Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Work Overview

Judith Nangala Crispin's poem "On Finding Charlotte in the Anthropological Record" depicts her 20-year search for her Indigenous heritage during which she finds a single photo of her great-great-grandmother, Charlotte.

The choral setting honours Judith's raw emotions, and reminds listeners that Charlotte was not just an archive entry, but a real person, whose family still yearn for connection. The music also references Lake Moodmere: Charlotte's country. I visited twice while composing, and made field recordings, including a soulful birdcall: likely a Grey Shrike-Thrush. This call appears most significantly when Charlotte herself speaks: 'Where did you go girl?'. Harmonies reflect the ambient harmonics of the River Red Gum forest there. Two soloists become a Magpie carolling. At the end, the choir rebelliously throws paper in the air evoking the countless photos of unnamed Indigenous people in archives, and Judith's relentless search of paper records.

Charlotte was commissioned by Musica Viva Australia's Artistic Director Paul Kildea for a 2024 tour by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. Paul and Choir Director Daniel Hyde were determined that this commission should explore our shared colonial history. To this end, in Sydney the Choir walked on Borogegal Country with Judith and First Nations cultural advisor Djon Mundine OAM: a historically charged and touching cultural exchange.

My journey in composing this work was made possible by the mentorship of various Indigenous Elders and friends who have helped me develop a deeper understanding of First Nations cultures and philosophies, and a richer though still nascent relationship with our ancient country.

Here I specifically thank Judith, Djon, and Rodney Doyle, who generously gave invaluable advice and insight.

Work Details

Year: 2023

Instrumentation: SATB Choir.

Duration: 9 min.

Difficulty: Medium

Commission note: Commissioned by Musica Viva Australia.

Indigenous and Torres Strait Island people should note that this work contains references that might be distressing or culturally sensitive. There are references to a person who has died, to themes and experiences around the Stolen Generations as well as place names recalling violent historical events. All care has been taken in this work to deal with these issues in a sensitive and respectful manner.