EMP 6

And All the Mermaids Began to Sing

By Jonas Olesen

The Little Mermaid (1955–1959) is a radio adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's renowned tale from 1837, crafted for the 'school radio' at the Danish Broadcasting Cooperation (DR), featuring sound and music by Else Marie Pade and narrated by Danish actress Ellen Gottschalch (1994–1981). The narrative, tracing the plight of the little mermaid who sacrifices her entire existence for the handsome prince, serves as a poignant allegory of suffering and extreme self-sacrifice. Yet, tragedy befalls her as the prince picks another bride, leaving the mermaid to meet her end as foam upon the sea.

Pade's sonic rendition of the tale incorporates both semi-conventional sound effects and mood-setting music, meticulously crafted with extreme detail. Her collaboration with DR technician, the sound engineer Holger Lauridsen (1920–1957), proved to be a pivotal encounter for Pade. Struggling with the creation of the mermaid's song, she sought Lauridsen's assistance.

Recalling the moment, Pade noted: 'He patiently listened to my explanation and asked how I precisely imagined a mermaid's voice. I replied that my mermaid sounded like a cross between the opera singer Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and a saw blade. 'Alright, then,' he simply responded and approached a monstrous machine, adjusting and tinkering. Then he turned it on, and would you believe it: all the mermaids began to sing. Throughout the room, they sang! I was utterly flabbergasted. 'What is this?!' I asked him. 'It's electronic music,' he replied.'

The encounter with Lauridsen enriched Pade's practice with a new technical professionalism and a novel sonic material: the electronic. Beyond the concrete musical realm, Lauridsen and Pade formed a personal bond – Pade later described him as her 'spiritual and technical guide'.

Amidst the work on The Little Mermaid, Lauridsen, Pade, and technician Villy Bak, also contributing to the sound design, commenced a 'technical journal'. This journal offers a glimpse into the production's inner workings, delving into their experiments in meticulous detail.

On 13 April (year unknown), detailed notes were introduced, exemplifying the meticulous approach undertaken, for instance:

'The Little Mermaid. Tone generator 261 Hz. Modulation frequency 8 Hz + 125 x 0.2 ... Tone generator 1 volt, input potentiometer 14 dB, left input amplifier ...'

And later, on 4 May (year unknown):

'The Little Mermaid. The chords. Experimenting with a combination of ring modulation, vibrato … Approaching the goal. 261, 300, 400, and 500 Hz are tested. Of these, 400 Hz is the best.'

Page 5 of the 'technical journal' for The Little Mermaid © Dacapo Records

These entries underscore the systematic efforts of Pade and the technicians, striving to document their findings meticulously for replication and enhancement. This signifies basic research into the electronic apparatus available at DR during that period, primarily comprising electroacoustic test equipment.

Pade and Lauridsen's shared fascination with concrete and electronic music led them to establish an informal study group for all interested parties at DR. During a members' evening at the Det Unge Tonekunstnerselskab (DUT) (Young Composers Society) in 1957, Lauridsen delivered a lecture on 'intersections between music and technology', while Pade showcased her initial outcomes from 'work in engineer Lauritzen's (sic) sound laboratory'.

A few years later, they obtained permission from DR to host a series of public information evenings at Radiohuset. Tragically, before the first event, Holger Lauridsen succumbed to a heart infection on New Year's Eve 1957, at a mere 37 years old.

In The Little Mermaid, Pade, for the first time, forges a ground-breaking union of processed real sounds and electronic elements, hinting at the direction of her subsequent purely musical works. A cursory listen may categorise the sonic landscape into effects and mood-setting music, but deeper immersion reveals a rich tapestry of roaring noise and intricate sinewave chords. The music never merely illustrates, and the effects never remain concrete; rather, they become abstract, blurring the lines between music and sound seamlessly. For instance, in the tale's narrative, church bells toll, and while the illustrative effect suggests bell chimes, they're electronically treated to acquire an indeterminate quality.

This method appears meticulously thought out, fitting for a fairy tale – a fiction where the sonic realm inherently bears a fictitious and magical hue.

While listening, one inevitably laments two things: firstly, that the narrative voice, actor Ellen Gottschalch, is mixed very loudly, and secondly, that a version without narration cannot be located. Yet, amidst the narration lies a clever and inventive creation that could easily stand alone as a pure musical depiction of the tale.

The recognition of the work's aesthetic qualities by contemporaries is evidenced by Pierre Schaeffer – founder of musique concrete – broadcasting a French-language rendition of The Little Mermaid on French radio, showcasing 'Danish experiments in experimental music'.

Notes
The Little Mermaid. Background music for recitation, featuring concrete and electronic music. Fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen (1837).

In addition to the original Danish version, the work also exists in an English edition (The Little Mermaid) and a French edition (La petite sirène). The French-language version has not been located. The English version is narrated by an unnamed speaker (available on DAC-DA2022).

Given the existence of Danish, French, and English versions, it can be presumed that DR intended to broadcast the piece on foreign radio stations. However, apart from the broadcast on French radio, no further information on this has been found.