The ChÄtaka bird is a migratory bird that appears only in the rainy season. Also known as the Jacobin cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus), or pied crested cuckoo, it is a member of the cuckoo order of birds that is found in Africa and Asia. It is partially migratory and in India, it has been considered a harbinger of the monsoon rains due to the timing of its arrival. It has a shrill voice similar in pitch to the cuckoo.
The ChÄtaka pleads with the clouds to bring in rain so that its thirst can be quenched. A bird smaller than the dove, it is described as having a long tail and is coloured black, yellow and white. It has been associated with a bird in Indian mythology and poetry, known as the ChÄtaka (Sanskrit: ā¤ā¤žā¤¤ā¤) represented as a bird with a beak on its head that waits for rains to quench its thirst.
In Hindu mythology, the ChÄtaka bird emerges as a captivating symbol, weaving tales of patience, resilience, and spiritual aspiration. This bird waits for the divine to quench its thirst. There are stories of the ChÄtaka bird dying of thirst at the banks of a river because she is waiting for the sacred rains of the monsoon.
She is particularly associated with the god of love, Kamadeva, and is believed to reside in the heavenly abode of Lord Indra, the king of gods.
Spiritual Themes of the ChÄtaka Bird
Spiritual Longing: The ChÄtaka bird is seen as a symbol of spiritual longing and devotion. Its choice to abstain from water until the arrival of the monsoon is akin to the devoteeâs yearning for the divine nectar of spiritual knowledge and enlightenment.
Patience and Resilience: The ChÄtakaâs ability to endure thirst until the rains come is a lesson in patience and resilience. It teaches that enduring hardships with unwavering patience is a virtue that leads to eventual spiritual fulfillment.
Selective Purity: By drinking only rainwater, the ChÄtaka bird is selective about the source of its sustenance. This signifies the importance of choosing pure and righteous paths in oneâs spiritual journey, avoiding the impurities that may hinder spiritual growth.
Kamadeva the god of desire
Associations with Kamadeva: The ChÄtaka birdâs connection with Kamadeva, the god of love and desire, adds another layer of symbolism. Kamadevaâs influence extends beyond physical love to encompass the yearning for divine love and union with the supreme. The bird longs for the sound of the pure monsoon rain. The song of this quenching deluge answers the plaintiff âcu-cooo-cu-coooâ of the ChÄtaka bird calling in the long night.
Literary References: The ChÄtaka bird finds its place in various Hindu scriptures and literature, where poets often employ its symbolism to convey deeper spiritual meanings. The birdâs song, according to poets, is a hymn of devotion to the divine, echoing across celestial realms. Below is a regaling of the ChÄtaka bird (also written as Chatak in Bengal) by Baul singer Parvathy Baul.
Chatak (Lalan Fakir)
Parvathy Baul sings of the lament of the ChÄtaka Bird
âThe rain bird sits by the sea Alas! she is dying without water. Is this what you intended my beloved?
The rain bird waits for the rain cloud The rain clouds pass away Shower rain in another land Tell me friend, how that bird will survive? Her breath is about to go out of her beck For the last time, She is yearning.
The rain bird doesnât drink any other water Except the rain drops Even if her life stops to breath Her vow is so.
Lalan Faqir says, Oh my heart Did my inner seeking happen with that one mindedness? I forgot the essence of Siraj shai Now my life goes in vain. â
In August 2016, I embarked on a journey of both internal transformation and external exploration. My first stop was the Cloud Mountain Retreat Center in Washington, where I immersed myself in nearly a month of silent meditation, diving deep into the Jhanasâstates of intense concentration and altered consciousness. Guided by Leigh Braisington, a secular Buddhist teacher, this retreat was a gateway to experiencing profound stillness, joy, and presence. I experienced a gradual unfolding of time and a dissolution of the tightly held concept of “self,” which I realized had been coloring my perception of daily life for years.
The retreat felt like a deep reset. I entered into states of joy and acceptance, where the constant push for achievement, identity, or purpose melted away. There was nowhere to go and nothing to be, as the silence invited a profound peace that softened the edges of my ordinary perception. I experienced an unravelingâa deep recognition of interconnectedness and presence. This inner work was not without its challenges, as old emotional patterns surfaced to be felt and released, but I emerged from the retreat with a heightened sense of awareness and a new understanding of what silence could offer.
