The Marboré Symphony

Based on the sediment sequence from Marboré Lake (42°41′44.27″N, 0° 2′24.07″E, 2612 m a.s.l), we have selected lithological, compositional and pollen data to represent the main changes in the lake and the region during the last 15,000 years. To transform the geological data into music, notes were assigned to compositional range intervals and the tempos were defined using sediment accumulation rates. Different melodies and instruments were assigned at each data set: total organic carbon (TOC) and Br/Ti as lake bioproductivity, selected pollen data for vegetation dynamics in the valleys, Si/Ti as sediment influx and Pb/Ti as anthropogenic impact.

An electronic version of the Marboré Symphony was created by computer software based on the raw data by Lope Ezquerro y Jose Luis Simón (University of Zaragoza). The music group O’Carolan (http://www.ocarolanfolk.com) transformed the electronic version into a short symphony that premiered in the town of Bielsa on December 14th, 2018.

The Marboré music project serves to increase citizenship awareness about climate change in the Pyrenees and provides a new tool to better communicate past and future changes in the landscapes. The creation of this music composition was undertaken within the framework of the REPLIM project, an INTERREG- POCTEFA – project aimed to create a network of climate change observatories on lakes and wetlands in the Pyrenees.

You can listen to the Marboré Symphony here (to download, right click).