JonathanSterne Audible Past Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction Hello OCR

e o~
flare are the tales currently cold: A l exander Graham Bell anJ T h o nas
O'J.tson hail t l eir h r s t C ome her e t l e p l >one conversatio n i n z 8 76 M' r . % ' a .cson l w an t to s e e i rou'" ylied Bc.ll co %'ztson, and t)>e ~vorld
-'tr f.sry
s]snok. Thomas Eilison first hearing his morals
hail a little lanb"-
returnecl to hire crom che cylinder ot a plonoyrapl built by hIs assistancs

in rH78', anij sudd e nl y t h e l >unan choice a i n e d a m e a sure ot i r n n ortaj~ty
Guplielrno t~farconi's wireless telipraph conquered tire En cl ish c Iannl in

I Hcp9. Unsuspecting navy personnel lir st heard voices cornin~ over chir ra-
ilios in t9o6. Eac)s event has been claimed as a turning point in huinan history Be f ore che inven t io n of souncI-repro@/uccion teelnoloyies
t
we are told,
sound wi t )ered away. It e xisted otly as it went o ut ct e x i s t e nce O n c e t e l e -
phones, phonographs, and rJdios populated our world, sou.nd hai lost a
little of its cphmerel chzrJccer The voice became a little rebore unmoored
from t}se boily, znr3 peopl's ears could cake chem inco tle past or across vast cl ks tianccs. These are pov ertul sto r ies because tlcy tell us chic sonethin~ laplwned ani) proc.tices of sound in meaning
to tlc nature,
th e l a t e n i n e t e en th c e n -
tury. But tleyare inconpiete. I t s o u n i l - r e ! ; roi l u c t i o n t e ch n o l o p i e s c h a ny ed the ~vay ive hear. where d ii j t h >' cornc fr o m .' ~ f a n> of t he pr e<.tices,id<is,
and constructs associated with sound-rp
technologies predaced roduition
the machines themseli es The basic technology to maLe phonographs (and,

by extension, telepho nes) existed for some rime p r i o r to t h e i r ac t u al ii vention -' So wly did sou n d - r e p r o d u cion t ec h n o k f g ies emerge.e wlen they did
ance not at some other tine.' %'hat prcceilecl them that made th em pos-
Sterne, Jonathan. Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction. Durham, NC, USA: Duke University Press, 2002. p 18 http: //site.ebrary.corn/lib/mcgill/Doc? id =f 01 98386&ppg=f 8 Copyright 2002. Duke University Press. All rights Reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under U.S. or applicable copyright law.
sible. desirable, effective, arIct meaning tul I n ivhat rniliu Ji 0 chev d ivIl~
Ffo f v and ivhy d i d o U IicI-reprodu ccion cechnolo~<e cake on che part i c u l a r
t nccions chat rhy did T o technological an<I culcural forms and t u
a n swer
these q im c i o n s , a ve m o v e t r a m lity ou t erTIerge J i n t o c h e s o c ial i n '
r o r I s i i l e r i n g i m p l r i i e c h a n i c aI p o s s i b i -
t: u l t u r ali v o r l d t r o n> v,hi c li t l > e. techIiologi e s
T .6. Arrchbh I-'mrs( ot"fers a l>iscory of t iori
r h e pcrrjibD'ily of s o u n J r e p r o d i i c -
t h e t e l e p l m n e , che p l i o n o g r a ph , r a i l io , an J o t h e r r I a red t e c h n o l o -
gies Ir examines chsocial anJ cultural centric>orls char gave rise co sourId reproJuction anil, in t u rn . l i o n t l i ose cechnoloyies crystallizeiI arId corn-
binJ
c ultural r u r r n r s . Sourid - r e p r o d u ~r~on teelanologies are zr t i lardier i l i f u n d a m e n t a l n a t u r e o l s o u n <I, che bij -
f acts ot vast t r a n form a t i o n s i a
man ear. tlat faculcy of hariny and p r actices of litcniny, rh.it occurred
over che Long, ninteenc)i cent u ry . C a p i c aliJia, rzcioriJIisni, c:tence, calon izlisrti anI a Iiosc of other f u r o r s t h e - m a ! s t r o ng" ol n i M r n i te, co use
Marshall BerniJ.n's phrase all affianced constructs anJ praccice ot sound, hearing, anJ IisteIiing.'
As there Nas an E I i ] i g l i c en m rIc, so coo was t l i ere an En s o n i r nent.' A s iries of rorIj u m t u r e s m on~ i d ea, inrit u t i o n s, znJ p r .tccices rendereJ th e
world audible in new ~ says and valorized Iiiw const r u cts of h earing aniI l i s cening. Between abouc t7qo and rg '>, souncI ics]t became an objeic anJ
a. domain ot t l i o u g h c anil p r i c c i c, ~vhefe It hkd p f e v s oulv 6eell CDrIccptUz liztd i n c e rm s ot p a r t i u l z r i d e a l ize..d instances liLe voice or m u si c kfear-
iIig svm rcconst r u cced as a phd siological p r c cess, a ki n(I ot reef:pti t ity aacf
cdpacicv baseiI on ph>'sic. biology. and ri>echanics.
technique ot Through
l isteIiirip, pea@le harnsed, nio Litic:d, .Uid sh~pd tli eir p o w ers of ~ud i t o t y
percepcion in theerv~ce ot rationality. In the modern age, sourid and heariIig ivere reconccpt u a t ized. ob j iw citid, i m i u c e d , t r J n torrned, reprod u cecl,
comrnodified, n~s- produced, and iaditscrialized. To be sure, che trznsfornszciorI of sound and hearing, took iveIJ over a century. It is not tlirt.c people woke up one day and founcl everything suddenly dtiffcrent C h an~es in
soun~f, Iirenin8 bi y,ractice
t t
and hearing, h.-iplmrIcd 6it hy b~t, pIme hy place, practice

of tiJiae. erianal
over a long, p
The golden z>e ot rhe ear never erIilcd," w r i ce Alan LourI>cl . "It con-
cinue, occluIcd 6y the visual hegemony." ' 7'be .')ri'(ib/e err' telIs zcory wliere soon J, hearirI~, an J listrIiny, are central to tlat cultural ] iie of niaJ rnity, w ] i er c so u n i I , h e a r i ng , n d I i s c c n i Ii g ar e f o u n i l a t i o na l c o m o d r n
m arlins ofknowledge, culture. arId social organ izat i on . I t I ~rovide an zlter-
THE b.UDISLE PA5T
Sterne, Jonathan. Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction. Durham, NC, USA: Duke University Press, 2002. p 19 http: //site.ebrary.corn/lib/mcgill/Doc? id =f 01 98386&ppg=f 9 Copyright 2002. Duke University Press. All rights Reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under U.S. or applicable copyright law.
nar>ve to che pervasive riarracive chat says tlxat, in
moderri. %'escbecomin g
ern culr ur e m o v e d @oval tron> a cu l cure of b a r in g c o a. culcure of seein There is n o doLibt char the ph. l osoph i c al li c eratuce of the Erili y h t e n m e n t
as well a ri>any people's everyday language

sighc rmetzphors for t r ut h an d u n t I e r sta r d i n y . '
i s l i c t e redivirh liphr and

B u t , e ve n it si gh t i s in s o me
xv.hays che privileged sensein European philosophical JIscourse since the Enliglttenrnenc, it i s t~llacious co think c hat sight a l o ne ar in i t s u p p o et' Jif krence from l>caring ex p j a i ri moJ e r r ticy.
Tl>ere has ala,ai's beeri a heai)y aut)acicy to the claim char vision is rhr social lurt of %'labile I Jo noc clair' chat lisrening is(6 s oc ial modernity.
t h a n L ne m ap f o r z t r r i t t i v , , a nJ s o u n d p r o v i d e s a will demon-
chare of modernity, t certainly charts a sipnihcant fidel J at modern practice i

There is alw ays more t hroLty,h history. In som e cases as tliis boo l )Mrcicul.ir patio s trate ing ch F n h y l x t e riraenc ani l
m w3e r n i vays of hearing, prefigu red r n m l er n evans Dt seein8. I 3 u r a f c e n v art). che serise al h e a r i ng, be c ame a n
objecr ot con t e m p l a t i o r i. It w a s n ~easuret). objectif ie d, iolaced, End sin u -
laced. Techrii~lues oE au Jition ctevelope J by doctors and celeyrzphers ivere constituci e cliaracteristics of scientific mediinc aad early versions of rnodern bureaucracy SounJ was coai rixocfified, ir Ibccarne someth in g t l sat can he botiybt and sol J. These faces trouble the cl i che t i n.c rnoilern sciei~ee nd rationalit fI, v ere out roxvths ot visual culture anJ visual chinking. They us to reth in k e x a c t! y v , hat iv e m ea n b y
uvre
t h e t'~.rJkgL t'l vision a nd i n > ages."
To take seriously rhe role of sounJ and

t he visuzlist de h a i t i o n o t .ir'acct'srify'
in modern life is to crouble hearing
T oday. ic is un~lerscooJ acros the hutnu.n science that vision anil v i s u a l cu I Cure are inlpGrtant M a l t e rs. Wf uly co n cem p o raf y >fr'fl cl fs In cerete tcl In
various aspects ot visual culture (or, more properly, visual aspects of various cultural domains) che arts. Jcsi~n, land4.ape, media, fashion
J erstand t h ei r
u n-
i v o r k a s c o r i cr i b u t i r i t o a c o r e set o f c h e o r et i c a], c u l c u r a l ,
at>J historical t.luestionsabout i'isior f and in>ages. %'hi!e wr i t e rs in t e r ested i n visual r i i edi a h av e fo r s o m e t i m e > e s t u r ecl tov arct a con r e p cualiz.iti o n jorrn / trrfrlrf'c or, sinxply, I6/rr>;)
ot > isrr.d Lu(tsrxe. ao sucli para)i t.l construct
ushas has broadly intorrned N:ork on heaririy, or the otlxer senses. %'hile sc)used is coninhered zs a. uniheJ intellectual )problem in some science and
etl''.inccrilEg helds, it is le ss JLvelopcd as an r ob]rrn in t h e s o incinerated p cheory. T h e
ciel and culture.l disciplines. Sinsilarly, i isual conc'.ms populate

trains of cul t l t ral many s
clUest ion ot f>w gcj=i haunts sex eral schools oE leaxinisrn., crit'ical r;Lce theory,
HELL 0!
Sterne, Jonathan. Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction. Durham, NC, USA: Duke University Press, 2002. p 20 http: //site.ebrary.corn/lib/mcgill/Doc? id =f 01 98386&ppg=20 Copyright 2002. Duke University Press. All rights Reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under U.S. or applicable copyright law.
psychoanal.ysis, anil pustscru r o r s l i s m s eeinIIf; occupies great m i n d s i n
T h e c u l t u ra] status ot 'hL reer age and
s e m i o c i cs, fil m s t u d i e s , several schooh o t
an Jart-hiscorical interpretation. archicecture, and communication. literary

iVhilc sound
may i il.teresc inJividual sclmlars in rhese arras, it is still roo

music, and other
otten considered a I iarochi.il or specialized concern. 6 ' h i l e t I~ere are niariy scholars of sound acti ve in c o n i r n o r i i c a t i a n, t il rn s r@ Jiest
l>caiman sciences. sounJ is not u su.ally a central rh eoret ical p r o b le m fo r rma-
jor schools of cultural chu~; apart trom the priv.le se of the voice in pher ioJllcnolop'r' and psyellatrlnalg's I s and irs nL f'ation i n d e tconscnic rluA.
It xvoold be Imssible co write a JiHerent book. anc ttxac ex~'Eains~nJ criricizes scholars' preference f' or v isual objecrs anJ vision as an abject of stud
fl.
For noxv, it is
t o note their the eau/t lies wirh boch cultur;iJ tl|eariscs nautch
d i t t e r e nccs bet w een t i ce
anil scholars of sound. Culrural cheorists coe asily accept pieties about the
d orixinance ot v i s io n a n iI , as a r esulc, have el i JeJ priv:leg of v i s io n ancI tIie t o t a l i t y o l
v i s i o n . i~keanwlxile, stud ies of sound feiv no-
rend ro sh~ a~vay from q
o f saunJ c t I l t u r e as su. h ( w i t h a uestions
cable exceptions! and prefc;r instead to ivark ivir hi n o t l ier d isc:ipliizarq or incei Jisci~>linar fI intellectual d o t r i ai ns. By ! r r( g e s t u r i n g b a ck r ~ i v a rJ a m o r e general le i l af g u ewcioriin~, chi ~ i v a r k s o F e r a n i n a p l ic-.itly cunsul;iriv i sr
epistenaologi' ot tlute history, ot souixcf. The pronaise of con>ulati iist aj~proaches is chat ane day v'e vrill ha i e enauyh Isiscorical in f o r m a t i o n t o
gin generali zing, aboUt society. The bei'ich t lxis Iwrqective is t h a r I. r o blen> i
sucli a remark a ble day is ala ays just aver che hor i zcin.'-' It sauncl anil heariixg are ini3cwd sipnih cant t h e o r et i cal p r o b l ens, chen naw is as ~aoJ a ti n g e
as any ra begin cIealing at" ich rhem as broad i r i t e l Iecroal rnJcters.

