BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Australian composers can now access a locally produced workshop series that will teach them how to write music for didgeridoo.
The Art of the Didgeridoo, which is available to watch for free on YouTube, explores topics from tone to imagery, notation, and extended techniques for this uniquely expressive wind instrument.
Chris Williams — a descendant of the Wakka Wakka people from Queensland, didgeridoo player, and Southern Cross Soloists artist in residence — introduces key concepts and performs demonstrations through these online video workshops. We asked him to tell us more about the challenges and beauty of making music with this versatile instrument.
Southern Cross Soloists artistic director Tania Frazer also weighs in on the qualities didgeridoo can bring into a new composition.
Hi Chris, thanks for the chat about this new series, which Southern Cross Soloists claims to be a world-first! Tell us about your role in making this series happen.
I’ve been performing with Southern Cross Soloists (SXS) since 2019. When we started looking at repertoire options, we found there was only a small handful of suitable pieces written for didgeridoo. And some, as good as they were, weren’t written with a detailed understanding of the capabilities and nuances of the instrument.
Through various conversations with master composer Sean O’Boyle, and SXS director Tania Frazer, we came up with the idea of releasing a video curriculum on how to compose for the didgeridoo. The aim was to promote greater understanding of the instrument, the ‘how’ behind composing for it in a classical music context, and to stir a desire in other composers to write for the instrument, ultimately expanding the repertoire.
Sean was the perfect person to be involved. He is one of Australia’s most talented, prolific, and celebrated composers, and has an amazing passion for writing for the instrument. He also understands the nuances of the instrument, and how to write for didgeridoo and classical ensemble better than anyone else, in my opinion. His Didgeridoo Concerto written for William Barton is groundbreaking. As far as I’m aware, it’s one of the first — if not the first — significant work thoughtfully written for didgeridoo and orchestra, and a textbook foundation for all other repertoire available in the catalogue.
In a statement on the release of this resource, you said you were excited to share your passion for both didgeridoo and classical music. How would you like to see these artforms, and their traditions, embedded in new Australian compositions?
We hope to expand the repertoire for didgeridoo and classical music significantly over the next 10 years. For me personally, it’s a joy to be able to perform didgeridoo with excellent classical musicians. This is an artform that needs to be celebrated, and expanded with greater understanding from both composers, performers and audiences.
What do you think is the biggest challenge about composing for this instrument?
I think the greatest challenge for composers is understanding the complexities and limitations of the instrument. It can also be dependent on what players are available to perform. Many good players don’t read music, so that also needs to be taken into consideration. The pieces we are writing now take this into account. There’s no right or wrong here. Most of my favourite didge players don’t read music at all!
And what do you find most beautiful or fulfilling about working with the didgeridoo?
For me, the didgeridoo is one of the most beautiful-sounding and powerful instruments, but I may be a little biased! Not many other instruments are as raw and natural as the didgeridoo. It’s basically a hollowed-out tree. People are amazed at the sound and expression that can come from this instrument.
I like it because touches the hearts of listeners in a way that you can’t connect with other instruments. Wherever you are in the world, it always has the most profound effect on people. It truly is such an honour to be able to play this wonderful instrument.
What’s your advice for composers who would like to check out the workshop series?
If you are embarking on the journey of writing for the instrument, well done and enjoy! Listen to many different styles of players, and work closely with the person performing your work if you can.
Read as much as you can about the true origins and traditions of the instrument. Talk to some Indigenous Australians about their story and their culture. Always look to compose a piece and work with the artists in a way that is respectful and honouring of the instrument. Paying respect to the past, but also with a vision of a reconciled future, is of utmost importance.
Thank you Chris! Now I’m going to jump over to your SXS colleague Tania Frazer — Tania, how would you describe some of the qualities this instrument can bring into a composition?
One of the most interesting aspects of performing with the didgeridoo is the exceptionally broad palette of sounds it can produce, as well as the volume and cinematic qualities it adds, particularly to small chamber music ensembles.
The didgeridoo can create an almost ‘rock -concert’ vibe, with only a few acoustic instruments on the stage. Likewise, it also has the facility to create wonderfully atmospheric soundscapes. For example, we have really successfully been able to create the feeling of being in the middle of a rainforest whilst the audience was sitting inside a concert venue!
Chris also has an unusual depth of knowledge in all kinds of music because of his background as a professional orchestral trumpet player as well as his extensive background as a jazz trumpeter. This means he is incredibly well placed to start exploring even more sound possibilities for the didgeridoo — particularly complex rhythmic and vocal techniques that he can experiment with, beyond standard didgeridoo playing techniques.
Southern Cross Soloists pulls a strong focus on this instrument. This year alone, there are three premiere works in the program that include didgeridoo, composed by Sean O’Boyle AM, Leah Curtis, and Matthew Dewey. Why do you feel now is the time for chamber music ensembles to think about bringing this unique instrument to the forefront of Australian stages? Do you think we’ll start to see more of it?
Classical music in Australia has gone from strength to strength over the past 10-15 years, with regards to international standards in both performance and composition. However, this has mainly been within the standard tradition of European and American classical music and contemporary art music.
The didgeridoo is, without a doubt, Australia’s point of difference from the rest of the world. The sound of the didgeridoo is uniquely Australian and cannot be mistaken for any other culture.
By showcasing the didgeridoo in our new commissions, we aim to showcase this distinctively Australian instrument to the world and create new hybrid musical genres and sounds that not only promote the reverence of this wonderful instrument — the oldest wind instrument in history — but to also celebrate the incredible richness of our own First Nation’s rich cultural traditions.
Visit YouTube to watch The Art of the Didgeridoo: A Workshop for Composers. The series was produced by Southern Cross Soloists in collaboration with Chris Williams, Sean O’Boyle AM, and the University of Queensland School of Music.
Learn more about Chris Williams and the Didgeridoo Commissioning Project on the SXS website.
Images supplied.
