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This is a version of a traditional Spanish song that was made during the first lockdown. People put it on during the daily applause for Healthcare workers until quarantine finished. The title means 'I will resist'.

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During the lockdown and the quarantine while I was ill, Skype was my main lifeline to the outside world :)

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The most present sound in the lives of those who were locked at home in Bergamo was that of the ambulance sirens. My parents and several friends wrote to me during the first days of the pandemic referring to this unceasing sound. Many reported that, after a while, the sirens were replaced by the silence of the ambulances.

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Salme in uscita da Bergamo, l'omaggio a sirene spiegate della polizia

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Botanic Gardens, College Park Avenue, Botanic Avenue, Belfast, UK

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Botanic Gardens, College Park Avenue, Botanic Avenue, Belfast, UK

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Botanic Gardens, College Park Avenue, Botanic Avenue, Belfast, UK

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The gentle and soothing paradise of Belfast seemed unchanged, while there would more people on a Friday afternoon. Nature always stood above any of the sounds us humans would generate in this magnificent playground. – Georgios Varoutsos (https://georgiosvaroutsos.com/covid-19/)

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Albert Clock, Custom House Square, Belfast, UK

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Albert Clock, Custom House Square, Belfast, UK

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Albert Clock, Custom House Square, Belfast, UK

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The leaning clock of Belfast which would have passers from the Lagan River or the City Centre, had very few people completing their government issued daily activity. There was more cars and buses then there were people. – Georgios Varoutsos (https://georgiosvaroutsos.com/covid-19/)

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A rare occasion to witness a Friday afternoon with the entire Commercial Court empty. This popular location usually gathers groups of locals and tourists to a begin their weekend festivities. Even looking into some of the bars, they still had their St. Patrick decorations up. – Georgios Varoutsos (https://georgiosvaroutsos.com/covid-19/)

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Saint Anne’s Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast, UK

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Saint Anne’s Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast, UK

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Saint Anne’s Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast, UK

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The gigantic cathedral with the park across the street is silenced. No one in sight, only the wind and birds passing by. – Georgios Varoutsos (https://georgiosvaroutsos.com/covid-19/)

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A hidden gem between buildings and stores, having local bars and pubs that will have your locals or tourist wondering about trying to figure out where they may be within the city. Or just a casual shortcut between streets, to get to one place just a little quicker. This have been overtaken by the noise of generators and there is no longer any drunken chatter in these passages. – Georgios Varoutsos (https://georgiosvaroutsos.com/covid-19/)

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Looking at the Spirit of Belfast, you will know you’re at a local stop for shopping. Most of the times there will be a performer or musician in this circle, grabbing the attention of shoppers, there will be your fast walkers, your slow walkers, those who zoom past you with their bicycle. On this day, nothing. Only a few instances of signs of civilisation. – Georgios Varoutsos (https://georgiosvaroutsos.com/covid-19/)

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Belfast City Hall, Donegall Square North, Belfast, UK

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Belfast City Hall, Donegall Square North, Belfast, UK

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Belfast City Hall, Donegall Square North, Belfast, UK

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A starting point for locals and tourists, it points us in different directions to go. Whether that is for shopping, drinking, grabbing a quick snack, or finding local tours. Yet, the only thing that truly remains is the scheduled buses that pass in front of the City Hall, and the one lady who feeds a group of seagulls in front of the Burger King. – Georgios Varoutsos (https://georgiosvaroutsos.com/covid-19/)

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One of the busier streets of Belfast, surrounded by the bus station, Europa Hotel, Opera theatre, and Crown Liquor Salon reflects how life just stopped, for everyone. However, while most things are bordered and shut down there is always a local squabble at the nearby Tesco Express. – Georgios Varoutsos (https://georgiosvaroutsos.com/covid-19/)

