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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Bristol tree project: Lack of falling nuts upsets musical plan | Bristol tree project: Lack of falling nuts upsets musical plan |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A £37,000 project to make music from the sound of beech-mast falling from a tree in Bristol has had to be revised, as there are no nuts. | A £37,000 project to make music from the sound of beech-mast falling from a tree in Bristol has had to be revised, as there are no nuts. |
| Treesong was funded by Bristol 2015 to record the nuts dropping from a 100-year-old tree on Durdham Downs. | Treesong was funded by Bristol 2015 to record the nuts dropping from a 100-year-old tree on Durdham Downs. |
| Instead, the stresses, strains and movement of the beech are being captured. | |
| Andrew Garrad, from Bristol 2015, said it was a shame, but the tree was still "singing by other means". | Andrew Garrad, from Bristol 2015, said it was a shame, but the tree was still "singing by other means". |
| A canopy fitted with sensors and recording equipment under its branches was supposed to record the vibrations as the fruits fell and emit a musical note. | A canopy fitted with sensors and recording equipment under its branches was supposed to record the vibrations as the fruits fell and emit a musical note. |
| The resulting raw soundtrack would then be "translated" by Bristol composer William Goodchild into a 15-minute orchestral work. | The resulting raw soundtrack would then be "translated" by Bristol composer William Goodchild into a 15-minute orchestral work. |
| Beech tree facts | |
| Fagus sylvatica is a large, deciduous tree | |
| Flowers: Male and female flowers grow on the same tree | |
| Fruit: One or two beech nuts, or seeds, (known as beech-mast) are enclosed in a woody cup | |
| Mast years: Some tree species produce very large crops in some years, and none in others. The exact reason is not known, but it may be linked to weather and climatic conditions | |
| Sources: Woodland Trust, Forestry Commission | |
| Mr Garrad said although the sound of nuts falling had been a significant part of the project "the point of it" was to have a singing tree. | Mr Garrad said although the sound of nuts falling had been a significant part of the project "the point of it" was to have a singing tree. |
| "Of course it would have been nice to have the nuts, but that's only part of it," he said. | "Of course it would have been nice to have the nuts, but that's only part of it," he said. |
| "It is a strange thing, but it is attracting attention to the trees and people are starting to think about the trees." | "It is a strange thing, but it is attracting attention to the trees and people are starting to think about the trees." |
| Jony Easterby, the artist behind the project, said organisers had soon realised it was "not a beech-mast year". | Jony Easterby, the artist behind the project, said organisers had soon realised it was "not a beech-mast year". |
| "Nature is never as convenient as you'd like it to be," he said. | "Nature is never as convenient as you'd like it to be," he said. |
| "But I managed to track down 40 unwanted violin bows and we have a wooden collar around the tree with strings stretched down to the ground and the idea is to capture the stresses and strains and movement of the tree." | "But I managed to track down 40 unwanted violin bows and we have a wooden collar around the tree with strings stretched down to the ground and the idea is to capture the stresses and strains and movement of the tree." |
| Treesong is to be performed by the Bristol Ensemble at the end of November. | Treesong is to be performed by the Bristol Ensemble at the end of November. |