of holes in the top row of steps allow the organ to breathe, while holes on top of the structure speak the sound from the resonating chambers. The organ’s harmonic pipes create a song which is “unpredictable but tuned.”
The Blackpool High Tide Organ is a 45-foot-tall tower of concrete, zinc, steel, and copper sheet. The $143,000 musical “manifestation of the sea” is a work of musical art installed on Blackpool’s promenade. Eighteen organ pipes inside of the sculpture are powered by eight large pipes which run underground and terminate into the sea.
The organ, which is tuned to the harmonic series of B-flat, can best be heard 2-3 hours before and after high tide, the times when the most air is being pushed through the pipes. Artist Liam Curtin remarks that “on stormy days the performance is wild and frenzied and on calm days the sound is softer…. People will be able to jam along with the high tide!”
#3 San Francisco’s Wave Organ, San Francisco, California, USA
Although San Francisco’s Wave Organ has been around since 1986, it is a little-known destination. In addition to a sheltered retreat from the city and spectacular views, this secret spot offers a sound experience similar to “listening to the world’s largest sea shell.” As Megan Edwards explains, “It’s like distant drums, muffled cymbals, quiet thunder. The variety is endless, and the sounds of the pipes are punctuated by the cries of gulls and the barks of sea lions.” A listening booth with surround sound and several other listening stations are connected to twenty-five PVC organ pipes and, oddly enough, the amphitheater is built out of carved stones and slabs from a demolished gold-rush-era cemetery.
This work of environmental art is located along the eastern edge of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on a small piece of land jutting out into the bay (here). The best time to hear this organ is at high tide (5:30am Saturday morning).
Conclusion
Part of the appeal of wave-powered organs is their ability to embody the ocean’s natural energy into something audible. The ocean, in a way, is explaining itself through the musical tones of a pipe organ, creating new ways for the ocean to be understood as well as new opportunities for the listener to connect with nature, to have an unusual/inspiring experience with the ocean, and to redefine perspectives. Also, the fact that the sources of the sounds are not readily obvious to explain the audible situation adds to the overall mystery and delight of the sea organ experience.
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