Raindrops: The sound of rain beginning in the morning when we are just waking is very evocative. “I hear rain begin.../it is the rain’s moments I borrow for this listening” (Ted Walker, New Yorker 1971).
This sound, of “slung mugs” was used by Benjamin Britten in “Noye’s Fludde”, an opera for children.
The silences between the periods of raindrops are as important as the sounds themselves, as they give space for expanded listening.
Tea Time Canon
I was given access to the librarians’ kitchen and “chill out” area on two occasions, and I strung up their coffee cups and recorded striking them using a variety of beaters. I found that the best sound was the slightly muted ones created by felted beaters. I created the piece of overlaying different elements on 3 tracks.
Please note that there are several seconds of silence at the beginning.
There is an intimacy of bringing the sounds of the librarian’s kitchen out to the public space.
The library has very high ceilings and provided a good acoustic bounce back of the relatively quiet but high pitched sounds. sounds start slowly and insinuate gently, surprising and intriguing to the users (all age groups) of the library which is normally a quiet place with only the quiet hum of voices.
See Sounds for further information on the genesis of this work