With my mind and body freshly attuned, I set out on the second part of my journey: an adventure into the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. I had always been captivated by the idea of silenceânot just the kind that exists in meditation, but the deep, untouched silence of nature. My destination was the Olympic National Rainforest, where I would attempt to find One Square Inch of Silenceâa project created by Gordon Hempton. The idea behind this initiative is simple yet profound: preserve a space of natural silence, free from the intrusion of man-made noise, symbolized by a single red stone in the rainforest.
The journey to find this space was not only about experiencing the absence of noise, but also about tapping into a deeper, more elemental connection with the natural world. I spent days hiking through the Hoh National Rainforest, listening to the rainâs soft patter on the leaves, the rustle of animals in the underbrush, and the calls of birds high above. I recorded these soundscapes, capturing them for my sound design project, Echozoo, which explores cryptozoological sound environments. But beyond the recordings, I was there to fully immerse myself in the experience of pure, natural sound.
I remember vividly the moment I found the red stone that marks One Square Inch of Silence. It was tucked away in a clearing, resting atop a moss-covered log, worn smooth by the hands of many visitors before me. As I sat there, surrounded by the quiet hum of the forest, I felt a sense of sacredness. There were no sounds of cars, planes, or human activityâjust the natural rhythms of life. The absence of artificial sound created a presence in its own right. Silence, I realized, was not empty. It was filled with possibility, potential, and deep connection to the environment around me.
Sitting in meditation at that spot, I became more aware of the subtle layers of soundâthe chirp of a distant bird, the rustling of a chipmunk, the whisper of wind through the trees. These sounds, though subtle, carried with them a sense of aliveness and presence that was as powerful as any profound silence. It wasnât long before I realized that in becoming quiet myself, I had begun to melt into the environment. I was no longer a visitor to this placeâI was a part of it.
This experience in the Hoh Rainforest solidified something that had been growing inside me since my time at the meditation retreat: silence is not merely the absence of sound, but a gateway to a deeper, more meaningful form of listening. The silence allowed me to connect with my surroundings on a level that is often drowned out in the noise of everyday life. It reminded me that true silence, like the Buddhist concept of emptiness, is not void, but full of life and potential. It is in this silence that we can hear the deeper rhythms of the world and of ourselves.
This journey, both inward and outward, continues to resonate with me to this day. It has shaped the way I understand sound, silence, and listening as tools for healing and self-discovery. This is why I now offer Sound Sangha, a free weekly online meditation class focused on deep listening. In this space, we cultivate the art of listeningânot just to external sounds, but to the silence and stillness within ourselves. The practice of deep listening is one that has the power to transform how we engage with the world around us and our inner landscape.
If you’re curious about how sound and silence can create space for greater clarity, peace, and connection, I invite you to join Sound Sangha. Itâs an opportunity to explore sound as a tool for mindfulness, while also connecting with a community of like-minded individuals on a similar journey. Together, weâll explore the healing power of sound and silence, opening ourselves to the beauty of deep listening.
Listen to this full interview with Gordon Hempton on OnBeing.
Music can server as a bridge between the scientific, spiritual, and artistic realms of being. For the past few decades, a heated debate among musicians and music enthusiasts questioning the validity and purpose of our current international tuning system based on 440 Hz has been raging. This article will talk about the history, science, and musicality of this tuning system and frame a popular retuning of our music system to 432 Hz through the lens of intention.
Hz, short for Hertz (named for German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz), is a unit of frequency that measures the number of cycles per second. In musical terms, each note corresponds to a specific frequency in Hz, with higher frequencies producing higher pitches. The note A in the fourth octave resonates at 440 Hz in standard tuning, meaning the sound wave completes 440 cycles per second. This relationship between frequency and pitch forms the foundation of musical tuning.
The frequency spectrum spans from infrasonic to ultrasonic ranges, with the human ear capable of perceiving sounds between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz. Musical pitches fall within this range, with various instruments covering different segments of the spectrum. For instance, a piano’s range spans from approximately 27.5 Hz (A0) to 4186 Hz (C8), while a guitar’s range covers roughly 82 Hz to 1319 Hz, depending on the tuning.
This understanding of Hz and cycles per second is crucial for music theory and composition, allowing musicians to create harmonious arrangements by selecting notes with complementary frequencies. The interplay between these frequencies shapes the emotional impact of music, influencing how it resonates with listeners.
