Of Song and Magic takes inspiration from a profound experience diving and hearing humpback whale song underwater. These songs are spectacular for many reasons – they build upon tiny melodic motives which are transformed and developed over the course of the music; from nearby, the song is felt as vibrations in the water as much as it is heard; and finally – from the listener’s perspective – the songs emerge and fade into underwater noise (that of bubbles, feeding fish, waves and moving water). This piece draws upon all these distinct elements to create something evocative of whale song, drawing on Hindustani techniques and raag Bhairavi in addition.
Commissioned by Landscape Music for the Visions of the Wild Festival, April 21, 2021.
