Annea Lockwood- A Sound Map of the Hudson River

A Sound Map of the Hudson River is an aural journey from the source of the river, Lake Tear of the Clouds in the high peak area of the Adirondacks, downstream to the Lower Bay and the Atlantic. The work was commissioned by the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY as an installation. It was incorporated into the museum’s permanent, “Riverama,” exhibit in 2003.

"Since 1970 I have recorded rivers in many countries, not to document them, but rather for the special state of mind and body which the sounds of moving water create when one listens intently to the complex mesh of rhythms and pitches.

"Each stretch of the Hudson has its own sonic texture, formed by the terrain, varying according to the weather, the season and, downstream, the human environment whose sounds are intimately woven into the river’s sounds.

"By correlating the numbered sites on a map with the elapsed time, you will be able to identify which location you are listening to, the date, and the time of day at which the recording was made."
— Annea Lockwood

As well as the sounds of the river, there will be recorded interviews with six people who have connections to the Hudson River, from a fisherman to a river pilot, as well as Robert Boyle, author of "The Hudson River, A Natural and Unnatural History," which can be listened to over headphones while listening to the sounds of the river in the open space.

To read an article about this event click here (off site).

Opening reception for the artist September 22, 2-6 pm.

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Annea Lockwood
(Photo by Ruth Anderson)

Annea Lockwood is a composer with an unusual sensitivity to the poetic potential of sound, particularly the rich and unpredictable nature of acoustical sound. Her work frequently blends sound with movement and images to create philosophical and sensual exploration of the natural world.
Born in New Zealand, Lockwood moved to England in 1961, where she studied piano at the Royal College of Music. She attended summer courses in New Music at Darmstadt for several years, and completed her training with a year in Germany and Holland, studying electronic music and instrumental composition. In the mid-1960s Lockwood turned to electronics, mixed media and ultimately to the exploration of natural acoustic sounds. She created her famous “glass concerts,” began a series of “Piano Transplants,” in which defunct pianos are “permanently prepared,” burned, buried and allowed to decay, or partially submerged in ponds, and her archive of recordings of the world’s great rivers.

In 1973, After 12 years in England, a musical “loner,” and feeling a strong kinship with American composers such as Ruth Anderson, Earle Brown, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Pauline Oliveros, and the Sonic Arts Union (Ashley, Behrman, Lucier, Mumma), she moved to the United States. Since then, she has toured frequently in the United States, Europe and Australasia, giving numerous performances of works such as “World Rhythms,” a multi-channel improvisatory live mix of environmental sounds such as earthquakes, radio wave transmissions from a pulsar, tree frogs and other phenomena.

In the mid-'80s, Lockwood returned to instrumental and vocal composition in works which often include non-Western instruments and explore unusual sound-colors, for example, “Thousand Year Dreaming”, for an ensemble which includes four didgeridus, conch shell trumpets, frame drumming and projected images from the Lascaux cave paintings.

Lockwood’s extensive body of work includes tape pieces, instrumental and vocal music, mixed-media performance works, installations and sound sculptures. Her music has been presented at festivals in Europe, Britain, Australasia and the United States, and recorded on CRI, Lovely Music, Harmonia Mundi, Opus One, Finnadar/Atlantic and other labels.

Lockwood presently lives in Crompond, New York. She was a member of the music faculty at Vassar College from 1982-2000.

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Sound Files

Recording Sites - Map by Bryan Forsyth

Click on locations highlighted in black to hear the recordings.

Recording Sites:

Lake Tear of the Clouds, Mt. Marcy — the source, elevation 4,322 feet
June 19, 1982 at 2:00 PM

Feldspar Brook, Mt. Marcy — the highest tributary
June 5, 1982 at 12:00 noon

Calamity Brook, Mt. Marcy — a tributary
June 5, 1982 at 1:00 PM

The Opalescent River — a tributary
June 5, 1982 at 10:30 AM

Hudson River at the Mt. Marcy trailhead
June 5, 1982 at 8:00 AM

Blue Ledge: the Gorge
October 22, 1982 at 5:00 PM

The Glen
May 2, 1982 at 12:00 noon

Confluence of Patterson Brook and the Hudson River
May 1, 1982 at 6:00 PM and
May 2, 1982 at 6:00 PM

Luzerne
May 1, 1992 at 3:00 PM

Stuyvesant (tugboat and train)
May 23, 1982 at 6:00 PM

Staatsburg (the marina at Norris Park)
April 26, 1982 at 6:00 PM

Garrison
October 31, 1982 at 5:00 PM

Iona Island and Marsh
April 17, 1982 at 5:30 AM and
September 12, 1982 at 7:30 AM

Englewood Brook Falls, Palisades
October 19, 1982 at 7:00 AM

Great Kills Beach, Staten Island
December 5, 1982 at 7:00 AM

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The concerts are held in the Brick Elephant, formerly an old church, in Valley Falls, New York.
12 Emily Street, Valley Falls, NY 12185.

Admission by donation.

Contact info: Mary Jane Leach, director
telephone (518-753-0244)
email

Directions

Valley Falls is in northern Rensselaer County, 20 minutes north of Troy, 25 minutes west of North Bennington, Vermont.

From the west: at the intersection of Routes 40 and 67 in Schaghticoke, drive 1.5 miles east, turn right just as you get over the bridge, then drive on State Street (117) two blocks and turn left. The Brick Elephant is the red brick former church on the left at the next corner - it's the biggest building in the village - you can't miss it.

From the east: when 67 branches off to the west from 22 (Eagle Bridge), continue driving for 11 miles, turn left just before the curving bridge, then drive on State Street (117) two blocks and turn left. The Brick Elephant is the red brick former church on the left at the next corner - it's the biggest building in the village - you can't miss it.

This project is made possible in part through COMMUNITY ART$GRANTS, a program funded through the State and Local Partnership Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency and The Arts Center of the Capital Region.

Re:Soundings is a non-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to the arts. Any donations are tax deductible and will be greatly appreciated.

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