The book Norges lyder: Stabbursklokker og storbykakofoni (‘The Sounds of Norway: Village Bells and Urban Cacophony’) which is now out, provides some answers to these questions. This is the first scholarly book on Norwegian aural history. It is published by The Norwegian Institute of Local History. The eight contributions, written in Norwegian, are edited by Frank Meyer – historian and leader of the The Norwegian Labour Movement Archives and Library.

My article ‘klokkene ringer for deg – et glimt inn i bøndenes, gårdsarbeidernes og gjeternes klangunivers’ (‘For whom the bell tolls – a glimpse into the soundscapes of the farmers, farm workers shepherds’) is a study of rural bells and animal bells in Norwegian tradition, about how they were meaningful in the man-made soundscapes they were part of.

On this blog post you can read a bit more about rural bells.

A radio programme on rural bells in Norwegian radio from August 2018, is available online here. I participated with Frank Meyer and people in Nes, Romerike.

The book Norges lyder can be ordered from The Norwegian Institute of Local History, from regular bookstores, or from online bookshops, such as Haugenbok.

Traditional village bell placed on the store house of the farm. Vinju, Veldre, Hedmark. Photo by Gjermund Kolltveit

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At the conference I presented my interpretations along with my own reconstruction of the megaphone, based on the drawings in the publication by Shetelig and Johannessen from 1929. Below some photos from the work with the reconstruction. If anyone has any information on megaphones or sound communication at sea, I would be delighted to be informed. First, here is the abstract for my paper:

Sound communication in non-reverberating acoustical spaces

Acoustic spaces or sound spaces are natural or man-made structures used for sound, or with sound as an integral part of religious ceremonies, gatherings or feasts. As shown in an increasing number of archaeoacoustic studies, some of these designated spaces, such as caves, megaliths – and later – theatres, churches, halls and other man-made structures, are used or constructed specifically because of their acoustic properties.

However, in many situations and places, people could neither make benefit from architectural structures nor natural spaces for acoustic communication. Some natural environments are especially unsuitable or demanding for communication purposes, with few hard surfaces that naturally reverberates and amplifies sound waves. People have therefore made use of certain techniques or specially designed contrivances of for communication purposes. One such place is at sea or in costal landscapes where the ocean and/or wind is the «keynote sound» of the soundscape.

In a ship excavated in Kvalsund, Sunnmøre, on the west coast of Norway, the archaeologists found a wooden funnel-shaped 72,5 centimetre long object, interpreted as a megaphone. The ship, which probably was a seagoing vessel, was dated to the 7th to 8th century AD. Based on reconstructions and experiments, this paper will discuss the acoustical function of the possible megaphone. It will also discuss other methods of communication at sea – with sound producing devices, or with other means, such as the whistling language used in whale hunting by the Siberian Yupik people, south of the Bering strait.

The post The megaphone from the Kvalsund Ship presented in Barcelona appeared first on Musark.

Frank Meyer, the director of The Norwegian Labour Movement Archives and Library, also participated in the recordings. As a historian he has a notable interest in aural history. Research on sound focuses on senses and thus bodily experiences, as a different approach to traditional historical research. Meyer is the editor of the book Norges lyder: Stabbursklokker og storbykakofoni (“The Sounds of Norway: Village Bells and Metropolitan Cacophony”), which will soon be published by The Norwegian Institute of Local History. My own contribution to this book is an article about rural bells, where I write about the history and use of these bells. 

Rural bells belonged to historic soundscapes which are different compared to modern ones. Their sound once filled the landscape and defined time and space in rural communities. Workers as well as horses recognized the bells from their own farms. It was – amongst other factors – the arrival of the tractor that ended the tradition of village bells, in the mid-20st century.  It is perhaps tempting for us to imagine the rural soundscape with bells in a somewhat romantic light. But in reality the bells were an expression of rationality and efficiency in agricultural production. To many workers they represented the sound of hard work and, perhaps, the “fate” of being tied to farm work for life. 

More about rural bells in the radio program “Museum”, led by Jan Erik Ihlebæk, and in Norges lyder.

Stay tuned!

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Earlier this year I have been working with an article about village bells («food bells» or «porridge bells») that were used at sizeable farms especially in the Eastern parts of Norway, for inviting in the workers to common meals. They were in use the period from the 18th century and roughly to the mid-20th century. In some cases people who remember these bells told that they coud be heard as long as eight kilometres away, when weather conditions were optimal. That is the same distance as from Østenstad Church to Fjellstrand. With black frost and a gentle breeze in the right direction – and without too much disturbing civilization sound – I am sure church bells can be heard from even longer distances.

NB: The recording (30 sek.) works best with earphones.

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Hutong is the name of the narrow streets found especially in Beijing. They are crowded with greens sellers, hairdressers, bicycle workshops, small restaurants and everything else you might need. People also live in the hutongs.

The hutongs are the old settlements of the city, and they are now threatened. A great number of them are demolished and replaced by modern buildings. However, some of them are preserved as protected areas by the authorities. These hutongs are also popular among the many tourists visiting Beijing.

The soundscape of a hutong is rather dense. People communicate and announce their bargains. Suddenly an electric bicycle appears from nowhere, recognized by its whining brakes only. This is not a quiet, ‘hi-fi’ soundscape. On the other hand I do not feel that there is a stressful or aggressive ambience here. Despite the many people and the density of sound, there is a relaxed atmosphere in the hutongs, I would say.

Here is the sound recording (works best with earphones):

Hutong sound 18 Apr (MP3, 1 min 15 sec, 1,2 MB)

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Headphones should be used for the best listening experience.

Snow and coldness, 7 Januar 2010 (WAV, 1 min. 55 sec.)

PS: The meteorologists now report that colder weather is coming, with snow! Thanks a lot, I’d love some snow and cold inland winter climate.

The post Cold and snow: A four-year memory appeared first on Musark.

Steinen, som har gitt navnet til Klokkesteinviki, ligger bare noen få meter over havnivået ved Hardangerfjorden. Foto: Gjermund Kolltveit

Og slik høres den ut:

Agasteinen, lydfil (wav, 15 sek.)

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