Landscape and Music

Some thoughts

In considering the relationship between landscape and music, one first has to ask the question whether it is possible for music to have any literal meaning at all. Music is, after all, an abstract entity: a complex set of interrelationships between sonic frequencies, temporal durations, relative loudness and tone colour, i.e., organized sound.

However, we humans have (we like to think) highly developed brains that are capable of interpreting a wide range of stimuli. We also use language, which is also a system of organized sound. Much of the meaning of language is conveyed by tone of voice and inflection, so it is possible to say that we humans have the mechanisms to give meaning to abstract sound. I would also like to borrow another piece of information from linguistics, namely the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

Benjamin Lee Whorf was a keen amateur linguist who, through his work as a traveling insurance broker in the early part of the 20th century, described many Native American Languages. Because these languages are conceptually radically different to anything described in the then predominately Euro-centric world of Linguistics, he came up with the notion of Linguistic Relativity. In a nutshell, this hypothesis states that language is essentially a map to help you navigate through your world. Because groups of people lived in relative isolation in that pre-globalisation age, they evolved radically different ways of describing the world. The classic examples that are given of this hypothesis are: The Eskimos having 27(or whatever it is) words for snow, while English has lots of words for rain. Both of these examples show a relationship between landscape and language.

I have presented an extremely simplified version of the Hypothesis. For Further reading on this fascinating subject I recommend Language, Thought and Reality  by Benjamin Lee Whorf.

Accepting the obvious: that music can express landscape, we should consider some examples. Much music, particularly the aspect of it that we call style, is bound by the environment in which it is created. For example, when one listens to Hip-Hop like "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, one doesn’t conjure up images of rolling countryside or steamy rainforest despite its references to the Jungle. Instead one thinks of an urban environment and usually a fairly impoverished one at that.

I feel we have to make some sort of distinction between music that involves the human voice, and that which is purely instrumental. Vocal music, by the very action of using language, can of course tell you directly and literally what it is about. Instrumental music is reliant on subtler, more subliminal effects.

In the world of Classical Music, where there has been many attempts at expressing landscape through music, there is often a reliance placed on a “program”. That is, some extra-musical signpost to give you some hints as to the composers intention. For example, Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony No.6 has titles for each of the Movements, such as “Arousal of joyous feelings upon arriving in the country”. We assume that this small piece of information can “colour” your expectations and make you more likely to think about the music in the terms that the composer intended. Much the same can be said about Debussy’s "La Mer", Mahler’s "Das Lied von Erde", Vaughn-Williams’ "Sea Symphony" , Richard Stauss’ "Alpine Symphony" or any of Sibelius’ Symphonies, all of which are intended as landscape orientated pieces.  

Descriptions of landscape in music can be quite literal too: The New Age “Environmental” style often include bird song, whale calls and actual recordings of rivers in the rainforest accompanied by synthesizer washes or acoustic guitar noodlings.  

In vocal music The Beach Boys capture the essence of the surfing lifestyle and images of sun, sand and sea with the help of the song lyrics but also with their (seemingly) effortless and distinctive harmonies. Have a listen to "Pet Sounds"and get an aural sun tan.

Attempts have been made to capture the Australian landscape in Music. Aboriginal music with its songlines is intrinsically tied to the landscape. So much so that they say to venture into landscape without knowing the songs is courting disaster. The songs describe the country, people who have traveled through it and what to expect along the way, amongst other things.

In the 80s and 90s there was much discussion about whether or not there is and Australian style. Musicologists pointed out some stylistic features that occur relatively often. 

• The use of drones to express flatness and expansiveness. 

• The use of different intensities of reverb to evoke a sense of space and distance.

• The use of certain timbres of instrument to evoke particular environments. I.e., clap sticks, seed pod rattles, steel guitar.

Examples of Australian Music that displays these qualities could be:

Peter Sculthorpe "Sun Music", or The Triffids "Born Sandy Devotional".