On the tide

I haven’t sung professionally in over 21 years and had long stopped writing and recording music. I am trying to return to it but these things are easier said than done. I was immediately drawn to this 1987 recording of a woman singing with harmonium recorded by David Mowat in the town of Mahalingapur, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It was perfect as it was – and in choosing it I knew I would be setting myself up to fail. Something about it spoke to me, though, and I felt hopeful that perhaps this unknown, beautiful woman might accompany me back to singing. Her voice was so strong, so effortless, that I couldn’t hope to match it; I couldn’t hold the notes or even understand what she was saying. I listened closely. I pulled out my old vocal warmup tape, began rehearsing and sang alongside the recording every day.Between first hearing her voice and producing my version, I stepped far outside my comfort zone. In one of those crazy “and why not?!” moments an old friend I decided to start a band and record an album. Against all expectation, I sang again – so far just a single complete vocal, written quickly in response to an improvisation – but I had broken the spell that bound me.This piece is as much about listening as it is about singing, about proximity without possession and about connection across time, distance and uncertainty. I did not sing on this recording – only she did. The work remains with her voice and with what it set in motion.Woman singing with harmonium reimagined by Margaret Fiedler McGinnis.———Part of the project A Century of Sounds, reimagining 100 sounds covering 100 years from the collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford. Explore the full project at citiesandmemory.com/century-sounds