Standardized 440 Hz Tuning
The current standard tuning for Western musical instruments is set at 440 Hz, with A above middle C serving as the reference pitch. This standardization is applied across electronic and acoustic instruments, ensuring consistency in performances worldwide. The adoption of 440 Hz as the standard pitch was established in the mid-20th century, unifying the music industry and allowing for seamless collaborations between different ensembles and musicians.
The process of standardizing 440 Hz began in the 1930s, with the American Standards Association officially adopting it in 1936. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) later formalized it as an international standard in 1955. This global standardization has facilitated consistency in music education, performances, and recordings, ensuring that musicians from different countries and backgrounds can collaborate seamlessly.
Despite this consistency, the 440 Hz standard has faced criticism, particularly from proponents of 432 Hz tuning. They argue that 440 Hz creates a more rigid and artificial sound, lacking the warmth and harmony associated with 432 Hz tuning. Nonetheless, 440 Hz remains the dominant standard in the music industry.
History of 432 Hz Tuning
432 Hz tuning has a storied past, tracing back to the 19th century. Giuseppe Verdi, an Italian composer, advocated for A=432 Hz, believing it produced a warmer, more pleasing sound. Prior to this, orchestras and ensembles did not adhere to a standardized pitch, leading to variations in tuning. Verdi’s proposal aimed to create a harmonious standard, although 432 Hz did not gain widespread adoption. The transition to 440 Hz later emerged, marking a shift in the musical landscape.
Verdi’s advocacy for 432 Hz tuning stemmed from his belief that it created a natural, harmonious sound that resonated more deeply with audiences. This sentiment was echoed by many musicians and composers of the era, who appreciated the aesthetic qualities of 432 Hz tuning. However, the lack of a standardized pitch across different ensembles and orchestras created inconsistency in musical performances.
Giuseppe Verdi
The transition to 440 Hz as a standard pitch emerged in the mid-20th century, driven by a desire for consistency in musical collaborations and recordings. The adoption of 440 Hz provided a unified reference point for musicians, reducing the variations that had previously characterized orchestras and ensembles. Despite this shift, 432 Hz tuning has maintained a dedicated following, particularly among new age musicians and sound healing practitioners.
Conspiracy Theories and 440 Hz
The establishment of 440 Hz as the standard pitch has sparked conspiracy theories. Some claim that the Nazis influenced this choice, aiming to create a discordant sound with psychological impacts. However, these theories lack substantial evidence, and the standardization of 440 Hz emerged in the mid-20th century due to its practicality, particularly in global collaborations.
Despite the lack of evidence, these conspiracy theories have fueled debate within the music industry and among enthusiasts. Proponents of 432 Hz tuning argue that the shift to 440 Hz was part of a larger agenda to destabilize the natural harmony of music, creating a sound that is less in tune with human emotions and the universe’s natural frequencies. While these claims are largely speculative, they have contributed to the resurgence of interest in 432 Hz tuning among spiritual and holistic circles.
Music Theory and 432 Hz
New age musicians have embraced 432 Hz tuning, citing its aesthetically pleasing harmonics and resonance. Compared to 440 Hz, 432 Hz produces softer, more soothing tones, which are perceived to harmonize more naturally. Music theory supports these claims, showing how 432 Hz tuning aligns more closely with harmonic intervals and traditional scales, creating a richer soundscape. This has led to a resurgence in interest, particularly in spiritual and holistic circles.
The alignment between 432 Hz tuning and traditional scales enhances the harmonic relationships between notes, creating intervals that resonate more deeply with listeners. For example, in 432 Hz tuning, the note A corresponds to 432 Hz, while the notes in the scale follow ratios that produce harmonious relationships. This creates a musical experience that feels more balanced and natural, reinforcing the appeal of 432 Hz tuning among musicians and audiences alike.
The idea is that if we base our tuning system on 432 we see more whole numbers and numerological patterns that we perceive in nature.
Some frequencies we find in 432 the A’s are tuned to:
27 Hz
54 Hz
108 Hz
216 Hz
432 Hz
864 Hz
and if we truncate the decimal, even more numbers we see in sacred geometry and nature:
C0: 16 Hz
D0: 18 Hz
E0: 20 Hz
G0: 24 Hz
B0: 30 Hz
C1: 32 Hz
… with octaves producing similarly pleasing numbers
You can view a full chart of frequencies for 432 and other tuning systems up to 446.
