Is there a more significant time of day than dawn? In a word: no. Dawn represents, most obviously, the beginning of another 24-hour cycle, and all the opportunity, anxiety, and other mental baggage a new day instigates. As the period of time between darkness and sunrise, dawn is popularly known as the instant that all threats are banished: vampires, zombies, ghosts, evil spirits, etc.—safety from the unknown. We’re not talking about a dark orange sunrise peering over the horizon. This has nothing to do with twinkling dark blue twilight, casting a pleasant glow on idyllic creatures below. This is Dawn. The Dawn of Time. The Dawn of Man. Potential, possibility, renewal. See, for example, Dawn at New Hope, PA.

Considering the significance of dawn and the scope of this project, what better way to christen the series than a tribute to what is known as the quintessential field recording, “Dawn at New Hope, PA” (found on the Environments 2 LP [1970] & Environments 3 CD [1987])? In this contemporary version of “Dawn at New Hope, PA,” recorded thirty years after the original was released, the positive characteristics of dawn can be easily located in the rushing water, calls of geese, and chirps of birds. Serene? Yes. Peaceful? Absolutely. On the surface level, all is well. Listen closely, however, and the recording calls to question the optimism of the natural noises that are captured. The duality of the natural world—harmony versus struggle—is central to the sounds that can truly be heard on this recording.

You think waking up at dawn every day is easy? Listen and learn.

recorded on the banks of the Delaware River, New Hope, PA â Sunday, April 11, 2010 â Dawn


This audio is part of the collection: Community Audio

Artist/Composer: Sounds of the Early 21st Century
Keywords: Sounds; 21st Century; Dawn; Nature; Pennsylvania; New Hope

Creative Commons license: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0

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