Tuesday, December 13, 2005

An Introduction To Sound Art

On 9 Friday 2005 at 2pm I presented a seminar on sound art at the University o !ri"hton# $bout ei"ht students too% part& this 'as a per ect number, as 'e cou(d sit in a circ(e in the sma((ish room, 'ith the (i"hts dimmed to a com ortab(e (eve(, (istenin" to a variety o sounds# Thou"h most had a basic education in the topic, and reco"nised the peop(e and boo%s mentioned, they had "enera((y not had the opportunity to hear 'or%s associated 'ith those names# This 'as an oversi"ht soon recti ied) !ecause I 'as present in !ri"hton as a poet, I ocused some'hat on (an"ua"e*based pieces# I discussed some o my o'n 'or%s to'ards the end o the seminar, and 'as sure to inc(ude other +anadian artists# For un I p(ayed some o the phono"raphy pieces be ore te((in" peop(e 'hat they 'ere (istenin" to, so 'e cou(d p(ay a sort o "uessin" "ame# ,iven that peop(e in this visua( a"e don-t o ten ta%e the time to .ust sit and (isten, this 'as a rare opportunity# I than% the participants or their patience, +ona(( ,(eeson o the /choo( o $rts and +ommunication or aci(itatin" the session, and 0ohn Davies, coordinator o The /outh, or invitin" me to their poetry estiva(# 1hat o((o's is a out(ine o the seminar, 'ith (in%s to urther resources# Luigi Russolo Ita(ian uturist painter and composer, (ived 1225*1934# In 1913 pub(ished 5The $rt o 6oises5# In the same year he per ormed a concert usin" his invented instruments, ca((ed intonarumori 75intoners5 or 5noise machines58# /peci ica((y, he had arrayed 3 bu99ers, 2 "ur"(ers, 2 bursters, 1 shatterer, 1 thunderer, 1 shri((er, 3 'hist(ers, 1 snorter, and 2 rust(ers# Un ortunate(y, none o these survived 11II# Despite upsettin" many (isteners 'ith his avant* "arde stance, he 'as a(so admired by such composers as /travins%y and :ave(# ;ere o((o's an e<cerpt rom 5The $rt o 6oises5, avai(ab(e in u(( as a =DF at the abso(ute(y abu(ous Ubu1eb# >6?ature is norma((y si(ent, e<cept or storms, hurricanes, ava(anches, cascades and some e<ceptiona( te((uric movements# This is 'hy man 'as thorou"h(y ama9ed by the irst sounds he obtained out o a ho(e in reeds or a stretched strin"#### First o a((, musica( art (oo%ed or the so t and (impid purity o sound# Then it ama("amated di erent sounds, intent upon caressin" the ear 'ith suave harmonies# 6o'adays musica( art aims at the shri((est, stran"est and most dissonant ama("ams o sound# Thus 'e are approachin" noise*sound# This revo(ution o music is para((e(ed by the increasin" pro(i eration o machinery sharin" in human (abor# In the poundin" atmosphere o "reat cities as 'e(( as in the ormer(y si(ent countryside, machines create today such a (ar"e number o varied noises that pure sound, 'ith its (itt(eness and its monotony, no' ai(s to arouse any emotion# Fillippo Tomasso Marinetti 1rote the Futurist @ani esto, irst pub(ished in 5Ae Fi"aro5# The sound poem 5Aa !atta"(ia di $drianopo(i5 'as, accordin" to :usso(o, 'ritten in the !u("arian trenches# $ bri((iant version

