Earthworks by Davis Galvin
Earthworks is a pair of compositions continuing my exploration into sonic sense of place. In this case, the pieces are focused on reinterpreting naturally occurring sets of sounds found in two distinct geographies: deciduous forests and beaches/low relief coastal plains.
Each piece on Earthworks is derived from initial field recordings. Several field recordings were taken at multiple sites within the two distinct sonic environments. The purpose of these recordings was not to focus on the overall sound-fields of the sites, but rather to serve as direction when creating aural topographies for a particular sound or group of sounds found within the sites.
The analysis of these recordings was guided by “composer listening” and artistic choice, as opposed to any sort of scientific rigor. The microphones used for the field recordings varied, and no effort was made at replication of the ambisonic sound-fields at the recording site. These recordings informed the final shape of the compositions, including decisions made about pace, rhythmic elements, and some frequency information. They act as not-quite-a-score. The final compositions were then synthesized following these guidelines.
The pieces on Earthworks are not meant to serve as records of the sites of the field recordings, rather they abstract and respond to the concrete environmental info and sound-fields found both at the sites and within the recordings.
Both pieces are not only informed by the aural topographies generated by the initial field recordings, but meant also to complement similar sonic environments. “Insects” is sculpted especially for mid-to-late summer evenings in deciduous forested areas (July to October in Pittsburgh, for example). “Waves” is created with beaches and low relief coastal plains in mind, and should complement nicely any time of day at any time of year (so long as it’s not too windy).
For a complete listening experience, a decibel reading of the listening environment should be taken. Earthworks playback level should be within 2db of the ambient environmental sound level.
