The Sound of Light in Trees

by David Dunn

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The Sound of Light in Trees 59:13

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All of the sounds heard in this recording occur within the interior of one species of conifer tree, the common two-needle pinion of the southwestern United States, Pinus edulis. What I mean by “the interior” are the layers of phloem and cambium between the outer bark and inner xylem of the tree. Within this narrow realm of cellulose, air, and fluid occurs an almost unknown acoustical world and an extraordinary array of living sound makers. While the majority of these sounds are made by one species of small insect (about the size of a grain of rice) known as the pinion Engraver Beetle, Ips confuses, there are possibly others such as bark beetles of the Dendroctonus genus, other species of the Ips genus, and the larvae of several species of miscellaneous invertebrates, most notably those of the many different species of Longhorn Beetles known collectively as Round Headed Wood Borers (Cerambycidae).

My intention in the composing of this collage was to convince the listener of the surprising complexity of sound occurring within one species of tree as emblematic of the interior sound worlds of trees in general. It is also intended to demonstrate the rich acoustical behavior of a single species of small insect and to suggest how sound is a much more important aspect of how it organizes its world, and interacts with its surrounding ecosystem, than previously suspected. The composition was organized around the idea that it would be possible to hear all of these sounds within one large tree if enough sensors could be simultaneously placed throughout its myriad branching structures.

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released June 14, 2021

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David Dunn New Mexico

David Dunn was born in 1953 in San Diego, CA. From 1970 to 1974 he was assistant to the American composer Harry Partch & remained active as a performer in the Harry Partch Ensemble for over a decade. He has worked in a wide variety of audio media inclusive of traditional & experimental music, installations for public exhibitions, video & film soundtracks, radio broadcasts, & bioacoustic research. ... more

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