Sharing Culture Through Song

Ahead of the premiere, we spoke with one of the contributing writers, Koreng Wudjari Noongar poet Cass Lynch, about her involvement – from writing the text that bookends the work, to collaborating with Paul, and mentoring the WASO Chorus members to prepare for their performance. 

How did you first become involved with Paul Stanhope’s new work, Mahāsāgar?

My friend and poet, John Kinsella, was involved in the project in the early stages, and I was commissioned to respond creatively to John’s writing with my own poetry in the Noongar language.

The first and final movements of the piece feature your new poem, Seashore Heart. What was your creative process when writing this new text?

I knew I could only use a few Noongar words in Seashore Heart, I didn’t want to overwhelm the Chorus musicians with having to learn long phrases. Noongar pronunciation also takes a while to master. So, I limited myself to having 10 Noongar language words in the poem, and then I repeated words to create a scenario for singer and audience to start to pick up what the words mean in relation to the sea.

What challenges did you face when crafting text meant to be sung by a choir as opposed to read as poetry? How did writing for choral performance differ from your usual practice?

I kept it simple and I kept it modular. The Noongar phrases were in pairs, and I let Paul know that he could move the two-word phrases around to wherever they fit in terms of syllables, and that they could be repeated without making it a word salad of Noongar. I wrote an English poem as part of it, and the English lyrics are in the final work as well.

Were there any specific influences that shaped your text for this work?

I was guided by the first poetic response that John Kinsella had created, and I’m a long-time fan of John’s so it was a real treat to write a Noongar poem that responded to his initial ideas. I’ve written about the sea in a couple of projects and the mambakoort/sea shore itself is a big influence.

Yourself and Noongar language teacher Jayden Boundary met with the WASO Chorus to prepare Mahāsāgar. What was that experience like?

I was really happy to have Jayden on board, he’s a qualified Noongar language teacher and interacts with the public all the time. He has great insights on how the language is being received out in the wider community.

It is a condition of mine that any company or institution that commissions me to write Noongar words for a major work needs to forge a relationship with the relevant members of the Noongar community for me to agree. In this case, WASO paid for our time to come in and share and explain the fragile nature of language revitalisation, and how it needs support, not appropriation, to be spoken widely once again.

It’s powerful to hear testimonies in person, and we thank WASO for making space for us to follow our cultural protocols and ensure that people learn the Noongar language from Noongar people.

How does the integration of Noongar language in Mahāsāgar contribute to broader conversations about Indigenous culture and storytelling in contemporary classical music?

Through segregation and oppression, legislations like the Aborigines Act 1905 had the aim to eliminate Noongar language and culture. Elders kept our language alive during these dark times, speaking it in secret, or not speaking it at all, in order to protect themselves and their families.

In the aftermath of Native Title, our communities have felt empowered to speak the language again without fear of persecution. There has been a language revitalisation process quietly bubbling along here in the South West, with more and more Noongar people reclaiming their linguistic heritage. The Elders want our language to be heard all over Noongar Country once again, and the WASO Chorus is part of this.

The Chorus members have heard this history and have had the language words in the vocal score shared with them by Noongar people. It is a great joy to share our language and to hear our words sung in a process that respects the history and looks to the future.

What do you hope listeners take away from experiencing this piece live?

It’s always a pleasure to listen to songs in other languages, it lights up another part of the brain, and it means you listen to the melody more closely, and the voice blends in as another instrument. I hope the listeners get to melt away a bit and let the beautiful Noongar language wash over them.

Paul Stanhope’s Mahāsāgar premieres at WASO’s La Mer on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 August at Winthrop Hall.

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Paul Stanhope’s Mahāsāgar commissioned for WASO by Catherine Dunn and members of the WASO Chorus.