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Usually a crossroad from the University campus to the City centre, yet very few people walking about, going to local markets for their essentials. This recording also reflects the lonesomeness in the city, the lady with the luggage, either traveling with her recently purchased items or heading to the bus centre to leave the city. – Georgios Varoutsos (https://georgiosvaroutsos.com/covid-19/)

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Queen's University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, UK

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Queen's University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, UK

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Queen's University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, UK

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A Friday afternoon with no students circling around the campus, it has left a void in Queen’s quarter, such as being in the middle of an open dessert and seeing no signs of life for great distances.  - Georgios Varoutsos (https://georgiosvaroutsos.com/covid-19/)

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It's Bugsnax - Kero Kero Bonito

Had this in my head for weeks now... Send help

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Me and my partner are both musicians and whilst in quarantine we started working together on an electronic project. This is a voice memo recording of an early version of one of the songs recorded on a 1981 Yamaha PS-20. The balcony doors to our flat were open during the recording and you can hear the soundscape of the street outside - including a car alarm going off and the call of a nearby seagull.

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I am a very basic pianist – I learned as a child and then stopped playing for many…many years. However during lockdown I found it very relaxing and helpful to try to play again. The concentration required diverted my mind from other worries.

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University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

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I so often attach musical memories to specific periods in my life. The concert will always transport me back at my parent house, the place where I have been working remotely and writing my thesis.

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Bon Iver: Full Concert | NPR MUSIC FRONT ROW

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I’ve rediscovered Strawberries over lockdown, never fails to lift the spirit. This song in particular seems pertinent to these strange times we find ourselves in.

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Then Lil Nas is something me and my partner really loved when it first came out and we’ve been in lock down together. It’s been a really nice experience and we’ve grown closer although I know this isn’t the case for many couples with the rate of domestic violence raising.

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Lil Nas X - Old Town Road (Official Video) ft. Billy Ray Cyrus

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I’ve been listening a lot of music over quarantine. There has been a sense of nostalgia linked to these songs for me. Katy Perry’s song really relates to my research that deals with alterity and the human body. It’s problematic as hell that both Kanye and Perry use an albino black man as an ‘alien’. However, I look at (among many other thins) sci fi writers represent disease as changing the body and this video is very preoccupied with trying to represent a different kind of human.

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Katy Perry - E.T. ft. Kanye West (Official Music Video)

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Lockdown has seen me watching lots of Doctor Who (classic and new) with my daughter, as reward for our ploughing through a home school session. The theme tune has been our lockdown soundtrack. Here’s the intro for my favourite, Patrick Troughton.

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Second Doctor Title Sequence | Doctor Who | BBC

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Construction and Traffic Noise from a Window

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Construction and Traffic Noise from a Window

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During my quarantine my soundscape has consisted of this noise produced by the construction site and roadworks near my house. It has acted as a reminder that construction work has continued during lockdown.

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My flat is on an usually busy and load road however with the reduction in traffic one sunny Saturday morning I finally heard the birds song.

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My own lockdown has involved me and my 10 years old inventing a game called ‘Duff’ which is basically football ‘keep-em-ups’ but focused on the sound of it – the ‘duff’ of a clean foot connection. The noise also involves ‘Doh’ which is the sound of a half-bounce and ‘Doing’ when you keep the ball up with your head. We have played ‘Duff-Doh-Doing’ every day at 10.40 as part of home school (Paul Grainge, University of Nottingham)

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The sound of football 'Duff' (aka keep-em-ups) during lockdown.MOV

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The pandemic affected deeply my hometown, Bergamo, Northen Italy. At the time of the beginning of the health crisis in Italy, I was in Kenilworth, UK, where I live to do my PhD at the University of Warwick on philosophy of auditory perception. I could not turn back in March as I planned and I felt shocked and terrified by the situation. I recorded this little video with my third instrument (the only one available to me at that time) to try to virtually take part in the Italian Flash mob. I decided to play the first phrase of a traditional local song to express my closeness to friends and family. These sounds reminded me about other traditional songs and poems that I simply forgot in growing up.

