Cj Philpott

Sonic Explorations of the Southernmost Continent: Four composers’ responses to Antarctica and climate change in the twenty-first century

Composers have been drawn to the world’s southernmost continent, Antarctica, for creative inspiration since the so-called ‘Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration’ in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, it has only been since the final few years of the twentieth century that professional composers have had opportunities to travel to the far south as part of arts residency programmes to experience its environment – and its unique soundscapes – first-hand. Most composers who have visited Antarctica to date have utilised sound recording technologies to document their journeys sonically and have subsequently created compositions that feature their soundscape recordings. Typically, such compositions include biological sounds, such as vocalisations of penguins and seals (both on the ice and underwater); non-biological or ‘geophysical’ ambient sounds that emanate from the natural landscape, such as those created by wind, blizzards, and ice cracking and calving; and/or anthropogenic (human) sounds recorded within the Antarctic environment. This article examines a series of recent compositions by four established composers who have visited Antarctica and used their experiences and field recordings to inform their creative work: Douglas Quin, Jay Needham, Lawrence English and Philip Samartzis. The primary aim of this research is to investigate what these composers’ Antarctica-related works reveal about their individual encounters with and perceptions of the frozen continent, as well as to consider the role of such compositions in conveying messages related to climate change to listeners around the globe – the vast majority of whom are unlikely to ever see or hear the place in person.

The sounds of silence: music in the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration

The leaders of the Antarctic expeditions of the Heroic Age (c.1897–1922) commonly encouraged their men to engage in cultural activities in order to keep them occupied, alleviate boredom, strengthen the sense of camaraderie and ward off symptoms of depression. While the importance of literary activities (such as journal keeping and “newspaper” production) to various Heroic Age expeditions has been acknowledged in the literature, little research has yet to be conducted into the vast quantity and variety of music that was taken to and/or created in Antarctica during the same period, despite the significant role that it appears to have played in the everyday lives of the men who ventured there. Drawing on the written journals and published accounts of the expeditions, musical scores and expeditionary newspapers, this article explores the role and value of music in the Antarctic expeditions of the Heroic Age and examines some of the earliest known musical responses to Antarctica, including the first Antarctic “opera”, various original sledging songs, and the unique collection of occasional songs composed aboard the Morning in 1902 by Gerald S. Doorly. Collectively, this music not only provides a record of the explorers’ experiences and perceptions of the Antarctic – significantly, it also offers valuable insight into exactly what they did to entertain themselves and boost team morale during long voyages at sea, gruelling sledge journeys and freezing cold, lonely winters in Antarctica.

Making music on the march: sledging songs of the 'heroic age' of Antarctic exploration

During the so-called ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration (c.1897–1922), various parties of men invented songs to aid the act of sledging and to provide a mental diversion from the monotony of the task and the physical demands it made on the human body. Songs composed in this uniquely polar musical genre typically included rhyming lyrics that were highly motivational and expressed a united identity. The lyrics were usually set to the melodies of popular songs of the day. When voiced in unison by men out ‘on the march,’ sledging songs could help to promote team synchronisation and cohesion, and give the act of sledging (as well as the expeditions as a whole) a stronger sense of purpose and meaning. The singing of such songs, therefore, contributed in a very practical way to the overall success of many Antarctic expeditions of the ‘heroic age’. This article examines three sledging songs dating from this period of Antarctic exploration and investigates the historical context in which they were created and performed. It also considers what these songs reveal about the experiences of the men who participated in the sledging journeys and their earliest perceptions of the Antarctic environment.

