Nature & Music | The Music of Nature

Morning Has Broken

by Lang Elliott · June 17, 2012 · 2 Comments

I am not particularly religious, but I do consider nature, in all its manifestations, to be a miracle. It matters little to me if God made it, if it sprang from primordial soup and evolved, or if God stirred the soup. What we find when we are born into life is nothing short of miraculous. As Albert Enstein so clearly stated:

“There are only two ways to live our life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein

To become a child again is to shake off the overwhelming conditioning of our culture, of our times. It is to open one’s senses and see things absolutely fresh and new. Thus, I have no problem standing next to a brook in the forest at dawn in June, drinking in the beauty and feeling absolute wonder at all that I see and hear. And I have no trouble singing the following words because they reflect my sentiment, my awe, and my reverance for all the life before me.

I hope you enjoy my tremulous melodic mutterings (it is very difficult to sing without any musical accompaniment; so personal, exposed, naked). Oh, I almost forgot – here are the lyrics of this well-known hymn, made famous by Cat Stevens (from Wikipedia):

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the Word.

Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass.

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God’s recreation of the new day.

Mole in the Ground

by Lang Elliott · June 16, 2012 · 10 Comments

I just stumbled upon a traditional American folk tune called “Mole in the Ground.” It was written and sung by banjo player Bascom Lamar Lumsford in 1928 and has been performed by hundreds if not thousands of old time musicians in the years since.

I like this song because some of the lyrics refer to animals, and it kicks off with the mole: “I wish I was a mole in the ground.” This got me enthused, and after listening to a few versions by others, I decided to pen my own lyrics, leaving the mole at the beginning but adding a new lineup of critters and making the song quite a bit more animal-oriented and kid-friendly. So here is the grand result of my efforts! Let me know what you think, but please pardon my singing … I’m NOT a professional, but I don’t sound too bad, do I?

Lang Elliott singing his own personal version (with new lyrics) of Lunsford’s “Mole in the Ground”

And here’s a photo of Lunsford in his later years, accompanied by one of his animal friends:

Bascom Lamar Lunsford

Spring is Here!

by Lang Elliott · February 16, 2011 · 7 Comments

photo of Bluets . . . Spring is Here!

O Frabjous Day, Callooh! Callay! We chortle with joy ’cause SPRING IS HERE (well, not quite yet) and greenly spirits leap the trees while birdies sing. We shout the infinite, natural YES!—touching, hearing, seeing, breathing, as banjo strings its true blue song to spring:

What else is there to say?

Banjo © Richie Stearns. Nature recording © Lang Elliott. Prose by someone on drugs (okay, we don’t want to point any fingers, but we have to acknowledge Carroll and Cummings for their respective contributions).

Greenly Thrush

by Lang Elliott · February 3, 2011 · 9 Comments

For those who can read music, the Field Book of Wild Birds and their Music by composer and naturalist F. Schuyler Mathews is a real treat (the book was first published in 1904). Mathews worked very hard at converting the songs of our native birds into musical nomenclature, with varying degrees of success. One species with songs that translated pretty well is the Hermit Thrush. Mathews deciphered dozens of different song patterns, comparing certain ones to themes in classical music (such as the wild movement that opens the finale in Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata).

My friend John Greenly, a Cornell physicist, musician, and birdwatcher, took on the task of playing some of Mathews’ transcriptions on his clarinet, with piano accompaniment by Bill Cowdery. I recorded their effort and then mixed it with a background of Hermit Thrush songs and a babbling brook (I love those babbling brooks!). The result is quite interesting. It is straightforward musically, but powerful in its naked simplicity—a relaxed and heartfelt tribute to one of our most beautiful avian songsters.

Clarinet interpretations of Hermit Thrush music as transcribed by F. Schuyler Mathews. John Greenly on clarinet and Bill Cowdery on piano. Nature sounds and final mix by Lang Elliott.

Pretty sweet, huh?

Syrinx – Flûte de Pan

by Lang Elliott · February 2, 2011 · 21 Comments

I’ve been invited to participate in a “Nature and Music Festival” in mid-February in Wheeling WV, sponsored by the Oglebay Institute and the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. I will be giving a talk entitled “The Music of Nature: Soundscape Recordings as Art Forms.” I’m also hoping to collaborate with the Orchestra, or select musicians, to do a mix or two of music with the sounds of nature.

One idea is to pair up with a flutist who would perform Claude Debussy’s Syrinx, which I believe was inspired by nature. The piece was originally called “Flûte de Pan”—a sad and evocative tune that Pan (the god of forests and fields) plays on his pipe just before his death. My choice for the background is Thrush Hollow, featured in an earlier post. This springtime soundscape from North Carolina features a bubbling brook and the songs of two distant Wood Thrushes. I think it mixes very well with the flute solo:

An experimental mix of Claude Debussy’s SYRINX and a soundscape recording from the mountains of North Carolina. Mixed by Lang Elliott.

I know that some folks are not excited about mixing nature with music, especially classical music. But this mix seems to work pretty well. And when one considers that it was inspired by Pan of the forests and fields, it seems like a no-brainer to combine the two. I can readily imagine Pan playing his pipes next to a bubbling brook, with wild birds whistling silvery songs in the background.

Whatya think?

Note: I snatched the flute piece from a CD. If I actually produce and sell this mix as part of a music+nature title, I’ll have to find a talented flautist to play the piece.

Cello and Chuckwills

by Lang Elliott · January 23, 2011 · 20 Comments

Here is a bit of a surprise for everyone. This is a prototype collaboration with my friend and consummate cellist Hank Roberts. Several years ago, Hank visited my studio and selected a soundscape that he liked—an insect chorus graced by the songs of Chuck-will’s-widows, which I had recorded in Florida. Hank took my recording to his home studio and then composed and recorded an accompaniment, playing not only cello, but also guitar:

I like this piece a lot. Hank has conjured up a very compelling and creative mix that blends beautifully with the sounds of nature. It is not our final mastered track, but I thought I’d put it up for comments anyway. My plan is to partner with five or six local musicians to create a CD containing around 15 music+nature mixes, done in a style that I believe most of my friends will really like. I believe we’re off to a good start with this one, don’t you?

Do you like this composition? Let me know what you think (by commenting below) as it might have considerable bearing on the unfolding of the concept.

Note: This post also shows off the nifty SoundCloud audio player. I’m thinking of using this player for certain applications. The biggest downside is that it uses a waveform display rather than a sonogram display. Waveform displays (time versus frequency) contain less information than sonogram displays (time versus frequency with loudness indicated by brightness of color).

Water Speaking Water

by Lang Elliott · January 10, 2011 · 3 Comments

Last autumn, I participated in a sustainability conference sponsored by The Finger Lakes Bioneers. I was asked to create an artistic rendering of water in high definition video and sound. The result was a three-part video called “Water Speaking Water” that features music by my friends Samite Mulondo (playing kalimba, and African thumb piano) and Sunita Staneslow (playing folk harp):

> HD version.

The three sections are: 1) An Open Door (footage from northern Alabama gathered last spring), 2) Water Abstracted (footage from around Ithaca, NY and the Adirondack Mountain region, gathered during the spring and summer), and 3) Autumn Lullaby (footage from around Ithaca, NY, gathered in mid-October.

All three sections feature the sound of water with subtle bird songs in the background. The soundscapes are all eminently relaxing, at least I think. Let me know if you agree (please leave a comment!).