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I have been kept sane listening to @uniteddjsradio

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United DJs is a breath of fresh air - we are a global station with world class DJs - DJs who are passionate about the music they play - and passionate about what they say.

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My lockdown has been all about homeschooling so:
The intro theme to the

@bbcbitesize

tv lessons and also the DofE Letters and Sounds Reception YouTube videos.

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BBC Bitesize Daily - online lessons to help homeschool children

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When not listening to the ambient noises of my flat, this absolute banger keeps me company!

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Theme Song Performance - Nintendo Switch

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I've been listening to a lot of

@BBC6Music, @bobdylan, @Parra_for_Cuva, @GoGo_Penguin, @porticoquartet etc. We also listened to Jarvis Cocker's Saturday night live DJ sessions. I've been listening to fewer podcasts as I've not been commuting..

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The sound of lockdown life: coffee grinder, growing traffic noise, boiling water on the stove (kettle broke), typing and Netflix. A very boring life.

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The lockdown has ironically allowed me to "attend" quite a few online events which I could never have been part of in the real physical world - it's been very refreshing and exciting (and weird under the circumstances), plus there's been the added surprise of unexpected collaborations and new approaches to music and sound art by all sorts of people. That said, the highlight for me had to be a couple of days ago while doing some boring decorating while listening to a favourite album from my youth - Damned Damned Damned by The Damned - and especially the first punk song I ever hear, which also happens to be the best song in human history ever ever ever: New Rose.

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I listen these podcasts; Pappy's Flatshare, Gossipmongers and Off Menu  Love a good soundtrack too, particularly enjoying Six still. I'm in Batley!

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by Pappy's

Pappy's Flatshare is the home of all of Pappy's podcast ventures with a brand new episode appearing every week.

There's their award winning live panel gameshow Flatshare Slamdown in which they play silly games with famous names from the world of comedy (previous guests include Romesh Ranganathan, Aisling Bea, Nish Kumar, Sara Pascoe, Josh Widdicombe, Bridget Christie, James Acaster, Kerry Godliman and many more).

There's Beef Brothers: Cold Cuts in which Pappy's solve you the listeners' flatshare related problems with the help of a special guest.

And finally there's House Meeting in which our three heroes, sit down, catch up and set the world to rights.

So why not join Ben Clark, Matthew Crosby and Tom Parry and become a neighbour today!

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Pappy's Flatshare is the home of all of Pappy's podcast ventures with a brand new episode appearing every week. There's their award winning live panel gameshow Flatshare Slamdown in which they play silly games with famous names from the world of comedy (previous guests include Romesh Ranganathan, Aisling Bea, Nish Kumar, Sara Pascoe, Josh Widdicombe, Bridget Christie, James Acaster, Kerry Godliman and many more).

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I've been blogging about listening in lockdown. In this final piece I explore the role and changing soundscapes of our city parks! Hope you enjoy!.

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As we hit mid-July, we are embodying a future that would have been unfathomable a year ago.

Here in the UK, the pubs have finally reopened. Knowing the British, most would have presumed this to be a day of utter carnage. What actually transpired was a much more subdued and tentative nod towards normality.

The truth is that we are all living in the shadow of the pandemic. The World Health Organisation have stated that the virus is still globally accelerating. And despite lockdown measures being lifted in many countries, the possibility of a second wave is very real.

In resigning ourselves to the permanency of the situation it's good to take time to appreciate what positives we can.

One thing that has stood out to me has been the vital role of our parks and green spaces. At a time where the nation was housebound, local parks have been places of mental sanctuary and escape. For many it has been a lifeline through this crisis. For me personally, access to the park has massively contributed to my mental and physical wellbeing.

So for my final blog post in this series, I decided to take a week to sonically record my local park, looking at its changing moods and ambiences, as well as the impact of reduced noise pollution upon it.

Thanks for reading - I hope you enjoy!