Scott at the Opera: interpreting Das Opfer (1937)

In November 1937, an unusual work premiered at the Hamburg State Opera. Entitled Das Opfer (“The Sacrifice”), the one-act opera tells the story of Robert F. Scott’s last expedition, focusing on the famous final moments of Lawrence Oates. While the action features only four main characters, a large chorus – dressed for much of the time in penguin costumes – comments on events. The opera was an adaptation of an award-winning and controversial play by the eccentric expressionist poet Reinhard Goering. The libretto was written by Goering, who committed suicide not long after its completion – about a year before the first performance. The score was by composer Winfried Zillig – a student of Arnold Schoenberg and promoter of his radical modernist 12-tone technique. Subsequent descriptions of Das Opfer and its reception have been remarkably varied. Some commentators assert the play was quickly banned by the National Socialists due to its pro-British content and “degenerate” 12-tone score. Others argue that this version of events was invented post-war in order to distance Zillig from the Nazi regime, which actually embraced his work, including Das Opfer. Given that Das Opfer was probably the first professional musical response to Scott’s last expedition, and certainly the first operatic performance of the story, it is surprising that no in-depth contextual account of the work is available. The aim of our research is to provide an analysis of this opera – historical, textual and musical – that is both relevant to an Antarctic studies readership and accessible to English-speaking readers. In doing so, we suggest tentative answers to some questions raised by this intriguing musical work: How was Scott’s expedition, which has so often been tied to ideas of Britishness, adapted for German audiences? And what significance did the opera’s Antarctic setting hold in this context?

At the End of Night: explorations of Antarctica and Space in the sound art of Philip Samartzis

Abstract This article explores the work of Australian sound artist Philip Samartzis, who documented the eco-acoustic characteristics and atmospheric effects of Antarctica and its environs during two field trips in 2010 and 2016. It begins by situating his work within the context of other compositions that engage with Antarctica, the atmosphere and Outer Space, before focusing on examples of two of his compositions. At the End of Night is based on sound recordings of a Medium Frequency Spaced Array radar used to measure upper atmospheric conditions through the transmission and reception of coded sine tone pulsations, while Aurora Australis is derived from the sonification of digital data generated by auroral activity produced over one calendar year. The article concludes with a section in which the composer reflects on Antarctica and its soundscape ecology, as well as the methods and processes he has employed whilst conducting field work in this extreme environment. In doing so, it aims to reveal the approaches and methods behind his sound art and to show how his compositions can not only enhance general understanding of Antarctica and the Earth’s atmosphere, but also encourage us to engage with these spaces in new, and powerfully affecting, ways.

The Glitter Gang (1973-74): A microcosm of Malcolm Williamson's views on social inclusivity and his Australian identity

This article combines new research into the life and musical output of Australian expatriate composer and nineteenth Master of the Queens Music, Malcolm Williamson (1931–2003). Focusing on one of his ‘cassations’ (mini-operas) for musically untrained children, The Glitter Gang (1973–1974), new conclusions are drawn about how this often controversial composer developed a philosophy of inclusiveness and expressed it through his music. The Glitter Gang was one of the few works that Williamson wrote about his homeland, Australia, and the first in which he expressed his views pertaining to the rights of indigenous Australians. This article examines the context in which The Glitter Gang was composed and shows how he projected his Australian identity and attempted to influence political discussion through this intriguing musical work. Detailed analysis of the score reveals that it is a deeply sophisticated composition, especially considering its intended performers, and demonstrates how Williamson retained his unique compositional voice in the cassations. Significantly, this research shows that like other works which were rejected by Australian audiences and critics in the 1970s, The Glitter Gang can now be reappraised as an important and innovative Australian composition.

An analysis of performance practices in African American gospel music: rhythm, lyric treatment and structures in improvisation and accompaniment

African American gospel music is a unique and distinctive idiom that has had a pervasive influence upon the development of contemporary popular music. While there are now many sources available on African American gospel music, the focus of the vast majority of these studies is on the sociological, historical and stylistic aspects of the genre, rather than on identifying and codifying specific musical characteristics and performance practices. This paper extends the discussion of gospel singing techniques in Andrew Legg’s 2010 article ‘A taxonomy of musical gesture in African American gospel music’ (Popular Music, 29/1) by examining some of the key performance practices associated with rhythm and lyric treatment in African American gospel music, as well as common structures in gospel music improvisation and accompaniment. Through analysis of selected recordings, this research proposes a codified frame of reference for the definition and discussion of terminologies and performance practice techniques inherent within African American gospel music.

Making the Implicit Explicit: Creating Performance Expectations for the Dissertation

No abstract published: This invited book review examines the structure, underlying premise and applications of a 2007 US text on doctoral education.