We missed a deadline. If we had been walking on the Mid-Hudson Bridge before Nov. 1, we could have stopped at a tower, pushed a button and listened to a selection from “Bridge Music” by Joseph Bertolozzi.
It’s still not too late for visitors to Waryas Park in Poughkeepsie or Johnson-Iorio Park in Highland. These recreation areas, on either side of the bridge, include radios for pedestrians. If you tune into 95.3, you can hear the Bertolozzi composition based on the 300 tones he extracted from the bridge by using it as a percussion instrument.
Mr. Bertolozzi was at the Cornwall Public Library on Oct. 27 to explain his unusual projects (he also performed at the Eiffel Tower) and to play excerpts for the audience.
It started when the composer received a gong as a gift. To most of us, a gong is a singular, unique item. But there are many types of gongs. They vary from nation to nation. Soon Mr. Bertolozzi had 60 of them, and his wife was worried about what was coming next.
That’s when the composer thought about the bridge. It was 2004 and the Hudson River quatercentenary was five years away. The project required permission from the authorities and close to $2 million in funding.
The composer was successful in getting both. As a result, the library audience saw pictures of Mr. Bertolozzi rhythmically striking the bridge with an assortment of objects. He said that he was able to produce 300 different sounds, and that no other tones were added to his composition.
The success of the project led to the creation of Tower Music. “Who owns the Eiffel Tower?” Mr. Bertolozzi wondered as he contemplated his next experiment. Once again, he was successful in getting permission and funding. He arrived at the tower with a team of eight people and an assortment of mallets. He was careful not to swing them hard enough to do any damage.
Metal changes timbre with age and temperature. And different parts of the tower produced different sounds. Striking the rivets created a tone that resembled a Spanish guitar. When he performed in a different part of the tower, it sounded like he was playing a harp.
The unusual music was a success with the public. Mr. Bertolozzi’s albums qualified for the Billboard top 20 lists. While he was at the library, he was asked what he’s going to do next. He didn’t hesitate to answer. He said he’s hoping to give a live performance at the Eiffel Tower for the 2024 Olympics
