A world so close that was not
ours. Though we could swim,
my sister and I,
before we could walk,

it was not our element;
the ocean that all night
breathed in our sleep
was two thirds of a planet

we’d not inherited,
and deeper than daylight
could fathom. Even in dreams
we failed to make friends

with its creatures. Cuttlefish
could not be reconciled
to their birdcage bones, seahorses
were fabulous strangers,

more fabulous because,
unlike the beasts of air
and earth, all our wishing
could not make pets

of them, like tabbycats
in butter boxes killed with kindness,
willy wagtails
tempted with rainbow cakecrumbs —

snap! These others
melted in our heads.
Hauled out into the sun
they came unstuck, their souls

spit-white, opaque as iceblocks,
stank. Sunshine it seemed
was fatal to them.
How then did we manage

to live with it? What
had we traded to be safe?
Past midnight, sealed off
in the bronze bell of the moon,

we plunged over the sea ledge seeking answers,
climbed back
at dawn wearing our magic
skin — only later

found what we had lost.
In the flush of warm salt floating
out of ourselves
the ghosts, fishlike, transparent,

that light our flesh, we stumbled
on the shores of an ice-blue earlier
kingdom; before us
sunshine and a death.

David Malouf was born in Queensland, Australia, in 1934 and became a full-time writer in 1978. He has published poetry, novels and short stories, essays, opera librettos and a play, and has been widely translated. His first two published books were collections of poetry. His first novel, Johnno (1975), is the semi-autobiographical tale of a young man growing up in Brisbane during the Second World War. His second novel, An Imaginary Life (1978), is a fictional life of the poet Ovid. Later novels include Child’s Play with Eustace & The Prowler (1982), Fly Away Peter (1982), Harland's Half Acre (1985), The Great World (1990), which won the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Overall Winner, Best Book) and the Prix Fémina Etranger (France); and the acclaimed Remembering Babylon (1993), which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction, won the first International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, and the Commonwealth Writers Prize (South East Asia and South Pacific Region, Best Book). The Conversations at Crulow Creek (1976) followed. His collections of short stories include Antipodes (1985); Dream Stuff (2000); and Every Move You Make (2006). Recent publications are Ransom (2009), a novel inspired by a part of Homer’s Iliad, and Earth Hour (2014), a poetry collection. He was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize in 2011. His most recent volume of poetry is An Open Book (2018).

Source.

Jessica Wells is a versatile composer, orchestrator, and arranger for concerts, films, theatre, and album recordings. Since obtaining her Master of Music in Composition (Sydney Conservatorium) and Master of Arts in Screen Composition (AFTRS), her career has gone from strength to strength. Her business of 15 years, Jigsaw Music, provides music preparation services for clients all over the country and overseas. Jessica has orchestrated over 70 films, and wrote the theme music for ABC TV’s “Q&A” program which makes her kids think she’s famous. She was a 2017 Finalist in the APRA Art Music Awards, in the category of “Instrumental Work of the Year” for her piece “Moon Fire” for the National Carillon and electronic track. From 2017-2020 she has been the Musical Director of the APRA Screen Music Awards, and she is the current Vice President of the Music Arrangers’ Guild of Australia.

When choosing a poem from the vast library of David Malouf’s work, I was immediately drawn to “In the Sea's Giving” as it brought back childhood memories of seaside holidays at Ocean City, Maryland USA in the early 80’s. David’s poem reminisces about his time spent with his sister exploring the ocean’s mysteries and this paralleled some of my experiences with my little brother chasing birds, digging up crabs and looking curiously at dead jellyfish washed up on shore.

When composing a piece for voice I always start with the rhythm of the words and how they can reflect the subject matter. I began the piece with a wordless wash of chords to set up the mysterious oceanic atmosphere, and then a female and male voice sing words together representing the sister and brother, the other two voices in accompaniment. The melodies that emerged from this harmonic palette suited the text, reminiscing about the deep and mystical ocean that inhabited the children’s imagination.

The second section jumps straight into a fast rhythm in the two female voices, just using phonems “dee-dit-dee” to facilitate a flowing accompaniment to the Tenor. The Tenor (as the voice of David Malouf) sings of his fascination with animals such as cuttlefish, seahorses, cats and willy wag tails, all of which were out of reach to him as possible pets! The Bass voice joins in where needed and also comments on the action.

The third section “Half Time” slows down again and focuses on the emotions of memory - looking back wistfully and using a lot of word-painting to bring out the meaning of the text to the audience. For example the word “Stank” sinks and bends downwards for a comedic effect. “Opaque as Ice blocks” is sung very breathy (something the ensemble brought to the score as their own wonderful interpretation!) After a slightly more operatic exclamation by three of the singers about their expectations not being met, the music heads back into the harmonic world of the opening of the piece, mysterious and dark “past midnight” and “seeking answers”. The coda drifts away on an oceanic tide - three singers accompanying the plaintive tenor with a wash of chords and “shhhh” sounds for the waves.