REQUIEM

Genesis to Apocalypsis -a soundtrack to life on planet Earth

From ancestral muck & slime to man-on-the-moon, soundscape artist Gregory Lee Pickard presents a new aural work of art.  Methodically composed from a spectrum of sound samples, Requiem encapsulates the entirety of life on planet Earth. Arranged and orchestrated in three movements, Requiem may be considered a classically-based, contemporary, symphonic work.

The Program

Prelude

It is twilight. within the inner sanctum of a cathedral or other house of worship. Seating is arranged in a pattern resembling that of a labyrinth. Candlelight is the only illumination. The performance has already commenced as attendees are seated: The sounds of a distant storm are broadcast into the chamber. After a brief greeting and introduction by the artist, the performance resumes…

Movement 1

(The Natural World)

The progressively turbulent storm of wind, thunder and heavy rain fades slowly into the background. Sea-swells upon the shore become evident. From the ocean’s depths, distant and eerie cries of the Humpback whale intensify. Emerging from beneath their watery birthplace of slime & muck, the sounds of our amphibious ancestors: the frog and toad begin their bleating courtships. Dragonfly, mosquito, katydid, and cicada become ever present. As land animals come forth, they join in the chorus: The call of the wild dog, the yelping of tree-dwelling primates, the lion’s roar, an elephant’s blast; a gamut of four-legged creatures is represented. Animals of flight enter the arena and swirl above the audience adding their color & texture to the piece, completing the crescendo of sound. As this commotion of living sound fades, the prevailing storm continues (suggesting a passage of time) and segues into the second movement.

Movement 2

(The Primitive World)

The moaning, panting and patterned breathing of a mother in childbirth intensifies into an upheaval of maniacal screams as a child comes forth. Initial gasps and cries of new life erupt as the child enters the world. As the birthing sequence subsides, the distant sound of primeval drumming becomes evident and builds in voluminous intensity. The drumming fades into the background, but remains an ever-present, essential factor (as undercurrent) to the movement. Additional, primeval sound elements are initiated incrementally, become evident, are progressively transitioned, and compounded, into a multi-layered texture of sound.

Movement 3
(The “Civilized” World)

The pounding rhythm of a human heartbeat grows progressively louder within the chamber of the cathedral venue. Subtly, the heartbeat transforms into the mechanical pounding of a pile-driver. This sound grows in intensity then slowly fades into the background, but remains an ever-present, essential element (as undercurrent) to the movement. (The Industrial Revolution has begun.) A carefully composed orchestration of sound samples ensues. Each are initiated incrementally, becoming self-evident and are progressively integrated into a multi-layered texture of sound. A multitude of additional sound samples are continually added to the mix creating an almost inaudible, overwhelming “wall of sound” within the theater of the cathedral. As the crescendo builds, only the primeval drumming remains as an undercurrent and time-reference to the famous, first man-on-the-moon quote of Neil Armstrong: 

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

About The Artist

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Gregory Lee Pickard’s soundscape installations have enthralled spectators since the early 1980’s.

“Intersection” (1982)-recorded street noise rebroadcast over a bustling city intersection.

“Eclipse” (2001) -sounds of Summer superimposed over a Winter’s landscape.

“M’Finda Kalunga” (2019) -sounds of the African wild permeate a city garden.

“Whalesong” (2019) -the cries of the Humpback whale fill the bowels of the NYC subway.

"Gansevoort Street Project" (2020)-sounds of the 1880's Gansevoort Market transposed over the 21st Century.

Compelling, ambiguous, often humorous, Pickard's soundscapes are ultimately

disconcerting tableaus of the human experience.

As aural works of art, they transcend mere retinal art,

and are consequently equitable to the visually impaired.