Xfany aurhors I>ave i l ainaeil chat hearing is t lute neglected sense in ma i l -
erriity, a novi I sense for analysis.'" Ic eiulJ perl~ay be polernicaIIy acceprable ac tlais poinc to l a n)enc tire re]drive lacl o t s c l i o l a rl y x iork orI saun J campareJ iv ich i m a ges and v i s i on, ch art t h e p i o n e ers, and chen claim t l >ac this book w i l t,' h'.I che gap I f u t r h r e a] it y i s sorae ivh.ir ditTerenr. There is a
vast literacure an the history and Iliilosophq of sounil; per ir rc.-mains conccptu.ally trayrn ent c4 . Fo r rh e i r i t e resteJ r i i i J er . chere is a v eaItlx ot boaI s
anJ arcieles availab]e on ditrerenr asI~r s of sounJ wr i r rerf by scholars at

c ammu n i c a r i o ri, m u s ic, art, arid cu l t u r e . ' Ekut, ivitl>out some I ind of ove r archiny s h a red sensihil icy about i v hiat cansti r u res ()lw his'iiy r( j'o'er.(. Jy!ran ( eric'(rare. or sr rra;) I irrdiLs, piecinp togetlmr a history ot sound fram tlute bewil-
dering array it stories about syp h ,
m u s ic , cechnolci .y, aricI otlxer sounJ-
rr]ared pract ices ]ms all t ire p r o m i se and ap p eal at p i e c in g coa..ethc.-r a pane
TH E b .UDISLE PA5T
ot shactered glass %'e k nv N t hey can corinecc, hu t w e
t h a t t h ; - parts l in e up so m h ow, ~ve krio~v that are u n sure ot ho w t l w y a c t u a lly l i n k c o y echer.
W'e h;v e histories ot concrt aUJ i ences, telfy~lm ines, speeches, sound f>lras,
soumlscapcs, arid cheories of l.caring. But on]y rarely do the ivricers ot histories of soun J su g e s t ho w t h e i r w o r k c o r i n e cts ~sich other, r].iced v'ork
oc ~vith
r intellectual domains 13ecause schUlacship on souncl has riot large.

h i s t o r i ca l q u e s t i o ns , i c h a s no c b e eri abl e t o b r i n y , b r o a d er that ic inthat moves roblem
onsistencly estured to@, ar J more fundamental iind synchet ic t lmarecical,

c ultural, arid
p hilosophical (luestions to bear on t h e 1 arious intel lect ual f i e l d
hibits. The challenge. chen, is co iraa~ine sound as a p
b eyond it s i a x tn ed iace em p i r i ca l c o n t e xt . T' he hist or y ot" sound i s a l r e aJ y

conne tL te(l co the
ro j eccs ol the human sciences; it is up to us co Hesh l arger p
out the cnneccioris. lri posi tin a. history ot soun J, Tr'w'.>(rr Jr'bA' t '.uJ e xte nds a long tra d i t i o n
ot interpretive aad cricicxl social thought. Some uchors have quote(l the
young M arx oo i he iiTi~mrcance at sensory histo ry : " T i r e fo r m i n ~ o t che t'e s enses is a labor u t t h e e n t i r e l s iscori o t t l a t xvocld J u w n t o t h e p r e s e n t . "
hfarx's passage signals tlwc che vr) capacity to relate co the N'orle throU~h
one's senses is organized and learned (liR~reritly in di Arene s()cial s etting s .
The serises are culcivatal or brought inco being." A l a n l>imself bcconxcs the object" to be sh.>pe(j and orienteJ through hist()rical and social proc ess.' ' Before th e senses are real, ~wlpahle. co n ' r c t e , ()r avail able lo r tenaplatioix, thev conare a l r e ady' aRecced and etrecteJ t h r o u 8 l s t he p a n i c u l a r iso ic e r i s e to t h e s u b j e cc who p ossesses tliem w e c o n s i de r so ciety, sense articular
historical cond i t i o n s chat
%'e erin tull y c o r i s ider th e seriscs .xs l>iscorical onl y i f
cUlture, techn(~logy,.u;d th e &oct a as t henaselves artifacts (!f hurixan history' A truly h i s t o r i c ist u n d e r st an d i r iy, of th s ense s ar ot a p
thereforre(~urres a. commitriaeric to chconstructionist anJ c()ntextualist

strairi of social and cu l t u r a l t ho u h t . C o n v e r s ely, a vigorous c(:nstcucti v i sn'1 and a ~'igofous c()ntexc(ialisnl fet.luire a hi s toc)' of the seflses. It Is llo accident char i~farx's discussion of t h e senses appears in a sccciori ort cotritriutr'.rr;>I;zrrrrJ'crJ" J >)~ r8$ ]. riisna iri th e E corwrrrrr .rr;;r Pbi(rabat'
Ev e n t( ) b e g i n
imagining i anocher) society, tice youn~ Marx htJ to consider the historical J n.imics of sens;icion itself. As sve in';q;ine the ~p
t ura], arid hist o r i cal chang e
o ssib i l i t i e so social, cu l i t i s al s oo u r
i n, the past, prserit, or fu t ur e
task co inaagine histo r ies of the senses. It is i iidely aceptLM thar -che indivi Juaj observer kecarae an objecc of irivesstipati()n ani a locus of krm ivledpe beginning i n t h e fir. t tN' dc&a(les of tile I &Mes a n(l i h a c, Juicing chat same
HELL 0!
period, " che stacus ot t l>e obscrvi n cransformat i ons in souixid, hearin
s ubject divas tra.nsformeJ . " ' '
5o, tuo,
, n J listenin ivere part ot no Jssive shifts
ii~ the lan dsca>~ cl social and cuttural lite of the last three centuries.
The en>erL;ence of so@i>8-repro Ruction cechnaloyy i n t h n i n e ceentli and
cwentiech centuries provides a particularly pood encry inca che lardier IIiscory ut souml. Ic is,one of che te~v extanc sites in the human sciences v:l>ere scholars have acknuivleJ~cd anJ
c ontem p l a t e d t he laiscoriciti o t
ri p r o J u c c io n is ce n t ral t o
hearin~.
As Theodor Adurno, KX'airer Bcnj t aniin, and c o u n t l ess richer w r i t e r s h . iv e

ut rriucl~anical aq;ucd. che p roblem u n ' ) e rscanJimp the changing, shape ut" comniu r i i cat io n i n t h e t iventiech cen t u r i es. Fur t l >erri, the cu rn p i l l i n g p l at e n i n e t eent h J.nJ erid:
uf sounJ's reproroblem ducibility, like the rel~rodoction ot imaNes, xva ics seemi a bscraction ng C rom che socil ~vorld ven as it N a s m a n i f esce J more il y r iarnically w i t h i n it.' ' O t l x er wvriters h.v, e oA~reJ even str o n g er c l a i n xs for sou.nJ re p r u J u c tiori: it l>as been describe J as a 'niaterial toi i n i l a t i on" of th e chang in g senses ot space aniI tinie a c the turn ot t he tv e n t i e ch centu r y, part ot a ' perceptual
revolutiant" in the early twentieth ccntur}. SounJ technologies are s.>iJ tu have zrrip]ified anJ extenJeit sound anJ our sense of hearing, across tinge
a nJ space." K | /'e are t ol d t l xzc t e l r p l i o n y a l r c re J ' c h e c o n d i c i on s (if d a i t i ' life"; t liat sound r e c o rd.'in' r c ..presentLM a monument ivhen ' e v e r@thin suJ-
<ienli' han "c J." a shacl
iris'emhlerri of rriad e rn<ti" ;
t h a t r a J i o divas -tive
roost irmpurcant electro ni c i n v e n t i o n " o f chi o ur parcel)tuel h a b it s n J
tN e rit i e t l~ century, tr a nsform-
b l u r r i a 8 t h e b o u n d a r ies of p r i v a te . p u b l i c ,
cammercial, nd putitica.l lit ' Taken out ot conccx.c or mich a little hostility, claims for the historical
signif i c a n c of sa un J r e p roJ ttccion mi s e en' ov erstate J or even yran Jios. I) I l eh f ~ h i e u i v r i t e s th a t s o u nd r e c u r J i n y, i v as one ct - a s c o re ot n e o
cechnalopicw tlxrUsc upon a pupulation increasinpl} accustorne J co nachJnical n>in<:les. f n. a deca Je i+hen men learned to Ry, the cloc k - s p f u ll g JI'3ucor
ot a portble pramoplxciixe or che extenJed playin~ tin>e of a Juuble-siJed disk harelip provokeJ astunishmenc Indeheal, v hat nba} he most remarkahle ivas che rapidity ~erich whih reclxnological innovations heczrrie ahsorbeil int o e~'ei }'day, cufrlllla n p l '1ce exlwriellce . For telephony, rai l iu , ' i ' T tl e s a m e c o u l J be said
m n y o t h e r c e c h n o l Lig>es. 5'et LeM al>ieu's n>ore
sober prose stil l l e aves rauri> lar i vooJer noc at t ice revolu t i o n a r y >mwer
ot sound-repraJuctian teel>nulopy, but at its banality It modernity, in part,

flandres the ex).'.ycriellcc of rapid social anil c u l t tire.l tl~en ics whack chancre,
i ng emblems" may very w c] l h ave been taken In st r ide by some of i cs

f)eu)'t lc
TH E b .UDISLE PA5T
Because sounJ-reproduction ceclinulogy's role in h i s tory i s su easily treated as seffi /ecisive, ic makes sense tu begin rexvrit in ~ th e h i s evidently
tory of sound by reconsidering the historical si$nihcance of sound telxnoloyies. A. tous an sound-reproduction teel>nulogy has an added advantage tur tl>e historian ot sou n il : d u r >n8 t l>eir early ve acs, tml i n u ] o g i es leave
huge paper crzifs, thus oui in'

research I n ea rly
t h e m especial jy rich resuures tuc historical
N ri t i n g s abo ut t he t e l e p h o n e, p.monograph,; snd raili o, ave
find a rich arch ive ot re Hetiuns on th nat ure anil m e a n in g o t' so u nd . Ilearinyand f i s t e n i n L:. Do u g las Viahn w r i t es th ac, -as s historical object. sound cannot f'urnish a pood scory or con s istent cast ut haracters nor can ic vali d ate ani e r satz no t :u n o f p r o ~ cess or generati onal m a t u r i t y . T h e hi story is
scatterd. meeting,. and highly mediated
it i s s pc)oc an ubjecc in any rec e n t u r y , v er y l i t t l e u F t h e
s pecc as sound i t s e l f." ' " P r i o r c o ch e t w e n t i e t h
sunic past ii as pl~ysially preserved for lciscorical an~lysis at a lacer J Jce. Sa
ic makes sense to look instead at a l)articular tIorn.tin oEpractice associacd ivitl> sound. The paper trail left by sound-rl)fuduccioo technofugis provi Jes one ustul scartiny, quint fo r a h i s t or y o f suLInJ Like an exaozinacion ot che sense organs th m sefss, an exani i n acion ot
s()und reclean()logies also cuts to the core of tlat niature,'nurture debate in tlsinking about che causes of and possibilities tor historical change Even
the most b a s i m e c h a n i ca l w o r k i n g s u t s o u n J - r e p n x i u c t i o n t e c t~nufopies
are fsistorically shaped. As I ivill arg ue. t ive i

l owed t e l e p h o nes ani l
i tera t i n gdiaphrapnx ch'ic al-
p h o n o g r a ph s c o f u n c t i o n w a s i t s e l t z n a r t i r ac t t ) t h a ri n S o u n d - r e p r o J u c t i o n cchn o l -
c hanging Ltnilerstandi ng s o f h u m a n
opies are artifacts of Iwrcicul;ir practices anJ relations all cf>e xvay down;
t hey can be c()nsiijered arch.teul()gicalli; T h e l ) i s cury of s o un J t e c h n . ) l og y o tters a route inco a field of c o n j u n c t u r es mong m a t e r i al , ei o n o r n ic , t e c h -
nica], idcital , p r actical, anJnvirL)nmental c) candies. Si tuacd as v,.e are