So the idea is that a composer or musician starts with a more purely tuned palette of sounds in 432 that correspond to, for example, the number of pedals on a flower, the number of legs of an insect, and other whole numbers give 432 a connection to nature that can resonate more deeply with the listener (more on this in the next section).
Not mention, studies have found that music tuned to 432 Hz can produce a calming effect on listeners, promoting relaxation and reducing stress. This has further solidified its place in the fields of sound healing and wellness.
Schumann Resonance and 432 Hz
The Schumann resonance, a frequency generated by the Earth’s electromagnetic field, resonates at approximately 8 Hz (7.8ish Hz as it modulates). This has led to connections between natural frequencies and music, particularly in 432 Hz tuning. The harmonic relationship between 8 Hz and 432 Hz has been interpreted as a reflection of the Earth’s natural vibrations, reinforcing the spiritual significance of this tuning.
The Schumann resonance represents a standing wave in the Earth’s ionosphere, created by electromagnetic energy bouncing between the Earth’s surface and the ionosphere. This frequency varies slightly depending on atmospheric conditions but generally remains around 7.83 Hz. The relationship between this frequency and 432 Hz tuning has been interpreted by some as a sign that 432 Hz resonates harmoniously with the natural vibrations of the Earth.
This connection has bolstered the spiritual significance of 432 Hz tuning, particularly in holistic and metaphysical circles. The alignment between natural frequencies and musical tuning has led to the belief that 432 Hz tuning promotes harmony with the Earth’s energy, creating a more balanced and calming musical experience.
Power of Intention
The power of intention plays a significant role in music, influencing how it is created and received. Wayne Dyer’s The Power of Intention book explores how intentions shape our realities, including our musical experiences. This connection between intention and experience extends into the spiritual realm, affecting how music resonates emotionally and energetically.
The intention behind a musician’s performance imbues the music with energy, creating a connection between the artist and the listener. This connection shapes how the music is perceived, influencing its emotional and spiritual impact. The “Power of Intention Special” delves into this idea, exploring how positive intentions can create meaningful experiences in various aspects of life, including music.
The alignment between intention and musical experience extends beyond the artist, influencing how the listener engages with the music. By approaching music with a receptive mindset, listeners can create a deeper connection with the sounds, enhancing the emotional and spiritual resonance of the musical experience.
Right Intention in Buddhism
The Buddhist concept of Right Intention emphasizes aligning one’s thoughts and actions with a positive mindset. This extends to music, where intention imbues sound with energy, creating a meaningful connection between the musician, the music, and the listener. This relationship shapes how music is perceived, transcending specific tuning standards.
The concept of Right Intention is one of the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path, a fundamental teaching in Buddhism. It encourages individuals to cultivate thoughts and actions that promote harmony, compassion, and understanding. This mindset can be applied to music, influencing how it is created and received.
By approaching music with Right Intention, musicians can imbue their performances with positive energy, creating a harmonious connection between the artist and the listener. This connection transcends specific tuning standards, allowing the music to resonate on a deeper level, regardless of its frequency.
Intention in Music Tuning
Musical tuning, whether 432 Hz, 440 Hz, or otherwise, reflects the intentions of both the musician and the listener. This shared intention creates a unique experience, with 432 Hz tuning imparting an additional layer of meaning in sound healing and wellness. The combination of tuning, frequency relationships, and intention shapes how music resonates with us.
Hear some intentionally tuned music by Michael
This shared intention between musicians and listeners influences how the music is created and perceived. For example, a musician’s choice to tune their instrument to 432 Hz may reflect a desire to create a more harmonious, soothing sound, resonating with listeners who seek a calming musical experience. This alignment between musician and listener intentions creates a unique connection, enhancing the emotional and spiritual impact of the music.
In the fields of sound healing and wellness, this connection is particularly significant. Music tuned to 432 Hz has been found to promote relaxation and reduce stress, reinforcing the importance of intention in shaping the musical experience. This holistic approach to music highlights the interplay between tuning, frequencies, and intention, creating a balanced and harmonious experience.
Sound Healing and Wellness
432 Hz tuning has found resonance in the fields of sound healing and wellness. The soothing tones associated with this tuning promote relaxation and healing. This connection between sound and wellness reinforces the idea that music transcends its physical form, influencing our emotional and spiritual well-being. The intention behind the music amplifies this effect, creating a holistic experience.
The soothing tones associated with 432 Hz tuning have been found to promote relaxation and reduce stress, making it a popular choice in sound healing practices. This connection between music and wellness has led to the incorporation of 432 Hz tuning in various therapeutic settings, from meditation sessions to holistic health practices.
This holistic approach to music highlights the importance of intention in shaping the musical experience. By approaching music with a receptive mindset, listeners can create a deeper connection with the sounds, enhancing the emotional and spiritual resonance of the musical experience. This interplay between tuning, frequencies, and intention creates a balanced and harmonious experience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, 432 Hz tuning offers a multifaceted perspective on music, blending historical, scientific, and spiritual elements. While standardized tuning provides consistency, the relationship between frequencies and the intention behind the music create a more profound impact. Whether it be 432 Hz, 440 Hz, or another frequency, what resonates most is the intention behind the music, shaping its emotional and spiritual influence on the listener.
Just as the Hub was getting off the ground and into circulation as a performing ensemble, one of its members, Scott Gresham-Lancaster, was working with Pauline Oliveros on a new project she had initiated in creating the ultimate delay system: bouncing her music off the surface of the moon and back to earth with the help of an amateur radio operator.
Pauline Oliveros
Since Pauline had first started working with tape she had always been interested in delay systems. Later she started exploring the natural delays and reverberations found in places such as caves, silos and the fourteen-foot cistern at the abandoned Fort Worden in Washington state. The resonant space at Fort Worden in particular had been important in the evolution of Paulineâs sound. It was there she descended the ladder with fellow musicians Paniotis, a vocalist, and with trombonist Stuart Dempster to record what would become her Deep Listening album. Supported by reinforced concrete pillars the delay time in the cistern was 45 seconds, creating a natural acoustic effect of great warmth and beauty. This space continued to be used by musicians, including Stuart Dempster, and the place was dubbed by them, the cistern chapel. Pauline had another deep listening experience in a cistern in Cologne when visiting Germany. Between these experiences, the creation of the album, and the workshops she was starting to teach, she came up with a whole suite of practices and teachings that came to be called Deep Listening. The term itself had started as a pun when they emerged up from the ladder that had taken them into the cistern.
Pauline describes Deep Listening as, âan aesthetic based upon principles of improvisation, electronic music, ritual, teaching and meditation. This aesthetic is designed to inspire both trained and untrained performers to practice the art of listening and responding to environmental conditions in solo and ensemble situations.â Since her passing Deep Listening continues to be taught at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute under the directorship of Stephanie Loveless.
The idea of bouncing a signal off the moon, which amateur radio operators had learned to do as a highly specialized communications technique, was another way of exploring echoes and delays, in combination with technology in a poetic manner. Pauline first had the idea for the piece when watching the lunar landing in 1969.
âI thought that it would be interesting and poetic for people to experience an installation where they could send the sound of their voices to the moon and hear the echo come back to earth. They would be vocal astronauts. My first experience of Echoes From the Moon was in New Lebanon, Maine with Ham Radio Operator Dave Olean. He was one of the first HROs to participate in the Moon Bounce project in the 1970s. He sent Morse Code to the moon and got it back. This project allowed operators to increase the range of their broadcast. I traveled to Maine to work with Dave. He had an array of twenty four Yagi antennae which could be aimed at the moon. The moon is in constant motion and has to be tracked by the moving antenna. The antenna has to be large enough to receive the returning signal from the moon. Conditions are constantly changing – sometimes the signal is lost as the moon moves out of range and has to be found again. Sometimes the signal going to the moon gets lost in galactic noise. I sent my first âhelloâ to the moon from Dave’s studio in 1987. I stepped on a foot switch to change the antenna from sending to receiving mode and in 2 and 1/2 seconds heard the return âhelloâ from the moon.â
Though farther away in space than the walls of the worden cistern, the delay time between the radio signal going there and coming back is much shorter. In a vacuum radio waves travel at the speed of the light. Earth Moon Earth, or EME as it is known in ham radio circles was first proposed by W. J. Bray, a communications engineer who worked for Britainâs General Post Office in 1940. At the time, they thought that using the moon as a passive communications satellite could be accomplished through the use of radios in the microwave range of the spectrum.
During the forties the Germans were experimenting with different equipment and techniques and realized radar signals could be bounced off the moon. The Germanâs developed a system known as the Wurzmann and carried out successful moon bounce experiments in 1943. Working in parallel was the American military and a group of researchers led by Hungarian physicist Zoltan Bay. At Fort Monmouth in New Jersey in January of 1946 John D. Hewitt working with Project Diana carried out the second successful transmission of radar signals bounced off the moon. Project Diana also marked the birth of radar astronomy, a technique that was used to map the surfaces of the planet Venus and other nearby celestial objects. A month later Zoltan Bayâs team also achieved a successful moon bounce communication.
