Capital Resoundings

Epilogue

The summer is ended. The tourists have gone home, the politicians have returned, along with the traditional influx of people coming here to conduct business. Ordinary time has returned to the nation's capital. The soundscape is quieter. It will gradually quiet even more, until the ultimate silence when the acoustic blanket of snow muffles the harsh sounds of concrete.

The soundscape changes, life changes. In a few weeks my soundscape will be changing too. I will be leaving Ottawa and heading for the mountains of Appalachia. Over the winter, in a far different time and place, I will be composing these sounds I have been collecting all summer.

When I first came up with the idea for Capital Resoundings, I had assumed I would be composing the final stage of this suite here in Ottawa, in the environment where these sounds live and the place which I call home. I assumed I would be continuing my soundwalks and be able to listen for the subtle changes that the passage of time and circumstances brings. That I would I would come to know this soundscape as I know my partner, my friends, my family and myself.

Instead, I will be working with these sounds in a much different space and context. It is ironic, paradoxical and maybe a bit contradictory to composed these pieces in the relative silence of an American mountain community. The capital of Canada and Whitesburg Kentucky are a long way apart. There are distances to be bridged - physical, psychological and spiritual. The sounds of Ottawa will speak to me much differently there than here. I am wondering how this geographic shift will influence the final work.

Being able to develop Capital Resoundings has been a gift. Most of all because this project has provided me a framework by which to explore the relationship between this city, this country and my soul. The sounds I have been collecting have been part of a journey as I shift my focus from Canada to the United States and contemplate the changes ahead. Listening to the sounds of my city and country releases thoughts about the nature of this place that is so much a part of my soul, my heritage, and my past.

I have never remotely considered, contemplated or thought for a moment that I would ever leave this country. And yet, I am going .. maybe for a short time, maybe forever ... maybe something in the middle. I don't know. The act of working on Capital Resoundings has released some very powerful currents of emotion, reason and thought connected to this upcoming journey. It has caused me to think what it is to be Canadian, what is the meaning of place, and what does "home" really mean.

So what does all of this have to do with soundscapes? A sound is not just a sound. A sound conjures up memories, fears, thoughts, dreams. Sounds speak of our place in the world and provide a way for us to locate our place within our community, our country and our world.

This series has sounded and resounded in many ways throughout the journey, raising questions, exploring connections and relationships. If we listen to them, they will help us find our way. The sounds speak ... if we take the time to truly hear them.