a mid to r r e n t ia l r a in s otfcapicafist developnxent and m a r k e t i n g i vitli new d i g i t a l that ptl t u s m a c h i n e r y , ; t i s b o t h e asi an d t e n x p t in ~ t u f o r g e t t h e e n lar"er cultu ral context
d uring c o n n e c t io n b e t w een an y t e c h n o l og y an d a
T echnolu~ies somet i m es ento' a c e r t ai n l e vel ot J ei fi c a t iu n i n s o c ial t h e o r y a nd ult u ra l h i s t o ry, w h e r e t l >ey come to b e c ast as d i v i n e ac t o rs. I n -im-
p dc.c narrat i v es, ccflnoloj ,i es ;lee my st e l l t )us bein>s w i t l x ob scure or i g i n s
t]iac conae down from ihe sky ca im p acc" l~unaan relations Such narratives cast technoluyis chmslvs as primary
ch.inpe~l the w'v, ic e J o listen tt) music torical hanye; accents uf his t ecli -
nologicaJ <leitication i che religion behind c l aims l i k e
- t h clephune
b u s i n e ss," - rhe plio n o f rapli chan~ed th e v ay w e
In% p l tna r r a t i v es have beefl righ t l y a nd w i d e l y c r i t i i z e d
HELL 0!
as a tcirm ut techno l o g i cal tl et e r m i n i sm ; t h e y s p r in g t r u m a n Rutlon of causaljcl,". Ac the sante t i m e ,
i m p o v e r i s hecI
t e c h n o l o g i e s are i n c erestifly, precisely becaUse chey
can play a sipnificanc role in peupl s lives. Technologies are repeatable soc ial. cult u r al , an<I mater ial p r ocesses crysca]lized i nt o m e c h a n i sm s Otten,
cheI,' perform labor thac luJ previously be@It done by a person.. Ir is this proc ess ot cryscallization chat m a k es chem h i s t o r i c a ll y i n c erestiny, T l > eir m e chanical characrer, the v.hays in ivhich t hy cu m n x i np,lc phd sics arLd culture,
can tell us a arrear deal abouc che }~pie ~i lm build and deploy them. Technuloyiis nzanitest a designed mechanical agency, a sec ot functions cord ur>eel off tran> tice rest of lite and de l egated co chen>. a ser of func t i ons J e veloped from and l i n k e J to sts uf cul t u r ;il p r act ices. Pupi desi .n anil use c echrmloyies to en h a vce or p r o r n oce cercain acti v i t i e s and J i s c u u r ay i e rs. Technolog ies are associated e irh hgabics, sonietimes crystall i z in g oththem
anil sometimes enabling, thence. 'I'he fI embody in physical form particular

dispositions anJ t e r Id c n i i es. Th e fl oor c l o ser tends co close the door uI tl ess
I scop it xvith mv hand or a tloorscop Tlw domestic radio set receives buc dues not broat.least un!;-ss I Ja a litcle reN'icing and ad(i a microphone. Tive relephone rings i@bile I ~+rice tlute introductii>n tu tlzis book. Atter q cars of
condlcjonln~ t o cespun J tu a fk n''in/
rlxone, Lt cakes some etrurt c e l el.'
ro I g -
nore it and tinish the sencence or paragraph. To study teel>nuloyies in any

m ezningl:al sense req u i res a r i c l l s e l lse o t t h e i r c u r I n eccion w i r h h u m a n
practice, lxabicac, and )tabir. It requires rrentiun to tlat fsclds of cambinecl culcural, soi i.tl. and phd sical actin ity x v h a t o ther authors have called >re t''c ~r'ks or.u~~!r;bf.'Ig nis from v;hich cechnolo ics enaerye ancl of v hich chey
are a pa.rt.-
I he story presented in tlmse pages spirals out from an anJly'sis of tlute mechanical anJ pl~ysical aspects ot che cechnolo ies tltemselves to tlute cechrLiclues, practices, znJ institutions zssuciarncl erich tlxem. At c.-hach juncture in
r ieS are t h e a r g u m e I i C, I ShOW hue S o u n d - r e p r OduCtiun t e ChnOlu~
s hot t h r o o g l > ~virh t h e tron> i~ltich t he y e m e r L:
t e n s i o Its, t e n d e n c i es, aniI c u r r e n t s o t ch e c u l t u r e
r iyhc on down tu cheir most basic naechani-al erat

t h e i r s o u r ces or t h e e
t unctio ll s . iOur mac cheris?lethal pieties alRuc soUrIJ-repr(bluet!on tec)lllolo-
gies
f or inscance, tltzr t h e y selx>raced souItds fro m
sooncl recording allcn is us ca hear the choices ut the deaJ > v ere not and are nut innocent empirical ctescriptions ot che cechnoloyies' inipa,ct. They were ivishcc chat peu~ le ~rated oIttu mund-reproduction techno]
cllat bccarne pro +ranls for J Illluvzr>oil and use.
orgiescfishes
8 T H E b.UDISLE PA5T
F ur mani' ot t h e i r
i n v e n t o r s a n(I eJ.rlI; users. soun()-reprod u c t io n t n : h -
nuloy,ies encapsulated a..vhule set of beliefs ahouc the age arid place in whic.h thei' lived. Suond-repro(juctiun tecl~nuIugics represenred tlat promi se ut science, ration al i ty, and i n d u s t r y an d ch e p oli er of t h (- wlaite man t o c o-opt an(i supersede (Iornains c>f 1ife that v,ere prei iously curisidered tu b e
Far their earl's' risers. sound t(:chixolopieswer i r i a ~vora' r n magical.

em.
'
O-
. )fr~(Lrar(y is ut course a cloudy an a l y ti c cate~or e, frau~br xvich interp r o h a 6 l y s cents
rul coritrad i c t i un s an(I i r i t e l l e c t t iz l c ( i n t l i c ts. It s d i A i c u l t y
from irs usefUlness as a. heuristic terra, an(I my use t>t it is deliberately hetiristic. %''lien I claina chat sound-repruduccion
t ic triodern i ty , 1 du nu c m ea n q u i t e h istory i ndexes an acoustechnology t h e s arge t l xiny a s th e s u b Iects of m)
( h e A u i h b)e P.ui" explures the iv ays iri svhicli che h i s t or y u t s o u n d
contributes tu MI develops fcorm tlat 'maelstrom of naudern lite ito return tu Herman): capitalism, colonialism, and the rise ut industry; the growth
ariJ deveIupnaerfc of the sciences. chat ries, n>assize popu l as; in~ cosnaiio~
tiori shifts (specitically
m igrat i o nand Urbanization>, new form of collec-
tive and corporate poxr, socio.l n>ovemeritsclass scrupl e i i eld the rise
ut" new rn i d d l e c l a s ses, n>ass conanaunicvriun t riaciun-scates. bureaucra(q; conh(lence in prog ress, ia universal a6scract lxunaanist stibjecr, an(l tice world
ari object tu be c reroblem: ontem p l a t e d, c onstructed, an(I m a n i p u l a t ed . sum (.chin~ t h a t ca n b fragmented. indusrnoderri life, sound bcwumes z p
t riafiz(..d. and bough t an d s o l d
niarl er; and a r ef l ex i ve c ontem p l a t i o n of the cunsrzncy ot change.-'-' In
But The A,z.fibA Pelf is r i ot z s i n s p]e iTioclerriizzcion narraci~e tor sound arid hearing,.;l )~IA>' fbi=a(r iri~ c an too easily soy, est a b r i t c]e k i n J o f Liniver-
s alisrn, iv)iere tlat spccih c h i s corical devel(ilirueists rferenced bi o r ; t.A>',irri", are transnaugriheil i n t o a ser of h i st(Jriczl st.x~es through i vt>ich alI cul t u r e s
nousc pass In f o h a r i n es Fabian's apt p)>rase, che idea of rno(Ierniti a s m o d e rnization c t i me rel at i ons (.k space re l a t i o n s b e cween cu l t u r e s int o re -
lations of tinge, i<here the wlxite naari stands at tlat pi r i nacle of wo rl d ev(j]u-
t i on -' 9' l>i le I ariz n c r ari ex p

as 'mocternization," i t sound reprod t i c t iu n t h a t
o ignant ol adevelopm e nt J I rhe(iry of niude rn ity
i s s u r l y a cncral elem ent o f s o nae discourses about i c e w i l l c o n f r o n t i t re b oret han once in c he fol l o iv-
res. A l(iflg l in c uf i n v e ricors, scllolars, busillcsspeople, phon og r aI>hic ing pQ~
anthrop~)oi;istic, and castial users thnupht ul chc:mselves as partakin~ in a

modern wei r of life, as Iivin" at the pinnacl~ of the wurld's progress. TheI,' belie f (;d chat t l m i r e p o c h r o d t . ch e c r esc c t r n o d e r n i r 'ation's un s t o p p a b l e
wave. So, in add i t i o n t u b e i n g a u s e ful h e u r i scic f()r d Lmr i b i n g t h e c o n t e x t
HELL 0!
o t the p r u jec:t as a N h o le, ry~Ar0i(i an d
i r s c o n j u g a tes are also i r n p u r t a n c
c acepozics to hc analyzeil anil cartu ll y caken apart w i c h i n c h i s h i s t o r y . The rem a i n de r o t t h i s i n t r o i l u c t i o n p r o v i d e s s o ni c c u n c c p c ual b a c k.-
ground for tlat history that fol]o~vs. TIDAL. ncxc seccion is an excenJed Lonsideration ot s o un d as an o b j ~ o F l i i s t o r i c al s cud@: ~vhat Joes it m e a n t u
N'rite a history ut soniethiri~ so apparencly natural and physical as sound

a nil hearing.' A n i dor dccaiIL-J map ut th e borak's arpuni c nt s t h e n f o l l u i v s .
R ethinking Sov nd's Na t u r e : D f Forests, Fallen T r e e s , ah d P h e n o r n e n o l o g l e s Al] thi s t a] k o f m u L Iern i ty, h i s t o ry, and su u ni l t <whnolugfj,' conjures an itTiat'.rsvp uf sound anil h a r i ny,. Insofar as is treat suurid o ther than ics nJcural. history m i g h c sumchin g at l e s t i t c o u l d a s p i r e
tlic plied opposite:
a s a fact uf nacurc, iv r i t i n I
s eem like an i n i n i o J esc ur i n af~prupriate end i a vo r
only co pzrcizlicy. Alt liouyh Iilrn scholars have been using che plirase ba'cry
r ,'sarcna' for some cirTie, ic has an u n e asy r in g t u i t A r ' c c ra l l , s c h o l ars o t th visible No r lJ do n o t i v r i t e Ii i s t o r i c s c:I li> l i t " q a lc hougli p e r h a ps chi shoul J), instead pre(err! n> to ~irich i s t o r i es ut -v i s u .il cul t u r e , ~images," t h c v i s u a l" m . ii b
iisuzlici." a nd r he l i k e . B r a c k L c ing l i g l i c i n t a v or ut
a defensive n ia ne uver sin ce t l ic v a r i o us v i s u al t e r m s c o n v e n~encli b r a c k c c i luescions ut" the n a t ur e o f n a r u r e . B u t , b e s i des sou n d i n g g o o d , h u b ris ty (
jozaril zlreaJ t'ctTibodics a harI-tu-grasp buc necessary pzraJux of nature and culcure central tu every t h i n g t h a r f o l l ow s in tl i ts book. Ac i ts cure, che I.lic-
n unicnun ut soun J anil th e Ii tscory of ~ound rest at che in - b e t w een p o in t o t c ulcure anJ na t u r e . tt i s >mpmsib le co r m e r e ly de scribe" t he t a c u l ti u f h e a rin~ in i ts n atuhas n u figurJcive di m n language
ra) stare. Ever> co try is tu pretend that

siori of it s o v ,n . T h e
l a n g u ag e t ha c ~vr. use to Je scrib sounil a nd h e a r i n g ,
comes ~L'i~hted JuN n N'ich decades ur centur i ; -s uf cult u r e !l bz~a ~ c . C o n sider che careers of two a d j wti vi s associateiI ivith t h ear in the Ln y l i s h I a n J(u'li'c T ILL remit ! $1't''(( b eL'an )rs liiscoc)' in I 8$ ~ nleanin'' of uf p cl tzinlllp
'to t lie ufp lli uf nearinp", it d id it ic a pp e ar in pr i nt J n o t in', sonietl is np "r c c clve J or pcrccii e J by che ear" u n t i l t H 6 a . P r i o r co t h a t p c r i o i l , ch t e r m
cAvfhtrI (r was used co describe soniethiri o
t or p e r t a i n i ng co che ear" or
perceived bi' che ear. ' T h is, divas not a m erc sm an ti c d i R rencc. der.f terr).'sr
carried w it h i c c o n n o t a t i o n s ot tirzl crzdi cion and I>earsaiy as well as tli x.ccrrIal f eatures ol the e ar v i s i b le to c he n a k ed e ye (tl ie t o l J d m a ss of s k i n
char is ctten synecd~lu l l y refcrrecl to as che car is tchnically citlicr che zv-
lO
TH E A U D I BLE PA5T
rii'A.. cheprnrzcs. or the uri'n L.ci ) . AfrrrzF. meanNhi le, carried iv ich i t bio con-
natations of oral craJition and refrred
s peci f i c a l l yco the mick3le ear, che
inner ear. and th ii er ves tlizc corn v i b r z cicfns inco ~vhat ch brain perccivs
as sottnd IIas in;orrz(.~urgciq ). The idea cff che aural and its Jecidedly medical i n tlection i s a part of t he liiscorical era nstt irrnat ioti chat I rLlescri be i a che fol jc wiriu pai.es Generally. wlien v r i t e r s i n v ok e a b i n ar y c o u p l i ny, bete eeo cu l t u ce arid recure. it is w i t h c he i i l ca chat cul t u r e is char iih f c h c h i t i y e s cfvcr ti m e aiid
thee natuc is that which is perriaaneac, timeless, anJ unch.uiyiny,. Tlirt nat ure.'culture b i n ar y cfEers a chin v ie w o t f or s o c ia l c o n s t r u c t i o n " a r g u n i n t s. " n a t u r e , a co n v e n i en t s t r av ' t i g u r e I i > ch e case of sou nd , che ap p eal t o
soniethin stJ.cic is a jso a tri ck of t l i l a n g u a g e. 8 ' e c r e at sound as a natu -
ral ph e nomeno nexterior to ~~ p i c .