'as recorded by @arinetti 7124B*19338 in 1935# This and the o((o'in" t'o pieces 'ere made avai(ab(e in 1922 as part o Te((us ma"a9ine issue 21, 5$udio !y Cisua( $rtists5# Antonio Russolo The brother o Aui"i :usso(o and a Futurist composer# 5+ora(e D /erenata5 is rom 1923 and i((ustrates a mi< o traditiona( and non*traditiona( instruments# Kurt Schwitters In amous Dada artist 'hose c(assic 5Die /onate in Ur(auten5 71919*328 is o ten interpreted even by contemporary artists# The Art of Noise Ta%in" their name rom :usso(o-s boo%, this pop "roup (evera"ed samp(in" techno(o"y to create compositions in (uenced by everythin" rom musiEue concrete to hip*hop# Their debut F=, Into Battle With The Art of Noise, appeared in /eptember 1923 on the house record (abe( GTT 7Gan" Tumb Tumb, a phrase ta%en rom @arinetti-s poem above8# Thou"h their aces 'ere never seen, the ori"ina( "roup 'as made up o c(assica((y trained composer and musician $nne Dud(ey, %eyboard p(ayer 0# 0# 0ec9a(i%, and producer Trevor ;orn 7 amous at the time or pro" roc% "roup Hes8# 0ourna(ist =au( @or(ey 'as considered the ourth member, thou"h his activities 'ere most(y (imited to pi((a"in" inte((ectua(s or Euotes to adorn the record s(eeves# The e<cerpt rom 5=aranoimia5 inc(udes a drippin" tap as percussion and processed voice as me(odic instrument# This version rom the 1925 a(bum In Visible Silence does not inc(ude the voice o @a< ;eadroom 'hich prope((ed the sin"(e version into the charts# Hou can hear some samp(es# R. Murray Schafer !orn in /arnia, Ontario in 1933, /cha er studied in +anada as 'e(( as at the :oya( /choo(s o @usic and the :oya( +onservatory o @usic# In 1944 he 'rote the pivota( boo% The Tuning of the World, o((o'in" on ear(ier pamph(ets (i%e The New Soundscape# To imp(ement his ideas, he ounded the 1or(d /oundscape =ro.ect# /cha er is an important (in% bet'een the 5c(assica(5 tradition and sound art# The o((o'in" Euote e<p(icates his term 5schi9ophonia5I 1e have sp(it the sound orm the ma%er o the sound# /ounds have been torn rom their natura( soc%ets and "iven an amp(i ied and independent e<istence# Coca( sound, or instance, is no (on"er tied to a ho(e in the head but is ree to issue rom any'here in the (andscape# lenn ould +anadian pianist 71932J19228 'e(( %no'n or his recordin"s o 0ohann /ebastian !ach and his rather eccentric behaviour# ;e "ave up (ive per ormances in 19B3, but continued to produce po'er u( interpretations o the repertoire# Aess amous are his radio documentaries, produced throu"h his (on" association 'ith the +!+# The Solitude Trilogy 7The Idea of North, The Latecomers, The Quiet in the Land8 used a techniEue o over(appin" voices e<ecuted 'ith "reat attention to the natura( rhythm o the sentence, tone o voice, and content# ,ou(d ca((ed this 5contrapunta( radio5# $n artic(e on The Idea of North can be read 'hi(e (istenin" to

some streamin" audio, 'hich un ortunate(y is in the nasty proprietary :ea($udio ormat# @aybe better to chec% out some o his other 'or% at Ubu1eb# !ohn "age $ o((o'er o Gen !uddhism and practitioner o chance*based composition, +a"e 71912* 19928 is amous or the recita( piece !"", premiered by David Tudor in 1952# +a"e-s boo% Silence is essentia( readin", but o((o'in" its tit(e 'e 'i(( say nothin" more about +a"e here# #ildegard $ester%amp !orn in ,ermany, 1ester%amp has been in +anada since the si<ties and is stron"(y associated 'ith the (andscape o that country, due to pieces (i%e 5!eneath the Forest F(oor5, 'hich recreates or our ears the o(d "ro'th orests o !ritish +o(umbia# /he .oined /cha er-s 1or(d /oundscape =ro.ect, (ectured at /imon Fraser University 7/FU8 in Cancouver, and 'as a %ey member o Cancouver +o*operative :adio# ;er 'or%s inc(ude radiophonics, phono"raphy, and e(ectro*acoustic composition, combinin" natura( sounds 'ith peop(e, music, poetry, etc# $ variety o her recordin"s can be streamed rom the DIFFU/IO6 i @KDI$ site# Annea Loc%wood Aoc%'ood 'or%s simi(ar(y in compositiona( phono"raphy# !orn in 6e' Gea(and, she has 'or%ed rom the U/$ since 1943, primari(y at Cassar +o((e"e# ;er piece 5$ /ound @ap o the ;udson :iver5 719228 sho's a particu(ar a inity or p(ace and environment# &uiet American $ phono"rapher since a trip to Cietnam in 1992, this artist hosts an impressive site that contains the One @inute Cacations, short "(impses into other p(aces and times# I recommend settin" aside a particu(ar time o the day and (istenin" to one o these per diem unti( they are e<hausted# @editation is optiona() The ne<t t'o se(ections are One @inute Cacations# Al'ert "asais Fie(d recordin" o a peach tree s'ayin" in the 'ind o !ayonne, 6e' 0ersey# (r. Fran% )eit Fie(d recordin" o do(phins 7'ith shrimp providin" bac%"round noises8 in the :ed /ea, ,u( o $Eaba# Stephen *. Mc ree+y ;i"h*ener"y e(ectrons are continuous(y enterin" the Can $((en radiation be(ts o the ma"netosphere surroundin" the Farth# Their traces sho' up in FAFLCAF radio spectrum, 'hich corresponds to the audib(e ran"e o 300 ;9 to 11 %;9# Their association 'ith the visua( spectac(e %no'n as the aurora "ives this phenomenon the name 5aurora( chorus5# /tephen =# @c,reevy, rom +a(i ornia, has re(eased severa( a(bums under this name# The e<amp(e I p(ayed 'as recorded 23 $u"ust 199B at 1BI00 UT in ,rass :iver =rovincia( =ar%, @anitoba, at a (atitude o 53 de"rees 6# escalation ,-. 5Deep /he(ter @enta(ity5 is a trac% created entire(y by so t'are synthesis, but 'hich nonethe(ess bears a resemb(ance both to the natura( recordin"s o the aurora and do(phins# It is ta%en rom the 2003 (imited edition re(ease o #lanet $arth Vs% The #lasma &onster, a +D

