Coimbra daydream
Mar 23, 07:53 PM
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"The field recording I chose is of an old blind man singing to himself and talking about how he uses sound to get around the city of Coimbra. My partner and I visited the city while travelling around Europe in our VW camper in 2003, and had a lovely experience there, walking the streets, attending an avant garde music event and soaking up the city's atmosphere. We may have even passed this man on a street corner, unaware that I would create a piece of music around him years later.
"I wanted to make a piece using the song he was singing to himself, and some of his conversation, as his experience of the city is ALL sound. There is a lot of traffic and activity in the field recording, but the man sounds calm and in his own world. I love the Portuguese language and the sound of his voice.
"I wanted my piece to be like the man's sonic daydream, keeping him amused as the world rushes past him on the street corner. I wanted to imagine I was able to hear what was inside his mind. The parts of the field recording I used are like snapshots of this street corner, where tradition - the old man calmly singing his folk song in this spot, probably every day for decades, meeting the modern world of traffic and people rushing around. This man is culturally significant, he is part of the rich tapestry of people and moments within Coimbra, mirroring the juxtaposition of local people, culture and historically preserved buildings, with the fast modern world of business and tourism.
"I began by creating a loop in my Logic DAW of the man singing and creating a rhythm and tempo to go with it, using software drums and synths, and some modular synthesis. I added quite a lot of reverb and delays to create a dreamlike feel, and created the feeling of waves of traffic sound washing in and out of the piece. I added some of the man's conversation when he talks about how he uses sound to get around the city, and his prayer to finish the track.
"I wanted the overall feel to be calm and positive, beginning with a stripped back modern sound, moving into a more melodic, warm sound of the man's daydream, as the man sounds content with his life to me. I have used electronic sounds to mirror the modern world and acoustic sounds to mirror the old man and the older parts of the city."
Rua da Sofia, Coimbra reimagined by Jane Travis.
———————
This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights.
Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage
"I wanted to make a piece using the song he was singing to himself, and some of his conversation, as his experience of the city is ALL sound. There is a lot of traffic and activity in the field recording, but the man sounds calm and in his own world. I love the Portuguese language and the sound of his voice.
"I wanted my piece to be like the man's sonic daydream, keeping him amused as the world rushes past him on the street corner. I wanted to imagine I was able to hear what was inside his mind. The parts of the field recording I used are like snapshots of this street corner, where tradition - the old man calmly singing his folk song in this spot, probably every day for decades, meeting the modern world of traffic and people rushing around. This man is culturally significant, he is part of the rich tapestry of people and moments within Coimbra, mirroring the juxtaposition of local people, culture and historically preserved buildings, with the fast modern world of business and tourism.
"I began by creating a loop in my Logic DAW of the man singing and creating a rhythm and tempo to go with it, using software drums and synths, and some modular synthesis. I added quite a lot of reverb and delays to create a dreamlike feel, and created the feeling of waves of traffic sound washing in and out of the piece. I added some of the man's conversation when he talks about how he uses sound to get around the city, and his prayer to finish the track.
"I wanted the overall feel to be calm and positive, beginning with a stripped back modern sound, moving into a more melodic, warm sound of the man's daydream, as the man sounds content with his life to me. I have used electronic sounds to mirror the modern world and acoustic sounds to mirror the old man and the older parts of the city."
Rua da Sofia, Coimbra reimagined by Jane Travis.
———————
This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights.
Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage