High above the still-frigid waters of the Hudson River—150 feet up, to be exact—a scenic walkway spans the “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge between Poughkeepsie and Highland. The panorama is stunning, well-worth the trek out across the 3,000 foot-long structure, which is a magnificent example of 20th century suspension bridge design. And if the view is not breath-taking enough, a unique musical feature, Bridge Music, has been added to augment your experience. Listening stations have been installed at the bases of the two suspension towers where pedestrians can hear the creative compositions of Joseph Bertolozzi.

Known for his unique approach to making music, Bertolozzi has created works ranging from full symphony orchestra to all-inclusive percussion pieces. He’s played at such diverse venues as The Vatican and The U.S. Tennis Open, the latter featuring his solo percussion performance titled The Bronze Collection. He has produced theatrical scores such as his incidental score to Waiting for Godot, performed at the Festival Internationale de Café Theatre in Nancy, France, as well as a large body of liturgical music for use in both Christian and Jewish worship. His reputation as a creative innovator was already established by the time he approached the New York State Bridge Authority a few years ago and requested permission to use the “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge as a musical instrument.

John R. Bellucci, Director of Public Relations and Planning, quips that he and everyone else at the Bridge Authority had no idea how such a thing could be accomplished—but they were all intrigued enough to allow Bertolozzi take his gear and his recording engineer Ron Kuhnke out onto the bridge long enough to record sounds. The two men adhered contact microphones to all the reachable surfaces of the structure, then proceeded to record the sounds made by hitting the surfaces with rubber mallets, wooden dowels, metal hammers and even a large log. Bertolozzi catalogued the sounds and composed a piece called “Bridge Funk,” which he used as a demo to convince the Bridge Authority and officials on each side of the river of the feasibility of his larger proposal. It was accepted enthusiastically, so he and Kuhnke went out for another day to explore more facets of sound revealed by the structure as its parts were percussed. The various tones were then catalogued by pitch and location, and a virtual instrument was created from which Bertolozzi’s music could emerge.

Now five years in the making, Bridge Music is a composition in ten movements using only the bridge itself—that is, the railings, spindles, fences, trusses, panels, cables and suspender ropes have become a giant percussion instrument for the reproduction of tones that might be heard from such instruments as xylophones, chimes and bells, drums, rasps, anvils, bass guitars, marimbas and deep organ-like tones. Although the concept is not original—Bertolozzi cites Bill Fontana’s “Millennium Bridge” and Jodi Rose’s “Singing Bridges” as examples of similar musical experimentation—his implementation is unique, resulting in works that expand the boundaries of known music-making.

Indeed, in integrating this New York landmark with the boundless realm of musicality, Bertolozzi has created a grand experiment well-fitted to the majesty of the bridge in its surroundings. He notes that the bridge’s designer, Ralph Modjeski, was a highly skilled pianist who ultimately chose engineering as his profession, becoming one of the 20th century’s greatest bridge designers. “Both as a pioneering engineer and a musician who loved the music of his own time, he would be intrigued to experience this boundary-shattering synthesis involving his beloved bridge and the music of our time.”

The Mid-Hudson Bridge was chosen for the accessibility of its structural components and its physical beauty and location on the river, not to mention the scenic walkway, opened in 1999, that gives access to pedestrians, bicyclers and the handicapped. Just reaching one of the towers is an awesome trek—from either Waryas Park in Poughkeepsie or Johnson-Iorio Park in Highland—and with a little imagination, refrains from Bertolozzi’s “The First Landfall” or “The Homecoming” might just conjure the vision of that intrepid, but ill-fated explorer, Henry Hudson, floating his way to Albany on the water below! Not-so-intrepid listeners can also hear the recording from stations in the parks on each end of the bridge via stereo transmission 24 hours a day on 95.3 FM, a feature that will be available all year long. Additionally, a CD and Internet downloads of Bridge Music were released on May 25 on the Delos label. The CD, available at major outlets, features a bonus track of an audio tour of the bridge that demonstrates raw samples of sound in the context of Bertolozzi’s compositions. It’s a unique souvenir of this 400th anniversary celebration!

More information about this sound-art installation—including samples from Bridge Music—can be heard at www.JosephBertolozzi.com. The Mid-Hudson Bridge scenic walkway is free and open to the public from April 1 through October 31. Check it out!