A Sonically Reimagined Silence: How the Discovery of Whale Songs Inspired an Environmental Commitment to the Ocean
An ELEMENTS talk with Marie Comuzzo (Brandeis University)
Friday Sep. 27, 2024 @ 4:30PM
Kinney Center (UMass), 650 E. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01002 [map]
This talk centers on the transformational process that musicoscientists Roger and Katy Payne initiated when they heard humpback whales’ vocalizations as song, and the rippling effect that their 1970 album Sounds of the Humpback Whales had on the environmental efforts to end whaling. Through an exploration of this album and the works of George Crumb, Emily Doolittle, Alan Hovhaness, and John Tavener – composers who deeply listened to whales in real and imaginative ways – this talk reflects on how hearing, listening, and composing alongside whales, led to a dramatic transformation in the perception of the ocean, from an aphonic space to a rich, dynamic, and musical sonic environment.
The exhibit is showing until 12/6.
