Observer in the Magellanic Cloud
for a cappella chorus
PROGRAM NOTES
Eons from now, a lost satellite floats in the Megallanic Cloud (Nubeculae Megallani), a group of dwarf galaxies. The satellite picks up a glimpse of ancient light from Earth. The light is old because it has been traveling for so long, and it reveals a look into Earth’s distant past. Focusing its telescope, this robotic observer witnesses the Maori (the indigenous people of New Zealand) chanting to the Megallanic Cloud, which appears as a cluster of stars when seen from Earth’s surface. They invoke the power of the stars to bring bountiful food:
| Tuputuputu | Magellanic Cloud, sacred one, |
| atua Ka eke mai i te rangi e roa e | Mounting the heavens, |
| Whangainga iho ki te mata o’te tau e roa e. | Cause all the new year’s growth to flourish. |
Distant future meets distant past in this brief moment. Then the telescope retracts, the satellite floats on, and the Maori leave their vegetable shoots in thanks.
PERFORMANCE NOTES
The chorus is often divided into two groups: satellite and Maori. Sometimes this division will be quite obvious to the listener, while at other times the two groups blend together.
The satellite group uses a handful of novel effects – chirping, slowly changing vowel sound, beeping – to emulate a floating computer. One effect requires explanation: A rolled ‘r’ sound that quickly changes to an open ‘ah’
A few pieces of ‘pocket percussion’ are called for: beeping metronome (ie, one that emits a high ‘beeping’ pitch), a rattle (such as might be found in a Maori tribe), and an egg shaker. All these items are very small and portable, and they require no special expertise.