t ric "witl>ouc che oq;an cI' hearing w i t h
b u t it s ve ry d e h n i c i on is ant h r <ipoceti-
T l w p l i y s i o /t c ~est johanns l l t fuller v,roce over t ea years ago tlwc, i c s i it a l n ~ o ~ r n e o t s , chere woul J be lfullr
n o sucli a. ching as sou@ J in che world . bLit m e r ely v i b c at i o ii s."-" A s
lwinteJ out, our ocher senses can alamo perceive vibracioa. Souiid is 'i very particular perception ot v i b r ations. You can cake ch sound Guc ot che
h uman, bu c exreise in ) o u c a n t e ak the h u m ;>n ou t o f t h e s o u m 3 o n ly. t h r o ug h . i n i m a y , i n acion . S o u nJ s aire d c t i ned .i s t h a t cl a s s o f v i b r a t i o n s
perceivetj and, in a niore exact sense, syn>pathecically produced hi che

f unccioniny, ear i v ) >en chy t r a v e l c h r o u p h a n i e J i u r i a t h a c c a n c o n v e y changes iii pressure (sue:Is as air). Th nu m b ers tor che range of huraaii liezcin', {
1vhich
J ii nett a i a t t e r absolutely
f o r c h p u r p o ss of t h i s s t u J i j a r e
tv enty to twnty tholisand cycjes pc.-r secor'. although in practice niost

a dulcs in i n d u s t r i a l s o c i et y ca@not l>ear eichr en J cif th .ic rang. %'e ar e thus press.-nteJ a ich a choice in our cffinit ton: we can sll,' either chat scend
is a class of vibration tkzt rs'rgb( be heard or chJc it is a class of vibration

tharis harJ, b u t , i n e i t h e r case, che 1>L-.icily ot t li e sound is w l iac makes ic
Afy pc>int is that huraan beings reside ac thr cericer of any naeaningfu) thetinicioa of sound X('t>en che hearin of ocher animals conies up, ic is usualii concrasced xvich hLiman hearing {as in "sounds chat only a dog could hear" ). As pact of a larger physical p
h enomen o n of ~ibr;icion, sound is a

t l m w o r l d a p o r t f r o ck h u -
p rnduct ol ch e h u m a n se ass and nuit a t l i i a g i n
mans. Sound is a lic tle p i e ce of the v i b r a t i n g i iorld. P rliaps tliis reads like an arg u m en t t l i a c tel l i ng, crees in the forest ni ak e no sounJs i t t l i e r e are no pe@pl there co lac.ir th em . I a . rn awa re chat t h e
squirreJs wauld oRer another i n t e r p r e t a t i on . ( . ercainl); once avestabfish an ol)crational clelini t i o t i of sou n il , chere Ii>ay be chose aspects of it t l i Jc can be
HfLLO!
I I
i8entihe J by physiciscs atiJ physioloyists s universal nd unchaaginIIf;. By

o ur Jetiii i t i o r I o t s o u nd . there to h ear i t . r h e t r e e m .i l es a n t i ise w h e t he r o r i i o t a n y o n e i s B u t . e v e n l i e r e , ave are deal in g i n a n c h r o pmceticric d el>-
tiicions. 6'hen z 6ig t ree tells, tlie vibracions excend oucside the audible
r atiye T h e b o i I n d r y b e t w ee n v i b r a c io n chat i so u ni l an d v i b r a t i o n t h . i c
is noc-sound is noc derived from any iluamicy ot the vihracioti in itself or

the air th ac conve ys tl ie vi b r a t i o t i s. R a t h e r, t he b o u n J r i ; b e t w e en s c>ulid a nil noc-soutiil i s hiaririy, b a sed o n c h e u n d e r s t ood p o s s i b i l i t i e s o f ch e f a c u l t y c t
w h e t h e r w e a t e t a l l ; i n b cfuc a person or a si l u i r r el . T h e r e f o re, b y d e h n i t i o i i . S p e c i es
as people anat squirrels chan~ r e, so too wrill soun d

llavc h l s tc>r Jes.
Sound hister , i I i d e xes cJianges in ho ma n na t ure ancl <lie liurnati in liti
bluidy
aI i d in J . e a ch. T he v e r i s h a p e a nJ fu l i < .ciotiinp of t e c h n o l o g i es a f u n d e r s t ali d i I ig s ol nd r e -
s ound reprad u i c i ot i r c HecteJ, i n p a rt , c h a n g i n g
lations co the nature Jid l;IJiccion t>t hcariii~. For instIn c, in che final chapter et tlii s b o ok , 1 d i scuss huiv V i c t o r i a n xvr i t ers' desire tor p e r tii aiience in soun J recording, divas an e.ctension of c h a i i p i n p p r a c cices nd tunderscati J-
its
o f preser in' h c x i ies mi f oo d f c>lloiviii~ c h e it' i~ iI O'J.r. The cor foec-
t iaris aniotiy, caiiIi i n> , e n l h a ]
ming,a ncl sound r i c o r i ) i n '
r e c l u i r et l i a c w e
c oilsldef p f il c t'ice ot soUnd ceproil u c t Io n Il l
r e l a t i o n cD ocller b l x l i l y p l zc -
tices. fn a plirase. che hiscory ot soun,d irIiplies a history of che bcxly.

B ool.ly experience is a prod ui t o f t l i e p a r t i c u l a r co n J i t i o n s of social l ; f e , riot someching t ha t i s g i ve n p r i o r t o ic . M i c h e l I n u c a ulr h a s ha wt i t l i ac, in
the eiyhceench arIil nineceenth ceticuries, the body became ar>ok>jere ance
targec ot [)oxver" T h e m o d e r n b o J y is c ) ic b o d y t h . i t i s ' i s n i a r f i p u l a t ~ d, shaped. traitieJ," t l i z c " o b e ys, responds, kiec<>m~a skillfUl and i n c r eases ics forces." Like z m a c l i i n e , it is b u i / t a n d r e b u i l t , o p e r a t i o n a l i z e il anil f i i o di fied.-" B eyond a rd b e f o r e F o u c a ulr, t h e r e a re scores ot autl m r s i v l >o reach
similar conclusioIis. Already in t Sot, a Dr Jean-~iarc Gaspard fczrd canc ludei), on c h i - b a sis o f hi s i n t e r actions w i t l i a y o u li p b o v t o u n d l i v i n ~ is l e arned. I t a l ti a m e i l c he b oy V i c t o r .
' tvilJ" in tl at ivotxls, chat aud i t io n
i ild child, Victor dicl noc speak a n d Bein~ a ~

about his abil it y to s ounds co test Vic t o r's lierin~
h i s silence led to ijuescions
he a r. Itard slaJiamed doors, jingl ed k e y s, anJ made tJther T l i e b o y everI fzil~4 co rect ivlien It ard shoe
otra. p uti near his heail. Buc ~'iccor was not deaf: the young Joctor surmised
tht tlat boy's Imari' i vas just hne. ~'ictor sinspli h ooved no in t e rest in t h e
same sounds m, "civilized" French people. %'hile che youn>er M n
' "
a r g u e d t h a t t h e h i s t or y of t li e senses v zw core
component c >inhuman histor~, the o]der hfrx argued thac the physical con-
IX
TH E A U D I BLE PA5T
Jitions u n d e r >which l a b o r ers " r e p r o d u c ed ' s ociety to s u L i et y
c h e n i sL-ivesi voulJ v ar y
tron>
t h at t h e i r b o L l i e s an d n e ed s w e r e h i s t u r i L z ll y J e c e r -
n')illd.-" T lie FreJiclir antliropo l u g ist M i r e l il f k u ss, ollc of FouciiLilt s R')an/' inHitences. overed t l iac " m a n's tirst and n i osc nacurt l cech n i cal a b j e ct, and
at che danie time reel>nical means. is his body." %'h;tt lfa luss called,.wP; )Lcb0;qveJ >vere -one ot th e t Ljndani en ta l n i o ri>eries ot history o t che vision, educat io n ir i w a.lk in g it s elf. ducati u n @ s c e n ( l i n y , d e scendi ng . r u n n i n g . " " '
'To Al.iuss's list Ne could ii eld cheduc;icion anJ sliapiny, ut;iudition. Phenornenolog}" alwa fI, s presupposes cultic, power, pr~ccice, .tnd episcemol-
ugy. Everychiny, is kiio~wledge, and chis is tlie tirst reasin whi there is no
s avL;e cxperiencL t l l r e l s riot ll,ill/ B e n eath or p r i o r i o k n o Q '
ledge.
The hiscoci uf so un d
p t o v i d e s surete af che best vidence for t ( l y n z t r i i c
h istory ot che b o dl,' because ic travrses chc nature ''culture J i v i t l e : i t d e m onscr~cs tliac che tr~nsforra~cion uf p e o p l e's pji ysical at cr i b u ces is pact ut
cultural history. I'uc e) mptL, indttstrialszatiun and urbanization dcrease peopl's physical capacities tu hear One ut tlie eva ns IIi ivhich a dU lcs lose
the uppc.f rJnge of t h ei r l i e z cing i s t h r o u g h e n c o u n t ers mich l ou d n i z c h i n-
ety A j
a ckhamm e r here, a siren there, end che cop edge of herin be8ins
the ni(xI-
tu eco(le. Cant lie. cs over ~whse does aiid dues nut ct~nst icuce L.nvirunrneri tel n oise re tl>e'nisejves bticcles over svhat sounds are ad m i s s i bl e i n
erri lan(escape.'- As Nieczsche would h.ive it. ji>ahern;cy is a connie and place whre it becomes possible tur people Co he IiaeasurLQ." 1t is 'ilso a place
v;here the ho n u . n - b u i l t n v i r o n m e a c m o d i h L.s the li v in g h eel@.
lf our oal is co descr;be tlat hiscor>ca] Jynamisri> of sound or toconsider sou rd t rom ch vance poinc uf cijlcuri l c h Lory, we Ii>usc move just beyond
ics shifcing bo rd er s j u sc o u t s i LI soLinLl incatli vase xvurld ot th i n gs c hat we chink ot as in c b L'ing ab ou t so u ii d c all. Th h i s t or y ot so un d i s at (l'if: ferent moment s s t r a n g e l y s; l ent. st r a ri~cly y ,ory. scrali I I ,' vtsLia.l, zn() al-
e ,zis ccntexcul This is because tlirt elusive insi<l ~vorlJ of sound

sunofuus, che aud i t o r y , t l| e h ( ' zfLI, che vfIr' density of s o ni c e x p e r i ence
che
enierL;es and becomes percepcible only through ics exteriors. If there is no

"niere" or i n n o c ent d e scr i p cion t ) t sound, then t h er e is n u ' n a c re" or i n n o -
cent description uf suni - experience. This book turns a~vay from attempcs tu fercuver hand desc.r~he people's interior exlx rterice of
tuQ' pest
listen~opan tuidi-
ca v l ' ar d t l>e soci Jl anJ cul t u ral g r o u nd s of sonic experience. The
-xcerioritI,'" of sound is this book's primary ohject ut scudy. lf sourid in icself is z vtr i a b )e rath er chan a constanc, tlien che lii sc(ry of sound is of i i e cessitq. an e)(ternalisc and cantcx t u a l i s c n Jc.-avor. Mun d i s zn ar t i i acc of che n aessy and ~~l. t i caj h u m .i n s p h e r e .
H LLQ!
II
To borro w a chink.irIg . sounJ. )i'
p h r a s e t r o n > M i c l m l C h i o n . I a i r r i t o " d i s e n g a ge s u u l i d W f anI, cheurists snJ h i s t o r i ans if
.. frora it s n z c u r i l i s cic n i t . " ' '
p r i v i / e ye d t l ) e st atic and t r a n s h i st o r i i a l . t h c is, th e. -nscurl,"
qualities ut sound anj liearing as a basis for sound liiscory. A sLirprisirily

lar c pr o p ircioa Df the bvul s nI article s ; w rit t en b o uc sating] begin iv i t h
an argument ch; it souiij
is i n some Ni a ' s~~i a ] c a se" tur st . i a ] ur cu l t u r a l
analysis. The -specie} cas" argument is accomplished throu@I> n ap[)c.a] tu

che interior n a t t ir c ut soi ni cl: it is argi i nl t h e e sound s natural or p h e n u r ac--
nulogical traits recluire a special sensibility and spc~ ill vocabulary i<hen ~vcapproacli it a s an o b j e c t o t s t u d y . Tta fulf fI appreciate che st r a n g eness ot
beginning liistory vrith a transhistorical Jescripcion vr" human listenio~

experience, :onsider how r are it is f or h i s t o r i es ul n esvspa~wrsor li t e r z t L tre
co begin ivith naturalistic descriptions of light arIJ phenumenologies ot ra J i ris'. Sound certainly has naturil d i mensions, hut t l i ese hve hen wideli
niisinterp reteI I xvnt tu spend che next Fc:ivp ages cotisidering o t h er v ;r i t -
ers' claims about tl>e
n acural elmracteristics of sound i n supped
order tu
xplain ho~v anil i v h~' f hc. A.v.r'ibA F tel e s ih e xvs transhistori . z l c o n s t r u c t s ot mund n d h e a r in ~ 'i s a h Jsis for h i s t o r y u f s o u n I. T rIishistori cal x -
[~l.tnations ut sound's nature can certainly be
]in@, znJ p compel owerful,
but they tend to carry reich them the uncl noeldyed weight ut a txvochoUsa.nd-year-oli) Christin theilly ot I:stcning.
I :ven il. ic gnomes at t)>e bey;innin~ o f a nurnenutupical" t r u t h h i s t o r y , an a p p eal co th e p h a b iut sound sets up e x p e r i ence as soniehoxv outsid
che purviv ot historical analysis. This need not be su

anil the st ud > o f e x p e r i e nce are nu t b y
p h e n o t ricnolugi'
d e f i n i t i o n o p p u sJ co h i s t o r i c i s n i .
F or iIistiancc, 'Iyfuricr M e r l e a u -P ontfI 's xvork has a rich sens of ilie histuri-
zl dimensions of phenornenological experience." But foun Jin~ one's analysis un tlat supposeI tr.nshistorical plietiumenulopical hrzcceristics ol
hearing iS arI inCredibly pa i Veriul n> use in COnStru~tiiijIf; a Culturl theory Ot souriJ. Ccrt a i n l ' , i t s scrts a un i v e rsal hu ma n si i h j m .t, buc ive ivi.l s ee that itwut the role uf hearin~ in salvation:n. rejudices.
the problem i s less in the unii r s a l it y lm r se chan in th e u n i v e r salizat ion ot
a set e t particular relip ioLis p
That these ri l i > i i i u s p r e j u i l i ces are embed Jcd at t'ai very center oF K('stern l l ite') lcctU,'il hlsturl,' mal es thence all the n l o fe i n t U f tive, ubv i o i i s, of u t h e r lv ise fwrsU'isive.
To otrer a gross generalization, assertions about the difference between hearirig nd seeinq iLsu'il)y appear together in the fornax of a list.'"' Tliey begin at the level of the individual human being (both physically' anil psy-
l4
TH E A U D I B LE PA5T
choloyical l y). T h e y mov e
o l i t t f o f n c l l ef e t o c o n s cAl t a cu l t t i r JI t h e o ry o f
the senses T h ese i)iftL.rences betv een hearing and seein are often c o n s id-
ere J as biologic'il, psyclxologial. and p
hysicalt ee:ts, tive impl i c a t io n b e i n g
that chey are a necessary startin point for che cu)coral analysis of sound.
This list s t r i kes ni e as z l i t a iz y an i l I u s e t h a c cern> de)iberat :l y b e c ause so I v i l I p r e s en t i t a s z l i t an y l m r e .
of its
i ial overtone s rheology,
hearing is spherical, vision is dircccional,

hear lnL, iRinlerses irs vislofl GHefs a pefspi subject, its object'. ccivc, soonds come to Us, but v i s io n cravels ta
hearing is concerned ivich interiors, vision is concerned ivith surfaces,

h earing i n v o l ves p h y s ical co n t act i v i t h qtiires di stance trom i c, h earing, places its inside an event, seeing g i ves us a perspccrive on rh e even c, t h e o u c s ide ~world, vi s ion r e -
hearing tends co ivarJ subjeccivicy. vision rends toNard ob Iectivity,

hearini; brings us inco che li~ in@, ivor)d, siylxc moves us cow zr) acro-
phd a.nd ) earh;

hearini, is about ; ~ tect, i ision is about i o t e l l e cc ,
hearing, is a primarily remporal sense, vision is a primarily spatial

sense: hearini, is a sense thzc inamerses us in the ivor)el, vision is a sense that removes us trotri ic."
The audiovisual litany
a s I w : l l h ereafter call ic idcalizes hearin (and,
by extension, speech) as naanifescin8 a I iiM et( pure interiority. It alcern.iceli' denig r ates anil el evJces i ision: as a lal) en sense, vision t a k es us out ot the ivor)d. Bu t i t a l s o b a t hes us in th e clear l i gh t o f r e ason ( ? n e can a.iso
see the sami kinJ of t l i i n k ing at ivork in Romantic c oncepcua):rations of
music.f ari I Flinn
prices rhat nineteen:nchwentury Ronaanciciun pronxoci4
the belief thzc -music's imnxaterial ntacure lends it a cranscenJent, mystica(

c ) lL3lit~', a Imprint thar chen makes it q u i t e d i 6 c u l t c rete realities. . f o r m u s i c t o speak to co n -
. Like a)l g r ea t arc' so construed, ir t a kes ics place outside
ot history where it is considered cinaeless, universal, tunccionless, o)wraci ng hci on 3 t h e m a r k e t p l ace n J rhe scan J.ird soi,il relat i ons of consi i m p -
tion and production." '
O u t l i n i n g t h e ' ( i ((irevsies between sight ani) hear-
in' beys he prior quescion f ivhat ~re m e an i v h en i ve t a l k a b o u t c h e i r

n'~cure. Some aUthors refer b;ick t o p h y s i cs; ot h er s refer back t o c r a nscenp s y c ) i o l o i y . I n c a e la case, chose Jencal p)lenollletMtlog'l' or even c o g l l l t i v c
icing the ticany do so co demarcate tlat purporteJ)i special capacities of
H LLQ!
I5
iach snse as the scart in@, point for hi s t o r i cal nalysis l n s cead ut olTeri nI; us a n entry inco che history ut th e serIses, che audiovisual l i t an y p o s its hi s t o r y as sonicthi rIi. t ha t h a p p e tis be t'ai~lj t he senses As a culture tnuves trojan tlirt d ominance ot o n e s i msc t a c h a t o t a n o t l m r , i c c h a n g es. T h e a o d i u v i s u ' i l
]itarIy renders cbe t>istory ot the senses as a zero-sum garne. >vlmre the cIutriinanci- of one sense bI,' necessity leads tu th e d e c l in e o t .i nucher sense. But there i s Im scienti f ic b a s is fur assertin t h a t c hc u se ot one sense atroph i e s anurher. f n a d d i r i u n )itany carries wich t u i t s s p e c i ou s z e r o-sun>rezoningche
audiovisual
it a r ~utxl deal ot i d e o l o y i cal b a i ;~ aye. Even i t t h a t w e r c
nut so, ic ivouIJ s c il I nu c k e a very g ou J e t n p i r i ca l accoun t u t serisacioli or

jw fcepciofl.
The audiovi sual l i t a n y is derive J frcirii ri l i g i o u s t) stariding s p i r i t
is id e o l o g i c al in i l m u l i l e st s ense ot che xvurd: it
ulema. tI is essentially a rescacerjient uf

<:liristian
i li e l u n y,-
'letter di stinction ii i
Tlie spirit is s piri t u a l i s m.
l iv>ny, antj I ife-givin g ic leads tu d a r n n a i i o n
i t l ea J s co s;ilvat iu n T l i c l i t t e r i s d ead and i n e r t S p i r i t a n t i l e t t e r h a v e s e nsorI; anal og ues: heariIi l e aJ s a sool t u t h e l e t t e r . A t l i e o r y ti t r c l i ~ i o u s
l eads a. soul to sp i r i t , s i g h t
commun i i-atiurI chat posies sound as life-p i vi n sp i ri t can bc t r aced back tu the <gospel (if Jt>hn anil th e i v r i t i n ~ s c t S a in t A u g u s t i n e . T h ese C.hriscian
ideas abuur speech arId hearing, c'in in curn b trireme haik to Placo's discussiun of speech aIid writing in the Phrs')rural. "' The haring-spirit.~siyht] etcer lranaewurk f i n d s i t s n i o s t c o h e r en t c o n c eIii p u r arq scatement i n c l i e Ivurk uf l( ' a ] reer Onp, whose later iver itin> I,especial ly Ores)if; r'Irz( J r)c r;'ay) is st i l l iw id'. l y ci ted as an au t liori cari ve dc. sc ripI ion af rhe phermmerIol uy,y arid ps) cho lo rdly ot sound. Because OrIg's later N'urk is so ivi Jel}' ci ted I.usually in igji or anci. of th e c o n n e c t i on s b e t w een l>is ideas on sound an d h i s, theo]opica] v ri t i n g s) , anil because he mal es a pos.rive starenienc of clic a udi o -
visual litany such a central part oi hi s aq;ument about cul t ural hi ~3n 's 1vurk is arraIits some consi Jeracion here.
To describe the balance sharc of the senses, Gng oseJ
story;
tl ie ivordsca'sorrurir.
a physiumupicat ccrm chat denoted a pa.rcicular rcpian r>t the brain iliat was
t hou h t c o c o n t r o l al l p e r c e p t ual accivi ry. 5c!afrriir!!r fell out o l f a vo r i n t h e
late nineteenth ce n t u r y as p h } 'siu/ug i sts l r a r n ecl th..it thtre Is l lo s il ch cellt er in rhe brai n ( ) a 's, Use of the term shoul<l ihefc fo! c be cuflslderecI meta-
pharic. For hi m. t h e s ensoriuni is - r he ent i re sensory apparatus as ati orpa-
rfizacional cuniplcx." che combine<I balance amon~ a hxed set ot sensuri

capaci ties.
0 !;iA'l'y Although irwin 7 I'c't'oi )' reads at tinies Iike a somiiiary ot scientific
f indings, Q n g's earIier ivr i t i n g s clearly state chat his pr in>av,' interest in t h e
Id
senses is explicitly J ri! en by t h eological concerns: -Th quescion ot che

sensor~un> rn the C h r i s t <an ecununxy ot revelcion is p a r t i c u l a rJy fascinat-
ing, be@use of the primacy ivhiili this econon>i accords co che >vora' ot God anJ chus io some rnysccrious way co sound itself. a primacy already sui;gesced i' che Old Testmene pre-Clrriscin [sic) cradition, " " For O ny, d i vine revelacion icslt . . t icLjlar nsix t ur e o f i s i n d e e d t n s c r ted in a parcrcirlar sensori um, a part h e s e n sory a c t i v i t y t y p i c a l o f a g i v e n c u l t u r e . " O n g ' ~ u r e n t l y l i n k c J t u t he
b lance-sheet h i s t or y r>t che senses is clearly n d
problem ot" hoxv co hear rhr >vore.l af Gud in the naodera age. Tlw sonic dimension ot ex p e r i ence is c l o sest to d i v i n i t y . V i s i o Q suj;Qescs distncc tld w isent;agenaent. On@,'s hiscory uf th e r n uv e f r ock sou n d - h aseJ ural c u l t u r e t o sir;ht-based li t e r ate cu l t u r e is a history ot -a cert ain si l enc ing uf G od " in
modern I.fe. On@,'s assercions abouc the difference beret'een tlute world ot
- oral man" and th e " h f j /percrophy ut tl>e visual" t ha t n xarU ch e m u d e rrr age
prrallil pc.ftectly tice
as ophis t i c a t eand iconuclscic antimodernist CuchrJlicisrm. Still, Ong wry,ups chat r.he a.udiovisttal l i t an y t r a n scends t l ~ l og i c l d i t t e r e n ccs or no. !!'e nllLi,c all cleal 9'ich the snlc lid.ta. ( 3f course, parts of th a u d i o v i su.il l i t an y I>ave conae under lxeavy cri t i -
fetter dist i n c t io n i n C ~ t l xolic spi r : r u a l i sna. tc is satiric.~
Iaich
cism. The xvurk of Jacques DerriJz can be read s an inversion ot Ong's v alue syscem O n g h i m s i ] t suggests s >much.'-' DerriJuses his wellp'czar )A' L' to cri chic I zc' land d i snl an't li che conk llo Ivn ph r a.iit (8'z //)J'c ('fp'k)'fly r 3y
n n.ciuns zn>orLp speech, suunJ , v r ) ic, nd p r e sence i n K ( 'c.stern r h o u g j i c .
Altlmu8h De-rrida's mosc celebrateJ crrtiilues ot l~resence tinsel ltim trry'ing !! it)> EcIn>und Flosserf's transcendental phenomerLolopy. I erdinand de
S zussuri-'s simiu ti c c)>corp, anil i~larti n f l e i Jegg er's rincoli)pq; his cri t i c i s m s
are certinly pplicabme tu r.~ny,'s rhought as wel'I. On argues for exactly the mctaplxysics o) presnce chat Jacilues Derrida t t z ck as
u n t o t l z eoloy,-
icsl," as a creeping Christian spirit ~ l i srn chat inlxabics western ph i l osus art, the life-giving, acc [l>ezrirrg oneself sp:ak), the l Lhnl~l>y: -Tice living Lhgkrit'. which animates the bed@ of the signitrer nd transforms at into a meaningtul expression, che soul of
f rom i t s e lf , t r u m iL:e, seen>s noc to seprace icse]t landau; E ' u r D c ..rridz, che e l ev at io n r >t ch e p o rn r u f access into ch d i v i n e
i t s o !vn self-presence.' "
s peecl> s the center of su b j c c t i v stp rd i s -essential co
t h e h i s t o r y o t " th e ' !Vesc, t h e r efore t o r n e c aphystcs i n i c s
encirety, even ivhen ic professes co be atheist." " Derrida uses this position t u argue fo r t h e v i s u a l s i d e o f t h e u d i o i ' i s u.<1 litan y an e m p h a s i s u n
v ision, iv r i t i n y ,
d i t r e r en ce, rrd abse(we. Deconst r u c t io n i n v e r t s , i n h i b i t s ,
and reansrnates che sound,'vision binary. privileyrnp !vricirLg over speech
H LLQ!
I7
anJ refusing boch speech-based

se f clons.
nd presence-baseI posiriv(.. metaphysic s
I)ere, I: ivanc co niake a slightly iliHerenr rnov: che auJiovisual litany carries ivich ic ch tlicoloyical ivei~hr of che durable ssociation amoriy
s oijniI, speech, and J i v i r I i t y , e ve n i n i t s s c i e n t i fi c y i j i s e R a t h e r t h a n i n -
vercing t)ie aUJiovisual ticany, why noc redeem<.ribe sound~ Since chis hook
is not boijnct by CI>riscin Joct r i ne, tltere is no law ilivine or othre ice
r e(loirini; us co assunm the in t e r i o r icy of sound and che connection be t w e en
sound, subjective selt-presence, and intersubjeccive experience. %'c; do noc need to assume char sound draws us inro the ivorld awhile vision separccs
u s trom i c '5'e ca@ r iopen th e q o e s t ion ot c h e s o u r c es of r a t i o n a l i ty a n d
n mdern w ays ot k r i osx'in' . I I

t"riven'
h i s t o r y e x i s t s . r,r(rbifj tice senses as wil l a s k -
them, tlxen we need not be8in a history ot sound with an assertion ot
the cranshist(Jriial clinaensions of sound
MI,' crmticisrn ot chc audiovisual l:tang ~oes tar beyond the questions ot
e ssencilistTI or socil co n s t r u c t i o n , w h i c h u s u a l] y d e p e n race int o p l t i l o -
sophical hI, picnics Even if ive prnt chc possibilicy ot a rranscendental subject ot sensation, che audiovisual I itny fl] s slxorc on its own t rrris Despici. all chr appials co nacure in rhe nan>e of tlat ticany, the phenosneno)ogy itriI'liciI by the audiovisual litany is l>iyhly selective i t s r a n ds on sl~aky em-
I'iridial (and cransienJncal) ground. As RIc:I Al r nan has argued, clairrts

ab(JUt t he trnsh istori cal and tr nscuI turzl chraccer ot t he senses ofcen derive tltcir sup p or t f r o n s ru l t i jrally and h i s t ( )ricI]y specitir evi Jence l i tr i -
ited evidence at chat. I n t }xe auJio i isual I.t nest -an pparencly oncclo~ical
claim about the role off soijnJ [or vision) has been allowing to cake precJence over zccual analysis of souitd's funct i o n i n g . " " C o n s i i l r che purpmrre dly uni ( IUe ceraporal anti sp at i .il i h a r a c tel (sties ot au()icory p h e n o m e n o l oyy. On~ ar g u e s t l ~ at -s ou nd i s m o re r e a l o r e x i s t e n c il t h a n o t h e r s e n s e tlxac it is a lso mo rc ex anesc:enc Sound i t s e lf is r e to pa s t or f U t u r e ", s ottncIs exist onlfI
ot j ets, d espite che tcr

as thiy
lated to p r esent ai c u a l i r y r a t he r t h an
o o u t o t e x i s t e n c e ." ' 1)ut, srr ic cl~ speal in' , O n p ' s cl a i rIx is cru tor
any event
z n y p r e .c~~ thac you can p
experience ossibly
n d so ic is noc
a clualitI f speci.tl or uiiique co sound. To say thar ephemerality is a special gtl'll i t~' ot sou ll&, rachef chafl a ()ua' leg' en Jc.mic to any f()rm of ) p e r c eptible t riotion or ev ent i n r i m e , i s t o e n g age i n a v e rI, selective for m o t n o n i i n a l -
isra.' The same criticisrri can be made of the litany's actribucion of a surface"-orierited spacial it I,' to vision as opposecl to an ' i n t e r i or " o r i e n t a t >on to sounJ. it is s very selm r iv e no cion of sul Alee. An f l oRe who Ilas heafil ting r nails an a c h a l k b o a ri I o r do orsteps in a c o n c r et lt a l l~vaq I'or on a xv / (~Ie n
I 8 THE
A U D I BLE PA5T
Hour) can recognize chat lisceniny, has the l~ocential to yield a grc.at deal ot information abuser surfaces very quickly. The pl<enumenolugist Dan )lade slav n the.t v rirers who cake sound as a eakly spacial sense N, lolly disre@,a.rd "the contern}mrary discoveries ui very complex spatial actribuccs to
auiIitory exp er i ence." '"' )-fe clemonst r i res chat hearing I~as nxani special as-
pects end l~ i b i l i t i e s co v;hich we t.lo not n,ormzily att e n d). 8'e can learn a
@ rear deal about slu p e
t
surface, or cexcurc trum )isteninp Perhaps tlat biy,l i e s i n i t s e cluat i ori of h e a r in g an d l i s-
g esc error c>t che aut/io~ iuial l i t a n y
tensn . Listening. is a directed. learned accii icy: it is a d ehnite cultural )>rzccice. Lsstenirig recluires hearing, but is <mt sinaply reducibl: to h~a.ring
T liere is no " m e r e " u r i n n o c en t d e scri):t io n o f i n t e r ;u r a u d i t o r y e x p e r i as i F ence. T)>e attempc co J~m r i b e so u nt.) or c)ie act ut h e a r i ng, in i csL] t :
the manic dimension of liuman life inh Jbiti< a space prior to or outside history strives for a tzlsL' transceiiJence. Even phenomenoloyies can change
tn this respect. we fc t l)uw ia Dr. ltard's toorsttys. Lsketl~ srudiuus ttarJ,
who divas ~xrplexet I by rhe wild buy wvho coulcl hear but J~d nuc speak, historians ol sound m u s t s u r m i s e t ha t ou r s u b j eccs lxearirig is BUt ive can I nuw t h e i r s o ni c ~vorld o n ),' t h r o ug h hne m e d i c a l l y . t h e i r B o res. expressioris,
an<i reef.riuns. )-lisrory is norning buc exteriurirtes. ' 4'e make our p ast o u t
u tthe art i f a cts. cloctimencs. nxeniories, and utl>er craces lett behin d % ' e c an
lisren ca recur Je J traces of ~~c hiscury. but ive cannot presunxe co knox< exactly N hat It v, as l.ike co hear at a particular rime or p]ace in rhe past. )n rhe
a ge of ccchnolo>ic;>l reproduct i on , v'c can sonaetinxes experience an aud:bl e tence uf an audit ory p zsc past, but ee can do no mo r e th an p resume che exis
What Is S o un d R e p r o d u c t l on 7 Plan
of t h e P r e s e n t W o r k
I hate aq,ued that techno)upics ut sound reproduction provide us v'ich a

compi..lling en tr y i n t o t h e h i s t u r ~ of soun d, b ut s o u n d - r e p r o d u c t i o n c Lx:la-
noloyy is not necesszri)i a favell-bounded historical objet. One cou)~l ar~U

t hat ancient u ses of a n i m a l h o r n s t o a m p l i l y t l > e vo ice nd ai d t i v e ) u r d -
ut:liearing are, in z certain sense, sound-
r eproduc ec ion rechnol o y i es. Ce r -
tainly, musical inscmmencs could have some claim co that st~rus, xs could
spc'J kj lip- llea J ur p l anu -pl Jp'I ng au r ocTI' iK>ris BALl other s ou n J-syn t hes is
technologies from che seventeerich to che nineteenth cenruries. So what i diferent about t elephones, plaonoyraplxs. radios, and otlwr t echno)uu p as "soun~l reproduc t io n gics common))'conjured l uve oRred sem i e x p e r i en cial d e t i n i c i ons o t .' A nu m ber of wr i t c t s r n u d erri suunJ -reproduction
technologies based on their power co
a sound fr orTi its " s o u r ce." sequence
Hf LLO!
I9
S ince che po Ne r t o
s p l i t s o u r ces anJ c o p i e s i s t h c m os t c o m m o n d e h n i t e c h n o l o gy , i t w a r r a n t s s om e s c r u t i n y . P i e r r e
t ion ot so u n d - r e p r o d u c t i o n
W ltzetTer. chc composer wvho pionere J rrcJ'c~frJ'Be' ANi.i '~pe'. afyuc J chat soun J-
r eproJuction technologis producd "acousmaric" sourids

o ric I>ears N,ithou t s e ein p
s o u n J st h e e
line of
t h e i r s o u r c e . J .jhn Cor bct ex cends th e
thou ht by usiny, n explicit(v psychoanalyci tran>ev ork co call about rep M!Iuced soun J in terms ot visual lack: "l t i s t tm lzI of th e v i s u al. endem i c
to reordd se)und, that in it ibices desire in. relation co ch p ject." '" far Corbett. aur inability co see che re
l eaJs us to avant i t , ordinal
m usic obopular
to ~ccnial co it. Barry Truant aiid R. i~furray &chafer have coined th term
jcbi=rrpbtyn~.r to describe the "spli t b e t i v n an ori g i na l soUnd and its electraa coustic reprod ucion" enzblecl, by sounJ-r epr UJu c t io n cehnolo i e s . ' Tice
Grek pr ttx.hi=r. - mans -spli t" nd a l so has a convenient con r i o r acion ot

t 'choloylcal &bc'rratloll pss t o r t h e s e au t h or s T r u a x a l i t S c.h Jtef also argu e
that reprcxlucti()n removes sound from its, original context. By my own h i storicization ot praccires and id
allies o t sound, a n e
c oul<i hypot h size a f)arti c u lar oricexc '6'here ttlrt acoUsrnacic defini t io n o t sounil rc:produ~tion h o l ds, explanatory fo r ce. i n d e ed, th co ncept ot cous-
mzcisound n>ai seem intuitivclq plaUsible romany people t()day. BLIt thzc
dos noc mal e it t r u e-. Rtwzll, xvich Stuart I-fall. tl~ac that xvhirl> is nmsc oh-
vious ls mesc ideological: % ' hen pople say to i'ou O t

isn't it." t ha r m oment a c
c o urse chat's so,
o t c o u r se' is ch i naost ideoloII;ical monaenc, because that's tire w l x ic h y o u' re least airfare that ya u ar e Using a p a r t i c u l a r i d e a s thar
l ogical trznaework, and t ha t it" iou u seI another fram ew or k t h e t h i n y oi.l al'e w.lkin abc)ut <a'oui J have a ci.'Eerent m e a n i Ag .
' A c o u sJllatl.c or
sch izophon i dehn it ioris of so ti rid r e p rcd uct ion. carry tvi t I> t i>em a questionable set of p r i o r a ssu m p t i o n s a b ouc ch fu n d a rneI>ca1 nature ot saonI, ommun i cacion. anJ e x p e r i e n ce. i4li)st irn p o r cant, t lm y h o l d rience and the h u m a r i b od y t o b e acegories outsiJe h i s t ory<". h u n x a n x ~w-
t. Thy assume that fac-to-tace communicarion and bodily presence

a re chc x ardscicks hy i v h i c h t o m e a s ure l l c o m m u n i c a t i v e ac t i v i t y .
T l~ey dcline sound reproduction net,;itive..ly, as ncy~ririg ar m~ l i f y inp an un J amazed iricerl~.rsanal ()r tace- to-Face capresene. For t Ipse zuchors, che Jifterence becween sound reproduction and i n cerpersonal interac:rion is important because che former lacks s~)me of tlute
loalitics of th e l a t t e r .
bemuse they assume che prinxacy c t tace-to-tace interacion, tl>cse auchors assunac t lu.c sound-
reproduc e .t ion tee lxnoloNies v, ill
have
20
T H E A U D I BLE PA5T
a Jisorientiny, Seer on. tlat senses tlmc are otlxenvise orierited or grounJJ iri coherenc btxiili e x lw.rience. Tlzc
t prior assumption o sensory roberncc requ i res a not iori of a human ho JI t t ltac exists eucside hiscof)'. For In i c a n c e, c he c IJlc11 that solllld rcpfo JlKcioA llas "alieriated" rh v o i c e f r o m t h e i > u n>ar t body
impliesrhat che voi ce
aoJ the buJy existed iri some prier holistic, unalienacid, arid si.lfprsent r elation A s l h u ' e a l r e a dy argu e d, ph c n o n i e n o l o ~ i c al u n J e r staiAi ng s o f s u b j p r i v i t y r i e et.I not p r i v i l eg e s el<-i~resrice or re)ect
Ihi s turin ism.

q. They assunae that , a c s om e t i m e p r i r i r tL i t he i n v e n t i o n o l s o u n d w a s N l x o le , u n t.lama~ed, a n d is co argue thee a]l r eproduct i ori t e c h n o l o g i es, t ice b oJ y
phcnornennlog ic all y co l | rent . B y e x t e r ision, t hi s
nxcxlern life is disoriencinp. chat che only' sub Iecc tlxac isho]e or at
y~ace ivith i t self is one chat is not r a e d i a t ed or t r a ~ r n n t eJ bi tL ~h-
Avlog)'. But tile IJca ot rhe bc) J$s p
h ello m e n o lo p t i c a lunity ani) saricl c r o b l c m a t i ze d t lie iy l x -
ticy pains po~ver precisely ar rhe mornenc in its history time chboJy
i s beirig t a ke n a p a rt , r e c o n st r u cced, ; in ' teench anJ n i n e t ee nt h c e n t u r i es. ln. cont rast, m e d i i : val t l i o u g h c and practice rirren constructet.l che s a tilrhy concai(ii.c for rhe soul, holy .~
s omcchiny, co be rransceiAed zn J o s e r corrie in th e at t e r l i t e . q. They assume t ha c sou n d - r e p coduccion t e c h r i olo~r i es can funct io n a s rieucral condu i cs. as instrurixrital rather chan substan t ive parts ot social relations/>i~a. anJ char sound - r e p r o d u c t i o n t e c h n o l o g ies are ont o)ogically separate fro m a ' s o u r ce " t h a r e x i st s p r i o r c o ; t n d o u c s id e
irs aAiliztion erich ch technology. Actrridin~ to difFerences hetty>'een

s ources" anJ c o p i e s " ~]ivercs otir atcerition f ro m p r o c esses to pr od ucts, techrio)op)' van i shes, leaviA + as lcs b)'-pfQJtlcc:a source aAcl a
sound tl>ac is separateJ trorn ic

A ssertions o t r h e p r i m a c y o f f a c e - t o - f ac e c o m m u n i c a t i o n o r i n t e r -
personal irnmeclizcy have been v;idly cricicizeJ on z i"arietta ot cheoretical Fronts, and l v ; ij l no t r e h e arse those ar .unaencs here.'-' Treacing face-to-
face comrriunication as p rimary also preJe t ermines rhe h i s t o ry. of so u n d

reproduct io n b e t or e w e ve n c el l t l >e stnrI; l t the presum p t i v e-ly p r i m a r y o r i n t e r p e r so nal i n t e rac.ciori is - a u c h e ncjc" m o d e ot c o n a rnun i c a ti n n, t l m n
sound reproduction js doonaeJ ro cIeni~ration as inautheritic, disorienci np. and possibly even Jangerotis hv v i r tu e o f
s ound trodi i t s
i c s 'dcorircxtualizinp"
p r o ~ m r " i n c e qx-.rsonal context . B u t , co b e gi n a t h e or y a n d r w ' n e e d h n a l , f u n d a r n e n ca1, or
history o t s n u r i i l's rep r o d u c i b i l i cy, v c J o
Hf LLO!
1I
t rzashisturiczl a n s w ers co q u escions aboirc rim r e l a t i on s b c cN,een be r i n g , a nil sec>np, bccween t e c h n o l o g i ca l r c p r o d u c cion an J s e n sory u r i e n cat i i i n ,
bet tveen orig,inal and copy; and b e t w een p r esence and absence in co m I mU-
nicacion. XX'e can pru~icle more robusc answers ca those quescions by reconsidering, them in rim course ut scudyiny, sound rcprcx3uccion. This IIistori of sounil begins bq pasicin sounJ, hearing., and listening as hiscorical
p rehlems rarher chan as constants on xvhich co b u i l tj a h i s t o r y . S o lec us cake a rid e o n O c k h a m ' s razor anJ i v o r L t n i m a s i n > p ier de fi -
nicion of saunJ-reproduction technology, one chat dues noc recluire us tu

pmsic a transcendental sublect ut hearing' .naudern rcchnol o y ies ot sound repro J uicion use devices calli il (/r'I )fs )J'Fct'fs. l~'hich turn sound in co sonxethin~ ilsc anil thac soraethinp e lse back inco soun~l. All souni l - r i p r o i l u c t i o n . tech-
nologies a<ark chrouyh the use ut crznsducers Telephones curn >mur voice
i ncu electri c i ty . send in g i c d u gan a p h o n e l i n e a n J c u r n i n 8 i c b a c k i n t u suullJ ar chc ot hf. r enJ. R a di o i v o rk on a si m i l a r p r i n c i p ) e bu t u ses ivavcs
insteail of iv i res. The i l i apliragm anJ scylus of a c y l i n der plxono rapli chan e sound chrouph a process ot inscription in rintoil,, avax, ur any number ur ocher surfaces Oa playback. the scylusand Jiaphrapni trans duce tlute
inscript i ons bach i nt o sou n ds. D i > i cal soxind-rcprtJJuccion teclsnotopies ll u se cransducers, they si m p l I, mid a n o t he r l e vel ot t r a n sfo r m a t i o n . co n <err i ng elcccric curr en t i n t o a ser is at zeros and ones (and back ag ai n ! . but i ncomp l e t e.
iffy Jetinition is certainly reductive anJ
it is a very i n -
structive re Juccion. Ic oRers us a useful srzrtiny, p
laint ur f a hisrarv uf sound
r eproJuct i on , especially fo r a h i s t ur y c h ' ir. w.l l p H K eeJ a n J.lp'cic'lily r a t h e r
than chrunulugically. Even thou>h trans Jucers u ncrate un a very simple scc
ut p'l>ySICal prin i ipleS thCy ate MISO Cul Cural Zrti f.u: CS. TlaiS iS chere? hL1.'7 rZ-
:hb/. P,rsvp begins ics hiscor tI,' of sound iLhapcer r takes as irs central exhihic the ear phonaucoyraph, a machine
for xv r i t i n ~ ' s o u n d N ' a ves B y t u i l o ~wing around che d e v i ce, ics inc entors, anil che iileas rhat it o p e r aciunalizeJ, th e ch ap ter otTers z gene.-alogy ot neiv constructs of soi in J an d h e a r i ng . T h e ea r p l x >nautu>raph u sed an e x c ised
t
l>irman mi idle ear as a cr ansducer
anJ che tu n c t i r fn<np ot t h e t y m p a n i c
nzcmbranc (also known as the di.rphraym or the eardrum! in the human ear
w a che muc/cl For rhe i l i a p l i r a gm s i n a l l n I h s e i l u en r s o u n J - r e p r i x l u c t i o n
technalagi<a. As a resulc, ) call the mechanical p
]e bel>incl cransducrincipe
e rs l",ra'pnric. The hi s t or y ut th e i s c l acion anil re p r o d u c t io n o f t h e t i m p a n i c function Ie aJs us b ack i n t o ch i c o n s t r u c t i o n o f s o u n d a r Ict hearing, as ob-
jects of LnuivleJi; land
e xperi m e n t a t i o nin the late eiphcccnth cencury ancl
22
the nineteench. The rynap i ni c t u n c t i o n em e r yed at che incersection of nxcxI-
em aioustic.s, otology, and physiology and rhe pedagogy ut the Jcat.

T}le xvays in w h i c l l t h e n l i d di e ear con d u ct s v i b r a t i o n I ' l g ' seerTl like a
sin>pie mechanical function. something. that ave teel is ~vichuut history. But
the tyrn p i n i r f u n c t i o n o p e n s uL it i n c o c h a n g i n y, cun s rruc r i u ns ot s o u n d ,
hearing ., and humanity. Sound reproJucriun is liisrorical all the xvayduwn.' fn acoustics, plzysiolopy, anil otology. sound became a waveforrn ~vhuse s ource was essentiallI; irrelevant; hearing hecate a mechanical f u n c t i on
t hat cauld be i solated and b st ractLM from che ot her senses Jnd the h u m a n
body itsell Al chou h t hese Jevelopnients may un their oivn s~~m nxinor or m atters of teclxnical discovery. theI, ramark a lary,er shift in the hismerely
tu+' uf soLlnil.
Prior to tlat nineceenrh century, philosoplaies of sound usually consicfiwe J their ob j ect t h r o u h a p a r t i c u l a r , i d e al i zed i n s t ance sLich as speech ur music. %'orks ot ~r r anan>ar an J logic J r i n p u i s hed b e t w een sig n i f i c ant anti
i nsignihcanc suuncls by calling all siynihcanc sounds rrrx
v o i c e . ' Other
rlEilosophers took @susie as an idealized theoret i cal in st ance of sound, leadl'.
iny, to tlat analysis uf piti h anil l u r n xuny, all the wa f j, up to t h

ut c)>e spli ces and, fo r Sain t A u g u s c i n, G txl
harmony
In c o n t r a s t, t h e i u n c e p t p ~ -
qrcr.rr;) p r e v i ously developed hy Descartes. hfersimne, and Bernoulli uttered a ~vay tu chink about suun J as a form of motion or i ibration. As r h e notion ol frequency took hold i n n i n e teenth-century physicsacoustics, uco!op s, and phys iology, these helds broke with the elder phiIusop!ries ot
s uuiM. O ' l >ere speech or n a usic ha d b ee n t h e g e n e ral c a t eg o r ies t h r o u g h
which suuaJ was um$ersrocd, th e. were nuw special cases c>t th general ot sounJ. Tlm phenomen no
ol ch t emergence
1,rripanic tu n c t io n
t h u s, cu-
inci~lc. d with an inversion of Ill-e ~ reneral and the spci hc in p
o t hilosophie s
sound. Sooted icselt becarae che general category. che ublecc of knowled e,
research, anJ p r accice." C h a p t e r t a l s o i n v e r t s a h i s t o r i cal conanaunplace t he ubjecriticat ion and abstr tction ut hearing, and sounil, t h ei r const r u c t i o n
r ior c o n d i t i o nfor tl>c consrrucriun ot sound-reproJuction technologies; the o bjec t i f i c a t i o not sounJ divas nuc a
as bounded anil coherent objects, was a p
s impl ; e H e c t " t~r result Df sound - r e p r o d u c t io n t e c h n o ] o g y .
6 hile chapter t considers the construction or" sound anil txiariiag, chapters an J > otTer histories of various prar r i ces ur l iscenin, d u r i n g ch e s'Une
period. They ch ro n i cl e the Je~elop n wn t o t i u rc)iA 'ciheiqve. a set of practices
ut listenin~ that were articulated ro science, reason, and
i nstru m e n t a l i t y
and that encourage.ed rhe coding and racionaIizacion of what was hearJ. By.
Hf LLO!
15
crrfi'isiAr<rorr. ] men thr p r o c ess by ivhich J i H e r ent phe n o m e na w i t h n o i m c issary reIatii~n to one an<)tl>er I'nocti as hering anil reason) are connected in
mc~ninp and.'or practice. ' For a timi- . hearing surpassed vision -~ a, cooI et (.-) migration, conception, an(I uriJ(rstandioy in sale~ted reyions ot mediciiie anJ r e l ecotritTiuriication s C h a p t e r z pr o v i Jes an i n t r u J i i c t i o n t o t l a t(..
idea. ot au Ji le t(:chni(lue and e) plores hu~v, in tlute first J(wdes of the niner(.L rith century'. doctors move J @>van from ] istenin~ to t h ei r pat ivnts' speech a nil began I i s t c n i r iL., rmore closijy t o p t i e n t s ' b o J i e s t o ( disti n g u is h s i g n s of the med i cI p r (ftessioiw, tlxi symbol
~t health and il]ness. As it bicarme a

Chapter q e x p l o res hoiv t he ASS: s an J i SRos tu th e
seetlxoscop si~nli J both virtuusic anil highly cLchnical listening skills.

