Delia Derbyshire

Falling

This is a sound collage poem by Delia Derbyshire, from the 5-piece suite „The Dreams“ (1964), composed in collaboration with Barry Bermange, who recorded the „dream narrations“ later spliced and collaged in accordance to a theme: „Running“, „Falling“, „Land“, „Sea“ and „Colour“. These […] works formed a distinctive genre of radio feature, blending electronic music and soundscapes with a poetic collage of interviews with members of the public. The Inventions were remarkable both for their technical achievement and the fact that they privileged the voices of everyday people and their thoughts on weighty philosophical subjects, such as the possibility of life after death and the experience of ageing, at a time when the portrayal of British working-class communities and individuals was limited and often clichéd. The BBC received complaints from some listeners about the ‚harsh‘ or ‚uneducated‘ accents of some of the speakers and there was frustration that these ‚inane… nonentities‘ were allowed to express their thoughts about such profound subjects on national radio.

[https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/delia-derbyshire]

Part of the four programme „Inventions for Radio“ series, created in collaboration with Barry Bermange, Dreams is a collection of spliced/reassembled interviews with people describing their dreams. Delia’s editing and repetition, together with her dissonant, often terrifying musique concrete soundbeds, make this distinctly uneasy bedtime listening. The entire piece is 45 minutes in length.[1]

[https://wikidelia.net/wiki/The_Dreams]