Nickalus Lindale and
Portland Folk Society
The weekend started with a beautiful fellowship of music with people offering to jump in song by song to start the weekend together. It was music I had never heard before (with many musicians referring to "The Blue Book" as their source of the music).
As a 3-day event, there were many options to participate in different types of concerts, lectures, and song circles of folk traditions presented by different artists. During this weekend I hosted two events: A solo piano concert featuring early jazz, Appalachian folk all the way to Russian folk (I was let on to know that many of these folk musicians considered that part of the "Folk Revival").
The second event I hosted was a guided sound walk early Saturday morning. We began in the Mayor's Estate talking about the different types of sound. We talked about the leading factors to sound pollution and potential effects it may have on an ecosystem. Afterwards, we walked the cliffs of the gorge with field notebooks documenting the soundscape of our area. We finished the exercise by reflecting on what we heard and many people had one thing to say:
"I never realized how much noise there is in silence"
The Piano Concert
Here are some of the pieces I played during the weekend. This was for my dinner concert performed in the main hall. This took place before the guided listening, so I wanted to tie it in with my own version of “4:33”. A reflection from the weekend:
“As we sat in the main hall I could hear the light metal percussion of silverware being set in the dining hall. So the first act of the song I listened to all of the environmental noises. In the second act I replicated and developed the rhythms of the silverware using the inside of the piano with the damper pedal slightly depressed. As we moved into the third act I began developing the same rhythms but adding melody and harmony working with both the strings of the piano as well as the keyboard.”
The rest of the pieces were chosen based on the context of each one’s origin. Can you guess the through line for all of these songs?
The Beauty of Noise
On the final morning of the festival I hosted a guided walk and presentation on ecoacoustics, noise pollution, and silence. Below is the description provided in marketing materials:
“As our world has become noisier and noisier through industrialization, musicians have always been fascinated by the new (and old) colors added to their palette. In this workshop Nickalus will teach about the origins of noise art and soundscapes through European musicians, through the practices of indigenous people across the world, and the current coalition of ecologists who champion this cause today. After a brief overview, Nicklaus will lead a guided sound walk through the gorge to teach participants active listening skills, appreciation, and the application of these techniques to help the world through stewardship and mindfulness.”