Sounds
Nestled into the safe comfort of a road-side branch, a group of baby birds call out to their mother. Three times, the call of another bird rises above the other bird calls. A perceptive ear can catch the faint calls of other birds that intermittently enter the soundscape.
An sound clip taken from Michael Haydn's "Divertimento in D Major" featuring a solo violin performing in a vocal recitativo accompagnato style . Since recitative was usually used to advance the plot of an opera adopting the rhythms of ordinary speech in the 18th century, it is interesting to see it's use in purely instrumental music.
Symphony was a popular genre of music in the eighteenth century. It was developed from the overtures (also called 'sinfonia'), which were played at the beginning of operas. When we think of 'symphony', we always think of an orchestra consists of strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. However, the earliest symphonies in the world were actually consists of strings only. These symphonies were usually composed before 1760. Symphony in B flat major (Them. Index 65) by Franz Xaver Richter (1709-... Read More
This is the soundscape around the Living Building. Here, you can hear the primary sounds of cars driving by as well as wind, but there are some secondary sounds that can be heard as well, such as the sound of people talking. This was recorded using a Google Pixel and a sound recording app.
Recording of the Soundscape of the Living Building on the corner at the Nanotech Building. Primary sounds include wind, the nanotech building itself, cars and a golfcart. A secondary sound is some birds tittering. An iPhone 7 and the Voice Memos app was used to record the sound
Two individuals taking turns stepping a quick beat
Sound recording of a piece of iron rebar found on the Proctor Creek Greenway in Atlanta, GA falling and striking the concrete pathway. Recorded with a Zoom H6 recorder and Rode NTG2 shotgun condenser microphone.
An overture is an instrumental work played before the beginning of a dramatic work. It was used to prepare the audience for the rest of the show and often used themes from later in the piece. An Italian Overture is an introduction to an opera or vocal work and has three simple sections of fast-slow-fast. Popular overtures in the eighteenth century would often be played outside of their operatic contexts in public concerts. This recording is from the beginning of a popular overture in the... Read More
Sound recording of a zipper on a jacket being zipped up and down. Recorded on iPhone 7+
"The James River" is a half minute recording done on an IPhone 6s recorded on top of the rocky outskirts of the James River. The recording depicts the sounds of water that have whispered for centuries amidst the bouldered landscape. This recording relates to the story "Twelve Years a Slave" from chapter five when the "Orleans" brig was trafficking slaves throughout the James River, steered toward the docks in Norfolk, Virginia.
Sound recording of the opening theme from Jaws (1975). Played on the tuba, composed by John Williams.
This is a live recording of Jazz at the Mary Lou Center of Duke University. The sounds consists of call and response between the alto saxophone and trumpet.