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3 David Lubman, “Convolution-scattering model for staircase echoes at the temple of Kukulkan,” J. Acoust Soc. Am. 123(5), 3604(A) (2008).
4 David Lubman, “An archaeological study of chirped echo from the Mayan pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza,” www.ocasa.org/MayanPyramid.htm (Last viewed 8/13/2009).
5 Anish Kumar, T. Jayakumar, C. Babu Rao, Govind K. Shama, K.V. Rajkumar, Baldev Raj, and P. Arundhati, “Nondestructive charac- terization of musical pillars of Mahamandapam of Vitthala Temple at Hampi, India,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 124, 911–917 (2008).
6 Charles M. Salter Associates, Acoustics—Architecture, Engineering, the Environment (William Stout Publishers, San Francisco, 1998).
7 Eiffel Tower Fact Book, http://www.paris-eiffel-tower-
news.com/eiffel-tower-stories/eiffel-tower-fact-book.htm (Last
viewed 8/13/2009)
8 R. Barthes, The Eiffel Tower and Other Mythologies (University of
California Press, Berkley, 1997).
Editor’s note: Directions to download the interactive audio clips and track samples
Shortly after the print copy of this issue is mailed, it will also be published in the Acoustical Society of America’s Digital Library. The Acoustics Today main page can be found at http://scitation.aip.org/AT. Alternatively, the Table of Contents for this issue may be reached directly by going to your internet browser and typing the following Uniform
SOUND ART AND SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGY
The sampled sounds from all of the areas of the Eiffel Tower became the basis of a final art piece, published on both a CD and a thumb drive—Under Voices: Les Voix de la Tour Eiffel. In this compilation, the recordings of the sonic space as well as the structural vibrations of the Eiffel Tower were used.
The six pieces on the CD were created from a diverse array of multi-level compositional influences that provided the structural envelope for the raw material. First and fore- most the usage of ambient sound (noise) is a nod to Musique concrèete, a style created in the early 1950’s by Pierre Schaeffer; this is, a form of music that uses raw sound as a compositional device without the requirement for it to be traditionally “musical.” But as these are contemporary times with contemporary influences that cannot be ignored, the acoustic narrative style of Pink Floyd was the inspiration to provide a backbone while new technology based con- cepts are captured with the use of dial-tone multi-frequen- cy (DTMF) i.e., touch-tone telephone tones. Samples of each of the tracks on Under Voices: Les Voix de la Tour Eiffel have been included on the download. The CD and thumb drive are available at www.chinablueart.com.
Under Voices: Les Voix de la Tour Eiffel (China Blue)
Under Voices: (Sous Voix) uses the recordings of the wind in full force on the summit. There on the summit, sometimes it takes more than your own strength to stand up against the wind as it blows through the iron beams. Yet, while you can feel and hear a high pitched whistling, most of the wind’s energy is spent in sending waves and vibra- tions through the tower’s structure. Largely unnoticed, the impact is very much there. This track is the unheard song of
the tower in the wind.
The Wind and the Accordionist (Le Vent et le accordéon- iste) and The Wind and the Accordionist, Reprise (Le Vent et le accordéoniste). Edith Piaf is an icon of French music. Her voice, heard in combination with the tones of the accordion, are what evoke a classically romantic image of Paris. The Wind and the Accordionist weaves samples of her classic
songs with sounds of wind through the tower to create a nostalgic sonic mosaic of French culture and architecture.
Crypto Keys (Les Messages Caché). The Eiffel Tower is not just a tourist attraction. It has been involved in commu- nication and counterespionage in two world wars because it possesses one of the tallest radio towers in the world. During World War I for example, “the tower’s radiotele- graphic center was used to intercept enemy messages, one of which led to the arrest and execution of the infamous Dutch dancer and spy, Mata Hari.”8 Crypto Keys captures the Eiffel Tower’s surveillance capability in wartime with shortwave spy messages from the era. Other hidden acoustic informa- tion is imbedded in the piece in the form of DTMF tones which were derived from statistics of the Eiffel Tower including features such as its height, how many pieces of iron were used to build it and how many rivets hold it together, etc.
Memory Strains (Les oreilles de l’ascenseur). The eleva- tors are the vessels that have carried people up and down the tower’s living body for over a century, and the operators are their guardians. These people have heard snatches of millions of lives in numerous languages for over a hundred years. Memory Strains pays homage to these life stories with acoustic fragments that flicker by—in a vertical flow of sound.
Iron Rhythms (Les Rhythmes de la fer forgé) ring throughout the whole tower but rise from the structure unseen by almost everyone. A mechanical underworld sup- ports the complex building above. This piece is based on the rhythms and sounds of the machine room from the hum- ming and pounding of the “chariots” to the sounds of the elevator motors that constantly push them up and then bring them back down the structure.
The Woeful Tale of Jack the Snail. In the style of multi- track sampling, I asked Lance Massey, the creator of the T- Mobile ring tone, if he would like to make a piece from the selection of raw files. From this material, he created The Woeful Tale of Jack the Snail. This wonderful pop piece tells the story of Jack the Snail’s short and tragic life.
Sounds of the Eiffel Tower 37