Experience Québec
The Sound of Spring
“I've Heard the Sirens Singing”
Each year, the Port of Montréal comes alive with the sound of fog horns, the bells of Notre-Dame, train whistles and the sirens of the ships that are docked there. For Montréalers, the sirens’ song is an opportunity to get out and visit Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History, for the Port Symphonies. Don’t miss the boat—it’s concert time!
This event is the brainchild of Joe Carter, a Newfoundland architect who came up with the idea of creating musical works featuring unlikely instruments: ships’ sirens. He shared his idea with a composer friend, Paul Steffler, and in the summer of 1993 they created the first Harbour Symphonies in St. John’s, Newfoundland, as part of the Sound Symposium. The sirens of the Old Port
Pointe-à-Callière presented two port symphonies for the first time in the winter of 1995. The performance was such a hit that the Port Symphonies are now in their 14th winter season. The event, which awakens the sleepy port and enlivens the historic quarter of Old Montréal, has proven to be an irresistible attraction for the Montréal community: a concert of sirens in the middle of winter! The true nature of sirens
A ship’s siren in itself is a rich sound-compelling and uncommon-and one that differs from vessel to vessel. Like any symphonic composition, the score of a port symphony is written for a multitude of instruments that unite to create a unique ensemble effect. In Montréal, the composers make instruments out of the lakers and cargo ships that are docked at the port for the ice season. The composers know the position of the ships in advance, and a tour of the port at the beginning of the year allows them to check the sound of each participating siren. Accompanying the ships’ "voices" are the whistle of a locomotive or two and, some years, the bells of the Basilique Notre-Dame. In creating the piece, the composers take into account the distances between the instruments, the effects of these distances and the echo effect, as well as the performance and listening locations. The sirens’ playground
The acoustic space plays a central role, for the anchorage site of each boat influences the range of its siren. The distance covered in the Port of Montréal is about a kilometre (0.6 mi.), east to west. As such, the sound of one ship’s siren can be reproduced by the more distant ships to create a balance between the chorus and any solo instrument. Basically, it’s the same organizational principle that’s used for an orchestra, but with non-conventional instruments. Listening to a port symphony is a singular experience. First, the musical composition is highly vulnerable to the elements. It is subject to the effects of wind, rain, snow, temperature, humidity and fog-all of which affect the resonance of the sirens. What’s more, because the listening area is so vast, you could hear the same symphony from different locations and have a completely different perception, depending on whether you’re at Pointe-à-Callière, the Old Port or elsewhere in Old Montréal. | The Symphonies |
14th edition of Pointe-à-Callière’s Port Symphonies
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André Quenneville
Photos: Photos: Tourisme Québec, Musée de la Pointe-à-Callière
2008-05-22
