Starling Cloud Choir: Loons Yodel

This is a draft of how the piece will end. I was inspired by my friend Anakana Schofield's blog post on Jim O' Rourke's composition for the Glasgow Improvisors Orchestra to add the instructions to the choir. How will I present the instructions I wonder? Any suggestions out there? The funny thing is, when I listen to the two compositions on the Beeb they sound like starlings to me!

The Finale: Loons Yodel

[start with whisper rain sounds, soft and gentle under Lori's song]

splish splish

poc, poc

The mist settles in the cedars,

Water drip drops from the tip tops

of branches,

splish splish

pockle pockle

Mice whisper in the grass,

pocka pocka pocka pocka pockapock pocka

The earth contracts

and the moon pulls at the dreams tangled in your hair.

pockity pockity pockit pockity

The fog horn grieves.

Lori sings the fog horn solo: Ahh OOOooooo Gah

Ahhh OOOOOOooooogah

[background sounds drips drops]

pickity pockety pockety

tikita tockita tikita tockita tikita tokita

pocka pocka pock apocka

Loons yodel:

Lori's loon solo: Qui Appelle? Qui Appelle?

coo coo (soft and slow) Koo Koo Ullie Koo Koo Ullie (Koo Koo Oo LEE)

[Rain sounds slow and we enter the songs of the frogs and the green heron.]

plipplip plip

Plip plop,

tic toc,

drip, drop,

oon ka lunk [choir makes green heron sounds]

Harmonics slide down to gunk [choir makes frog sounds]

[Segue way into sinister evening--spooky rain sounds inspired by Agatha Christie's Poirot]

spish! Spish!

mortimer. . . mortimer. . .

plickety plockety plockety

trippa troppa trippa troppa

mortimer--mortimers

kishkishkishkishkish

oo ooo oo oooo

Knock knock knock Knock knock [knock on chest]

Who're You? Who who who are you?

CAW CAW CAW

[choir improvises screeches of night creatures]

USE OF INSTRUMENTS available

Instruction: (use our body or what ever you have in your pockets as a percussion instrument--find your own rhythm and improvise!)

Night Scene

Who Cooks for you? [We ask each other]

Mamamamammama mamma mia!

Who cooks for you?

Papapapapapa pappageno!

Who cooks for you?

Ma big big big babba!

Lori's Comedic Turn-No really, who does cook for you--your motha? Poisonally I prefer a raw diet: etc.

Knock knock who's there?

It's me woody.

Woody who

Woody you like to go out wit me? Nnanananananana!

[Lori leads a woody woodypecker call and response]

Instruction: The choir take turns doing their own knock knock jokes.

Knock knock

Who's there?

Who's there?

[orange... etc.]

Nocturnal.

Nocturnal Who? Nocturnal Knocker Knocking

[End with this:]

oooo oo? ooo ooo

[Yawn.]

You awake? Me tooooo. [very yawny]

You asleep?

Mee toooo.

Me toooooooooo.

Me tooo