This is a semi-improvisational sonic tapestry created from real-time sound layering by the use of a loop station. The tapestry is inspired by the chapter “Sirens” of Ulysses, the chapter where the sonic element – whether musical or extra-musical, human or nonhuman – becomes central to the reading experience. It was prepared for and performed in the 3rd Bloomsday Festival in Cyprus on the 14th of June 2024, at Kleidi, Larnaca.
Below I describe the concept behind creating the tapestry:
The sonic tapestry is weaved with sounds that appear in the chapter “Sirens”, both outspokenly (“Clapclap. Clipclap. Clappyclap” / “cock carracarracarra cock” / “Diddleiddle addleaddle ooddleoodle” and more) / and symbolically (the enchanting song of the sirens, the association of the sirens with the element of the wind and the various appearances of the wind in the chapter / the recurring tapping of the blind man’s cane etc).
The central theme/chorus around which the sonic environment is created, is the passage:
“Sea, wind, leaves, thunder, waters, cows lowing, the cattlemarket, cocks, hens don’t crow, snakes hissss. There’s music everywhere. Ruttledge’s door: ee creaking. No, that’s noise,”
which is gradually built to emphasize the porousness of the boundaries between music and noise.
The ending of the semi-improvisational composition mirrors the ending of the chapter, that is, Bloom’s flatulence followed by the word Done. In this way, the earthly experience takes precedence over the transcendence created by any siren’s enchanting song, and brings this experience to a conclusion.
Notes:
[1] The “enchanting” vocal line used in the improvisation is inspired by and borrowed from Heather Nova’s vocal theme for the song “Island”, since this is the closest sound to my imagined sirens’ song.
[2] My understanding of James Joyce’s “Sirens” chapter benefitted greatly from Rasheed Tazudeen’s 2017 article ‘Sounding the Nonhuman in Joyce’s “Sirens”’ in Humanities, 6/64 [doi:10.3390/h6030064]