I’m thrilled to announce that my latest album will be released on November 15! This project is especially meaningful to ...
Recording Trees
Categories: Music
What a thrill for harpist Sharlene Wallace and me to enter into the 5th and final step of our creative collaboration, Trees.Listen. It was a great three days of recording at the Union Sound Company with our friend, Jean Martin. We really appreciated the help of Darren McGill during our sessions.
Our suite for lever harp and fixed electronics is inspired by the enlightening book To Speak for the Trees by acclaimed medical biochemist and botanist, Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger. Diana possesses a unique combination of Western scientific knowledge and traditional wisdom from the ancient world. Orphaned in Ireland during her youth, she was educated by elders who instructed her in the Brehon knowledge of plants and nature.
The music that Sharlene and I co-composed is based on different letters from the ancient Ogham script, a medieval alphabet that named each letter after a type of tree, emphasizing the significance of trees to the ancient Celts. The predominant musical note heard in each piece corresponds to the note named after a particular tree. For example, you will hear a lot of Ds in Oak because the Celtic word for oak is dair, which is the name for D in their alphabet. This approach creates an additional spiritual connection between each piece, the tree, and its designated letter. The overall tone of each piece is also inspired by the information and stories shared by Diana about each tree, each having its own unique musical character, just as each tree does.
Sharlene and I implemented a unique multi-phase process to create this new music:
In Phase 1, Jean recorded Sharlene playing samples/loops on her harp for the first 2 pieces in the suite, Birch and Hazel…
Months later, we recorded the loops for Oak and Pine, this time with Sharlene’s beautiful new custom-made harp…
Then months after that, we completed recording the loops for the remaining 5 trees…
In Phase 2, I used these samples as the foundation for composing electronic bed-tracks. Then in Phase 3, Sharlene composed a live harp part on top of those bed-tracks.
In Phase 4, we convened to fine-tune the compositions and record demos…
Last summer, Sharlene presented a world premiere performance of Birch and Hazel in BC…
Sharlene and I hope that Trees.Listen supports Diana’s vision: that trees are a fundamental part of our existence and survival on this planet, and they deserve to be worshipped and protected. We are fortunate to have received Diana’s enthusiastic support for our endeavour. She is a passionate individual who envisions a better world with more trees!
Sharlene and I are very grateful to our funders: Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and a group of Sharlene’s students who commissioned one of the nine pieces.
We have exciting plans for sharing this new music with the world, including a world premiere performance of the entire suite, sound installations and album release this fall. Stay tuned to my social media channels, blog posts, and e-newsletter for updates on next steps!
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