These successful efforts led to the establishment of the Communication Moon Relay Project, also known as Operation Moon Bounce by the United States Navy. At the time there were no artificial communication satellites. The Navy was able to use the moon as a link for the practical purpose of sending radio teletype between the base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, to the headquarters at Washington, D.C. This offered a vast improvement over HF communications which required the cooperation of the ionospheric conditions affecting propagation.
When the artificial communication satellites started being launched into orbit the need to use the moon for communicating between distant points was no longer necessary. Dedicated military satellites had an extra layer of security on the channels they operated on. Yet for amateur radio operators the allure of the moon was just beginning, and hams started using it in the 1960s to talk to each other. It became one of Bob Heilâs favorite activities.
In the early days of EME hams used slow-speed CW (Morse Code) and large arrays of antennas with their transmitters amplified to powers of 1 kilowatt or more. Moonbounce is typically done in the VHF, UHF and GHz ranges of the radio spectrum. These have proven to be more practical and efficient than the shortwave portions of the spectrum. New modulation methods also have given hams a continuing advantage on using EME to make contacts with each other. It is now possible using digital modes to bounce a signal off the moon with a set up that is much less expensive than the large dishes and amounts of power required when this aspect of the hobby was just getting started.
âFor instance, an 80W 70 cm (432 MHz) setup using about a 12-15 dBi Yagi works well for EME Moonbounce communication using digital modes like the JT65,â writes Basu Bhattacharya, VU2NSB, a ham and moonbouncer located in New Delhi, India.
On the way to the moon and back, the radio path totals some 50,000 miles and the signals are affected by a number of different factors. The Doppler shift caused by the motion of the moon in relation us surface dwellers is an important factor for making EME contacts. It is also something that effected the sound of the Paulineâs music when it got bounced off the lunar surface.
âThe sound shifted slightly downward in pitchâĻ like the whistle of a train as it rushes past,â said Pauline of her performance.
âI played a duo with the moon using a tin whistle, accordion and conch shell. I am indebted to Scott Gresham-Lancaster who located Dave Olean for me in 1986 and helped to determine the technology necessary to perform Echoes From the Moon. Ten years later Scott located all the Ham Radio Operators for the performance in Hayward, California which took place during the lunar eclipse September 23, 1996. Following is the description of that performance: The lunar eclipse from the Hayward Amphitheater was gorgeous. The night was clear and she rose above the trees an orange mistiness. As she climbed the sky the bright sliver emerged slowly from the black shadow – crystal clear. The moon was performing well for all to see. Now we were ready to sound the moon.
âThe set up for Echoes From the Moon involved Mark Gummer – a Ham Radio Operator in Syracuse New York. Mark was standing by with a 48 foot dish in his back yard. I sent sounds from my microphone via telephone line in Hayward California to Mark and he keyed them to the moon with his Ham Radio rig and dish and then he returned the echo from the moon. The return came in 2 & 1/2 seconds. Scott Gresham-Lancaster was the engineer and organized all. When the echo of each sound I made returned to the audience in the Hayward University Amphitheater they cheered. Later in the evening Scott set up the installation so that people could queue up to talk to the moon using a telephone. There was a long line of people of all ages from the audience who participated. People seemed to get a big kick out of hearing their voices return – processed by the moon. There is a slight Doppler shift on the echo because of the motion of both earth and moon. This performance marked the premiere of the installation – Echoes From the Moon as I originally intended. The set up for the installation involved Don Roberts – Ham Radio Operator near Seattle and Mike Cousins at Stanford Research Institute in Palo Alto California. The dish at SRI is 150 feet in diameter and was used to receive the echoes after Don keyed them to the moon. With these set ups it was only possible to send short phrases of 3-4 seconds. The goal for the next installations would be to have continuous feeds for sending and receiving so that it would be possible to play with the moon as a delay line.â
It’s a set up that could work for other musicians who want to realize again Oliverosâs lunar delay system. Or it could be modified to create new works. The thrill of hearing a sound or signal come back from the moon remains, and if creative individuals get together to explore what can be done with music and technology, new vistas of exploration will open up.
