Below the Walls of Jericho
Paul Dolden
Programme notes
The title is only a loose reference to the story in the bible. What interests me about the story is the idea of a large mass of people knocking down a wall through the use of sound. The story gives credence to the notion of music as a catalyst for social change. Beyond the sheer physical impact that a large number of sounds contain, music is a form of language which is capable of stimulating thought. The power of music lies in the simultaneous physical and intellectual seduction of the listener.
In the composition, four hundred tracks of sound are often assembled to create the sense of a large mass. Three hundred and thirty-three tracks are created by dividing each of the seven octaves into forty-eight notes. Brass, string and wind instruments from the Western musical tradition and from other cultures are combined to create these textures. The remaining tracks are made from unpitched percussion instruments. This working method allows each track to have its own identity in terms of frequency and tempo. The relationship between each individual layer and the mass effect can act as a metaphor for the relationship between the individual and society. Beyond the music, the metaphor suggests questions of the nature of the walls we have to tear down in order for our culture to move forward.
Recorded musicians
Isaac Bull
Paul Steenhuisen
Ian Crutchley
Lorne Buick
Johanna Hauser
Michelle Cheramy
Clemens Rettich
Glee Devereaux
Mark Tynan
Jamie Croil
Paul Fester
Gwyneth MacKenzie
Gary Sterle
Marc Crompton
Trevor Tureski
Paul Dolden
Voices
Diana Ganske
Janis Clark
Nick Curalli
David Pay
Below the Walls of Jericho was realized in 1988-89 at the composer’s studio and premiered on November 12, 1989 during the CEC Electroacoustic Days, >convergence<
Premiere
- November 12, 1989, >convergence<
; : Concert 5, Margaret Greenham Theatre — The Banff Centre for the Arts, Banff (Alberta, Canada)
Awards
About this sound recording
This work was reprocessed, remixed and remastered in the composer’s studio in 2001-02.
- Composer(s): Paul Dolden
- Year of composition: 1988-89
- Duration: 14:35
- Instrumentation: stereo fixed medium
- ISRC: CAD500316670
