Music for the Shipping Forecast (Playing the Weather #1)

Trying desperately to stay awake to listen to Test Match Special coming live from Australia, it's interrupted by the soporific tones of the 0048 shipping forecast. Remembering this I can almost taste the strong coffee that I used to vainly prevent sleep.

For solo or group performance and for any instruments.

The score for this piece is the Shipping Forecast, as broadcast on Radio 4 in the UK. Performers should have access to a forecast either as a transcript, or an actual recording. The audience should not hear or see the forecast during performance. For performance this piece requires some interpretation on the part of the musicians and it may be advantageous for discussion, rehearsal and preparation of a score to happen beforehand. However, an improvised performance to a previously unseen forecast (perhaps with headphones and a live forecast) may make for an interesting and more experimental performance.

Parts of the general synopsis provides the performer with instructions on the feeling of the piece. For example:

“Low, Rockall, 987, deepening rapidly, expected Fair Isle 964 by 0700”

The most immediately relevant instruction here is ‘low' and ‘deepening rapidly'. However, with the agreement of the performers any part of the synopsis – the millibar values for example can be taken as musical instructions. Each part of the synopsis could be taken as a ‘movement' or for group performances, each member, or groups of members, can be assigned an area (Malin, Hebrides, Irish Sea etc) and take their instructions from those parts of the synopsis which mention their area.

The specific area forecasts give wind direction, strength, precipitation and visibility for example:

“Humber, Thames. Southeast veering southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later. Thundery showers. Moderate or good, occasionally poor.”

Again, the success of the piece demands the imagination of the musician (or musicians assigned to Humber and Thames) to interpret their instructions. Some examples:

“Thundery Showers” – perhaps to play loudly and sporadically

“4 or 5” – the Beaufort values for the wind, these could be taken as notes, or phrases from a list in the score.

“Southeast Veering Southwest” perhaps to begin in a high register and veer ‘south' to a lower register.

“Moderate or good, occasionally poor” – perhaps to play brightly and clearly (good visibility) then occasionally quietly (poor visibility).