Brockwell Park, London

I set up my stereo DPA blimp in a garden backing on to the park.ver the course of a week I made 10+ hours of recordings at various times of day. I wanted to capture dawn choruses, lazy mornings and social evenings. Some of my favourite recordings can be heard below:

Dawn

Song Thrush at Dawn

I was so happy to have recorded a song thrush in London. Known for their repeating call, these songbirds are on the red list for UK conservation. I love the breadth of variation in the song. The repetitions really help you to appreciate the musicality. For me there's something quite tropical about it.

With the lack of noise pollution, you can hear the call reflecting through the park and bouncing off the nearby houses. The other birdsong in the park also adds layers of dynamics that are so often masked.

Morning

A calm mid-morning recording

This recording captures a lot of elements that I associate with the London lockdown. There's a marked stillness to the air. We can make out every sound with precision. The hum of traffic feels muted and far-off. One solitary family make care-free fun, which somehow adds to the isolation.

On any typical pre-lockdown day the air would be vibrating with the drone of aeroplanes. There'd be passing voices and music, revving car engines, horns and a general sense of bustle. Although very welcome, the calm only serves to accentuate the sentiment that something is wrong.

Afternoon

Conversations in the wind

As lockdown progressed, the park was the perfect place to watch social development. For many people it had become one of the only sources of face to face interaction that wasn't through a webcam. I watched and participated as the creation of new social norms and adaptions happened in real-time. It is truly amazing how versatile society can be.

In this blustery recording we hear snatches of many different conversations over the wind blowing through the trees and the evening blackbird song.

Dusk

Sirens through the city

I chose this recording because anyone who has lived in London is familiar with the blaring sirens which swirl about the city night and day. What I like about this is the sense of distance and direction which can be traced through the space, as the police car darts through the streets.

The distant bell is the park warden signalling the closing of the park for the night. During this period however, a side gate was left open. Many people chose to stay socialising until nightfall.

Now as the pubs have opened and new options for interaction arise, it is quite telling that many of us still feel the most safe and at home in our parks.

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Nature in a human crisis pt.3 - Spacewalk Audio

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As we hit mid-July, we are embodying a future that would have been unfathomable a year ago. Here in the UK, the pubs have finally reopened. Knowing the British, most would have presumed this to be a day of utter carnage. What actually transpired was a much more subdued and tentative nod towards normality.

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We are based in London and work with families with disabled children. As we've not been able to run musical hydrotherapy sessions during lockdown, quite a few people have been listening to the ambient playlist we use in our sessions.

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I've been screaming inside my heart...

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Hilarious! Two Japanese Theme Park Executives Riding Roller Coaster in Complete Silence

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My musical choices throughout the quarantine period ranged from Italian and German opera to soothing nature sounds for meditation. One of my highlights, though, were Raymond Carver's short stories, recorded and sent to me by a loved one. (Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy)

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The Student's Wife by Raymond Carver (Read by Richard Ford)

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During my quarantine - which I spent in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy - I made a fantastic travel through Joni Mitchell's discography. From early Song to a Seagull to last Shine.

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Birdsong has been a big feature of my lockdown soundscape. Obviously, there's been less traffic and so on to drown it out but there also seem to be more birds around when there are fewer people. I recorded this as I was relaxing in a warm bath (one of my main ways to relieve the anxiety of the situation). The birds singing outside the window are accompanied by John Coltrane's 'Lazy Bird' (not planned, I promise!)

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I chose that song because I started to listen to this particular album "Slow Rush" during lockdown. I immediately loved the whole album and it really resonated with me and the past four months we went through. It is a very introvert album and it is about time - and made me always think about the time we were/are living... So for instance, the first two lines of the song goes "Do you remember? We were standing here a year ago  /  Our minds were racing, time went slow" - which made me think about how and where we will be in one year from now, one year from the beginning of the pandemic, and how precious one year of our lives can be. Also, it is a great song to dance to!

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Tame Impala - One More Year (Official Audio)

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During lockdown I have re-discovered my tape player. Listening to my old cassettes was like doing a travel thorough time!