'hich pays homa"e to ;#,# 1e((s, %ai.u ei"a 70apanese monster movies8, and the post* apoca(yptic 9eit"eist evident in the 'or(d since the destruction o the 6H+ 1or(d Trade +enter# un%nown artist $ sate((ite transmission that cou(d instead be a piece o musiEue concrete or some post*pun% synth band on an o day# Lincolnshire *oacher This recordin" demonstrates the short'ave phenomenon %no'n as a 5numbers station5, an end(ess transmission o numbers or phonetic a(phabet 7sometimes bro%en up by music or stran"e e(ectronic sounds8 that are presumed to be encoded transmissions rom secret service a"encies to their spies in the ie(d# This is rom @I5# The entire our +D +onet =ro.ect is avai(ab(e or do'n(oad# Hou can read more about these oddities o the air'aves on sites (i%e /imon @ason-s# escalation -./ 5$namnesia =art 35 is part o an unre(eased pro.ect that decomposes the 'ord 5memory5 into many man"(ed, t'isted orms# In this case "ranu(ar synthesis is used to cut the sound into thousands o discrete tempora( units# :ather than reassemb(e them smooth(y, the "(itches are a((o'ed to remain# /ometimes it is the space bet'een sound that ma%es meanin"# 1ant to (istenM escalation -01 5Instrument $pproach5 is rom the 2005 pro.ect 'ontrol Tower Sound, 'hich be"an as a (ive e(ectro*acoustic improvisation on 5 $u"ust 2005# /ubseEuent(y, recordin"s 'ere made to reproduce this per ormance, and these have been assemb(ed into a 7so ar8 unre(eased +D# $n important component in this pro.ect 'ere recordin"s o $ir Tra ic +ontro((ers# ;ere the spaces bet'een the contro((ers- voices have been e<a""erated into a drone that sounds pecu(iar(y (i%e the drone o the aircra t en"ines themse(ves# For more on this pro.ect, have a (oo% at the artic(es in the soundscapes cate"ory# escalation -01 51hat Do They +a(( It, :adarM5 'as recorded @arch 1992 rom a radio ca((*in sho' on the topic o (i e a ter death# The tape punch*in method o 1#/# !urrou"hs 'as used in a pure ashion to create a co((a"e beyond conscious contro(# 51hen you cut into the present, the uture (ea%s throu"h#5 $vai(ab(e on the (imited edition 1999 +D (e)ice for the Transmission of $lectrical $nergy Through Air escalation -01 5'ave, partic(e, a((in" (eaves5 is an insta((ation 'hich premiered 22 @ay 2005 at the Framema%er-s /ymposium, Aimeric%, Ire(and# It reEuires t'o sets o independent(y contro((ed stereo spea%ers and a room o particu(ar si9e 7'hich is to say, air(y sma((8# !ecause I did not have our audio channe(s avai(ab(e at the seminar, I presented .ust stereo sound 7a compromise I rather re"ret8# $"ain the human voice is the source materia(, but this time a sun" ema(e voice provides phonemes that are processed so as to p(ay 'ith the boundary bet'een (an"ua"e and non*(an"ua"e, music and non*music# The piece may at irst sound a("orithmica((y "enerated, but is in act improvised at the computer, enhancin" the 5human5 and 5musica(5 dimensions o the resu(t#

and so on... There are many other resources on the 'eb# Hou mi"ht 'ish to (isten to Far $ ie(dI $ 1ebbed ;and +ompi(ation, chec% out the phono"raphy mai(in" (ist, visit the $coustic Fco(o"y Institute, read the artic(es at The 1or(d Forum or $coustic Fco(o"y, or investi"ate The Nuiet $merican-s (ist o (in%s, .ust or a start# R2LAT2( *3STS composition4 O +onvocation o sound and techno(o"y in DPn Aao"haire O Thousands o Fie(d :ecordin"s O :a""(e Ta""(e e<hibition and music e<trava"an9a O /onic Ci"i( B a(bum (aunch and concert O On bein" a man D etc#