Haunted steam
Aug 29, 2022, 01:09 PM
"Haunted Steam is an imaginary concert featuring the sounds of a Heigh hoo vintage steam train (recorded at a distance), a 1912 steam locomotive field recording, two tubas, flutes, chimes and piano. The locomotive recording provided the entire musical material for the work—melodies were drawn from the overtones in the original sample, wind instruments were selected to phase in and out of the train sounds. The flute and tuba were chosen as primary melodic instruments as they use breath (human steam?) to sound. Heavily processed recordings of a fast moving 1912 steam locomotive provided the rhythmic momentum for the piece. This work was heavily inspired by a series of works I'm currently composing: titled “imaginary concerts,” they create impossible musical performances (steam train with tuba, waterfall and string quartet, cave and clarinet)—all realized through the magic of acousmatic techniques. The immersive quality of the original recording is deepened and broadened using digital processing, and then shaped with filtering and additional techniques to mimic the effects of speed on the sound.
"Indeed, the sounds, motion and power of trains has long captured my imagination as a composer—I grew up near freight lines in the Northeast, and lived just a few blocks from the freight lines in the Southwest. Currently I reside close to the S bahn tracks in Berlin, and their sonic presence still calls to me. Their rhythmic rumbles break the silence of long evenings, and their sound still represents a call to the big, wide-world beyond. This piece in particular revels in the rich sonic world of motion, of the rhythmic rumbling and high lonesome whine of the whistle, whose sighs echo across the landscape day and night. I invite the listener to imagine they are drifting in and out of sleep as a train journey unfolds, with twists and turns, tunnels and passing trains, all enjoyed while speeding through a long night’s travel and drifting in and out of dreams.
"May all your journeys be magical, and may you always know which tracks lead back home."
Composition by Renée T. Coulombe.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"Indeed, the sounds, motion and power of trains has long captured my imagination as a composer—I grew up near freight lines in the Northeast, and lived just a few blocks from the freight lines in the Southwest. Currently I reside close to the S bahn tracks in Berlin, and their sonic presence still calls to me. Their rhythmic rumbles break the silence of long evenings, and their sound still represents a call to the big, wide-world beyond. This piece in particular revels in the rich sonic world of motion, of the rhythmic rumbling and high lonesome whine of the whistle, whose sighs echo across the landscape day and night. I invite the listener to imagine they are drifting in and out of sleep as a train journey unfolds, with twists and turns, tunnels and passing trains, all enjoyed while speeding through a long night’s travel and drifting in and out of dreams.
"May all your journeys be magical, and may you always know which tracks lead back home."
Composition by Renée T. Coulombe.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds