sound poems by Alula Down

‘sound poems’ was created by Alula Down as part of a Three Choirs Festival community project, working with the Music Memory Café (MMC) in St Briavels, Gloucestershire. The album is a collection of musical poems based on recordings from the cafe.

Over 3 monthly sessions in the early spring of 2023 Alula Down brought themes and sounds to the cafe to prompt stories and discussion, and made audio recordings of cafe conversations, songs and music. Using only these recordings and no additional sounds, audio collages were created back in the studio, aiming to convey something of the care, companionship and laughter of the community that meets in St Briavels.


DESCRIPTION:
"The album commences with the stretched out sound of a singalong, cut up and processed to create a haunting choral piece which hangs in the air beautifully before an extended fade leads into a melody on the harp, constructed from samples of the playing of Hiraeth. This forms a recurring refrain, as stories are woven together of memories of wartime, and the poignant singing of those attending the café promises 'we’re off to see the world'.

The mood changes abruptly into a rhythmic industrial beat – processed sounds from the café are so altered as to now be unrecognisable.

And then to the centrepiece of the album, built around a looped three chord piano phrase, the singing of a lark, with fragments of singing and the caring voices of volunteers working at the café. Layered into this soundscape are mentions of singing in the pub, dancing, and the significance of silence, creating a hauntological sound-painting of memories and experiences shared and cherished.

The mood lifts as laughter fills the soundscape, ebbing and flowing to conjure the sense of waves on a beach, and finally merging into an aural sketch of coastline.

A full-on singalong follows – relishing and embellishing the canon sung at the café with loop delay effects.

It moves into “Hold me” - the most poignant and haunting moment of the album, taking a fragment of song, and creating a yearning sense of loss which is suggestive of William Basinski’s work, although the process used is very different.

A blackbird song takes the listener on a journey into childhood memories from the early twentieth century accompanied by a combination of loops of music and singing from the café. The richness of these stories shines through and gives a wonderful sense of the pleasure experienced by those telling them.

A further woozy interlude follows, sounding like an excerpt from Broadcast’s soundtrack for Berberian Sound Studio…. And then a final memory of playing the piano, and collective singing ... and applause."



BACKGROUND:
The Music Memory Cafe is supported by a number of musicians whose beautiful playing, singing and interactions with the MMC community also feature on this album.

18 January:
Memories of time in nature together with reflections on the changes of older age. Olivia Dance played her keyboard adaptation of Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, and the community sang Whispering Grass, and What a Wonderful World.

15 February:
‘Hiraeth’ is a Welsh word suggesting a nostalgic longing for home. Harpist Cerys Rees played ‘Hiraeth’ by Grace Williams, and Nikkila Thomas performed La Vie en Rose. The community sang My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean and Moon River.

15 March:
Memories of coronations and jubilees, alongside some of the more ‘everyday’ sounds that we no longer hear. The Aulus Duo supported community singing of Morning has Broken, Row Row Row Your Boat and Favourite Things, and participatory percussion on a tango.

mark waters & kate gathercole. explorations using folk song, collage, improvisation and field recording.

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