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One of our PhD students sent us this video of her fisher price cassette player that still works!

Who knew the intro to the tape version of Cinderella was such a bop? #SonicFriday

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One of our PhD students sent us this video of her fisher price cassette player that still works!

Who knew the intro to the tape version of Cinderella was such a bop? #SonicFriday https://t.co/evjBwsJzez

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We start our playlist with one of our volunteers’ musical memories. 

'Listening to cassettes was different than listening to CDs. Analogue recordings produce a very warm sound…One of my favourite tapes was Suzanne Vega'

https://t.co/rkHTQZHLBm

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].entities.urls[].description
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupCracking · Suzanne VegaSuzanne Vega℗ 1985 UMG Recordings, Inc.Released on: 1985-05-01Producer: Lenny KayeProducer...

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One of our PhD students sent us this video of her fisher price cassette player that still works!

Who knew the intro to the tape version of Cinderella was such a bop? #SonicFriday pic.twitter.com/evjBwsJzez
— National Science and Media Museum (@MediaMuseum) July 3, 2020

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One of our PhD students sent us this video of her fisher price cassette player that still works!

Who knew the intro to the tape version of Cinderella was such a bop? #SonicFriday https://t.co/evjBwsJzez

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.includes.tweets[].entities.urls[].description
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupCracking · Suzanne VegaSuzanne Vega℗ An A&M Records Release; ℗ 1997 UMG Recordings, Inc.Released on: 1985-05-01Pr...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.includes.tweets[].text
We start our playlist with one of our volunteers’ musical memories. 

'Listening to cassettes was different than listening to CDs. Analogue recordings produce a very warm sound…One of my favourite tapes was Suzanne Vega'

https://t.co/rkHTQZHLBm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
One of our PhD students sent us this video of her fisher price cassette player that still works!

Who knew the intro to the tape version of Cinderella was such a bop? #SonicFriday https://t.co/evjBwsJzez

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
One of our PhD students sent us this video of her fisher price cassette player that still works!

Who knew the intro to the tape version of Cinderella was such a bop? #SonicFriday

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].entities.urls[].description
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupCracking · Suzanne VegaSuzanne Vega℗ An A&M Records Release; ℗ 1997 UMG Recordings, Inc.Released on: 1985-05-01Pr...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
We start our playlist with one of our volunteers’ musical memories. 

'Listening to cassettes was different than listening to CDs. Analogue recordings produce a very warm sound…One of my favourite tapes was Suzanne Vega'

https://t.co/rkHTQZHLBm

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One of our Facebook users shared with us a compilation of East Leeds FM emergency broadcasts. This remind us how sound technologies have helped us to stay connected during isolation! What lockdown would have been liked if it had happened 100 years ago?

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East Leeds FM: Keeping A Distance Staying Close

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Heathrow Airport London (LHR), Longford, Regno Unito

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I went to school 9 miles from Heathrow…and even in the early 60s we regularly had lessons disrupted by planes going over our head. And not so many planes as there are now. (Rosemary, museum volunteer)

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24 Hours Living beneath the flight path of Heathrow Airport UK London Heathrow

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Birds and sirens: an unusual experience of Rome

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Birds and sirens: an unusual experience of Rome

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Sound was ever present in Quarantine, altough it was often perceived as silence. What was absent was the cacofony, the merging of the costant din and rattle of the city. Individual sounds survived. I heard birds. And sirens. Lots of them, sadly. (Tom, Twitter user)

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The Streets of Rome Under Quarantine | The New Yorker

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We have had a lot of clapping every Thursday night. People all over the UK clapped to thank the NHS workers for their work. We will always remember the sound of these applauses!

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Clap for our carers: Britons again show gratitude to NHS heroes fighting coronavirus

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I went into Bradford town centre two times. So quiet. It was kind of scary, because silence can be deafening. It was the lack of sound. That’s the strange thing.