Am e r i c n c ( .leyraph o~~rJ.tors from t l i c ~ s q a s t u
e r l i ' u s e r s o t s o u n d - r e p r u d u c r i or i t e c I>nulog ir s f r o m t i c e t cj2os
other forms ol audile technique. Telegradevelops

t h e y i vould fo cu s u n th e n o ise of t l i eir tri.ichiiii
p hers started li st en iny, to th eir nxzchi ni s i n s t ead ut reaJin~ t h ei r p r i n t u u t s I rf ~ cacophonous r o om ,
alone and t ak e d o~vs t e l i g r a p h i c i Ticssages t ever-
peeds. Lisincreasins g
tLning ski ll w a s a . ma rk o f p r o t e s sional J i s t i n c t i o n i n s u u n i l t e l c g r a p l > y Physicians' usi o I s t e t l m scopes znJ so un d t c l r 8 r a p h c ~ ' v i r t u o s i c m e ssa~L
takin~ prcfced a much ~iiower disserixination of Judice tichni(~uwith tice tel(.-phone, p

ph. an<I radio. Even r o d .iy, xvhen l i s t eners in a m u s i c honer
library t r eat th e s u r t ac(. noise of an Lp record or t h e h iss ot tape s ' exte-
rior to rhe music on >I>e recorJin~, tlat,ey use some ot >he same technicIui-s
ot listeniag chat p h y s i c i ans nd t r i t r a p l x(.rs itev(..loped avi r r go v e rs ago.
A niiv p rc.rical orientation toward cubistic space divelopi J along,s ide audil e t e c l i n i q o e : l i s t e n i n y b c a rv e mor e i l i r e c t i o n a ] a n i l J i r ( . c t ed , t(. spJ.cc rivy. s pace an(l private pr op e n y. T h e rivates I.rt t urri ra ~de it p u s s i b lc t o r te t.!~ni eve did not occur in the colnore or ieI) ted toivarJ con s t r u cts et p const I uct of acoUstic s$'.rJ.ce J,s p
soLjnd tu bc hcumi a cotTirnoJity. A u d i l e
lect ive, ammu il l
@ a c e of oral J iscourse and tra J it ion I, 'if such a space ever

s e y r n e nt i J , i s o l ate J, indi~ iduated acouspr o r mored rhe s(-.parzricin uf herin~ useful.
) isted); it h a p pe.neil in z h i 8 h l i
tic space. I istvriint, t e c h r)oloi;ies that f rom t l at
o t h e r s e n ses arid ~)rom o t(..J tliese t r a i t s i >ere isp~ i a ] l y
Stctkluscoj&5 n J IvczdpIMni'5 all o'o'cd for th e i s o l a t i o n o f t i s t ( . 'Ai fs in 'l<'orld uf s()ollJs > adhere the>' colllil foci.ls uo t' he various cliaracteristi c s Lacn-
the s oun Js tu whi (: I> they ttert Jed. Thu s, as ezrlIy' as I 8 '=. R. T. H . s >ic, the i n v e n to r
a n J t h irst p()~ ularizer el r )se stetlxoscopi, c o u ti I c h a r a c ' s t c t h o s c o)w as (o'JOY(l'((c'. b$ t l i r t p r o p rr r Tiedirioi i . "' O'I~ill oth e r <IN@ters
terize Iisteain t o a p z t i e r i t's btaly w i t l m u t N I iich he nieant to coni m te ' I ~ cl i n' i n t c.chni(Ioes ot Ii steriiri~ l i l
d evelops J in o t he r c ori texts, eely
aflak
24
q oker a genealogy' of t h ose rechn i ( l ues chat w ere cencral tor co nscruccing soulMI fepf(iill lccloR as lv< kflow >t co<lay
Chapcer q ma~ cs from the subjcccive to che ~nduscrizl: ic shows lm iv che technologic-.s that carne co be organized as the soun<I media emerged trom
a sr+all. ind u s t r i a l i z i n g, lii l( j o t i n v e n t i o n t h z c was <n conrin u ous Aux trepan
the ]87rs througlx che t<Izcs The new sound media were parr of an emerg ent tield of m a ss com r n u n i c z t i or f anJ m ass cu l t u r e t h a r i +as itself ory a n -
ize<l by anil oricnteil toward an. American niid Jle class shifting toom Vic-
torian ideals co consumerism as a way ot life. Moreover, the shape ofrhr

sound media divas not guar z n teeJ at che aucset. T h ere is no n e cessary conn ':t to n b e r o e e n t h e t e c h n o l og y o f r a J i cf anJ chat of b r o a c3cascinyn o r i s
there an.essential connection becween the cechno]<july af relrplxony and t liat

o t polnc-to- lx>lnt co n l n l u n l c a t i o n . A t b road.n t p r i o r m o m e n c st ch t;Icphone was a n x e<jium , an J r a d i o v "as a po i n t - t w p o i n r m e a s u re . Social l o r m s l r o m t( : c hnologies t h o s e con n e ct i o n s
Ji J not necessarily fo]lo~i log i c a l] y
had to be made. Tecl~nolopies had to be arcicLtlated to inscit u t i o n s and prac-
tices to bcconae snedia The saunJ regi a chus emerLed in the cumuktuaus context or curn-of-che-cencury capitalism and cotonialisni.
Chapccr ~ histo r i c i zes "acousmat ic" u n d e r st a n d i n L;s of soun t l-reproduction rcchno l o y ie s ch e i d e a t h a t t h e y separare a sound from it s s o u r c e "
througl> examininy, che idea af a reproJoceJ sound's fiJclicy" to ics source

Acousmacic und er stand i ng s of sou n(j r e p r o J u c c ian {xvhich c(:nceptuatized ic as sp]itt i n~; copies of so u nd s f r on t c h ei r o n t o l o y i c a l l i d epended on t h ree p r io r c o n d i t i a n s
f',t! c
s e p t r z ce sources)
t au(lile techni<~ue he emergence o
as a xvay of abscractiny, samrcproduceJ sounds isu(h as vaices or music)

as ivorch~ of a t t e n t i o n o r n oise) as "ext e r i or " i n c e r i ( i r , " ~n d o t h e r s ( s uch as s t a t ic or s u r f a c e a a J t h e r e f or e t o b e t r e ; i ced as i t t h e y J i d n o t e x i s t ,
f: ) the organization of s ou n d - r e p r o d u c c ion t e c h n o l o g i es in to x vhf. le social anJ tech n i ca l n e c w o r ks ; an d ( q ! t h e r e p r e s encacion o f t h e s e c e ch n i clues t r a n s p arent c o n d u i c s for
at>J necworks as pur ely n a t u r al , i n s t r u m e n t a l , o r
The idea char sound-reproJuctian cechnoloyies separated souoJs tron>

t hetr sources turns ou t co k zs e been an el aborate conaruercial and c u l t u r a l p rojecc L'arly au d i c ors of sound - r c p r (x3u cajun technologies ili d no t always
assume chat reproJuccd sound reHecce() an -ariL;inal ' at tlat other enJ
fn response, manufacturers ard rnzrketers af sounJ-repmJuction cechn olayies felt t h a t t t w y h a i l t o c o n v i n c e au d i n ces char the neo' sounJ n t e -
Jia betongnl to th e same class of'communication
as race-to-face speech
6'hife ocher rhetorical str~cep,ies may have been p(Jssible, chis rheroric of
LquivalerIce al foN e J ad vertisers co ren der sou ntd-rc-produc cion
technologies
>w-
in tami!iar cLrnas. Throu')> an evan>inacion of the <Jea ot sound Hdelicy beFore ic Jenated a Llualit fl chat can be physically measurLJ (coi eriny, che
ried t h-,S- > Ly qa), chapter q arL;uis chat early skepti c al li s te ners essenrially h ail it r i g h t : s o u n d - r e p r o d t i c t io n t e c h n o l o g i e s ar e i n s e p arable t ro m t l u te To p o t i t a n o t h e r w a y, t he soii s l o r y a n i z a fo r hath
sources" al re p rotLju;ed sound.
tiorI c>t souI>d-reproduc t io n t L c h notlogy cond i r i one J che possibi l it y original" a ni l
" c o p y " s o u n d s . P erf o r m er~ haJ t o i l e v c lo p ~vhole Izc~vper-
ForrI>ance techniilus in order co produce 'originals" suitablL for repfoduLtiarI Even che very grounds on which the ability ot sounJ-reproduction tL'chnalo8ies "faithful ly" to repro J ucL' sound coul J be tested in l aboratoris
hail to be escablishLd. The ever-shifciixy, Fiyure at sound t>clL]iti c r y scallized
a whole set ot p
around the LxpLriencL. of reproduci6i]ity, rhe aesroblems

r L p r o J u ced sound, an J t h e r e l a t i ons b e tw een
t hetics af t e c h n o l o g i . a l l y
original and co py. Conside r ing so u n J - r e p r o d u c t i o n t e c h n o l o g ies as artie:u-
lated to parcicular cechniilues nJ as media Farces us co ctou6le the supposed Qb je tccll'
icyo t zcallsIllJcic descfipcions, it s h ow s t l l L m c o 6 e h i s t o f l -
cztl y m ot i v aced. Chapter 6 otrers.t history oF the audibl; past icsi lf. lc cansidL.rs t ter cand icionc under xvliicl> recoril i nL;s came to be t I n d erscood as hiscorical docu n xents, yiLld in I t n s i L ;ht i n c o th e p a st . A l t h a u g h c a r l y r e c o r dt n s w e r e f a r s recoiling'
If lno-
frarI> permanent tecords, early irmzpes ot and overtu res to souncl
~wrmanence a n d che newfound ability to hiar th e vaicesof the dead"

pfonloced ani l r ad u , t l l 't,' pral& HCJ
t echno l o g i c a l and Inst i t U cio lMl
vation. N e xv, i n n o v a t iv e r LLard in p e q u i p m e n t i vith che specific ai m o f
a n d m e d i J. ivere devLlopeJ
p r o d u c i n > l o n g e r - l a s t i ng, recordi n gs . l n t h i s r e o c he r nba jor n i n e t c e n t h that
r ' folloN'el) i n n ovJ cions in spect, soun J recof J) n~
centur> induscries like carIning anJ

x vere dedicateil t o
embalmin g.I nscitut i on s p r e ~
t h e c o l l e L ciorI xn J l ) r e servat io n o l s o u n d r e c o r d i n g s .
Chapcc:r 6 argues tlute,t through tl>e historical process of making sound

rLcordiny, niore - p e r n>ane-nt" f vhich be~an as noching n aore chan a V i L -
torian tancasq about a rnachine
t l a t h i s corical process was itself altcrexl.

c ion, sound rerepro<<
As beliefs surrounding death, the preservation at the dead body, transcendence, and tern)~ra(icy shaped ar explained sound
pro iluccinn it s elf b e cami. a di s t i n c t i v e iva n of rclatLn co, un<lcrstandin~, a nil expricImirIy J L z th , h i s cori; a ni l c u l t o r e . l?evelvprnentzl i c l eJs of h i s cory an J c u l t u r e N e r e b o <>nd up i v i t l i t i r e
p olitical cu r r Lncs c>t American mc i Lt q ac the t ur n a t t h e cN encieth cent u r y .
26
Atter t.lccadcs of pursuing genoa:ideal polieirs cuxvarJ Xative Amer~cans, che

L t.5. goo crrtmenc anil other a c n c i c s
benin che i Sgos co employ anchru' c a p t u r e an d score" chr r n u -
~ mlogits, Nho i v o i i l i ) use sound record in g t u
sic and language of their native subjects. Embedded in. this anthrupulugi-
cal p rojectv rrc lol le d
c o ncept iuns oF Anic. rican cu ltu re zs embuil> i rig
a universal tendency coxvaril 'progress" thac N:ould simpIy enpult Y scive American lite mais alon che way. As fohanrics I'abian has argued, the idea
ut modernit y and it s r 'o ; c r i ne of p r o g r e ss divas utren caken io in> ply the h i s -
torical superioriti'of "modern" civilizacion(generally urban. cosiriopiilican, xvhice, rnidJJ'e-class culture in t)ie Uniced Scacrs and %'cstern Eulargel >'
rope! ovrr o t h e r c u l c u res hy c x s t in ~ t h o s e d i &'ercnt i ye c accuaIIi' conccm poraneous) cultures as if chey exist% in t h e c o l l e c t i ve )~ast of che mude rr is
The military and economic duminacion ut ocher cultures by the t. nicked

S cates aiMI 5 'c stern E u r o' ~ an J t h e l a r g e r ~)rujec:cs ct racism an d c o t u -
nialisrn
b e c ame explain.ible in che l.ue nineteenth cencury as the prod-
ucc ut z JiRert'nce between chat ivh ich is m o d ern tM chat N'hich is nmc (yec) m odern. Relat i ons uf space become r r l z ci oas ot t ; m e . ' ' T h e d r i v e co b u i l d
anJ hll phonoyrapliic archives ~vith che sounds uf dyi ng" n.:iciuns ai~J cult ures, the d e s ire t u m ; :il e so un d r e c o r d i n g s p e r m a n e nc, Na i n c x c r i cabl y cheir
l inl cd to e a rl y . i n cI>roIx>loyiscs' amb i v a l en t r c.lations to h i s t or y an d sub jKcs P l l o n o g f a p h i ' s
G l u c h - c o ute J pu'iver co capt ur e I h e v o i ce.s ut che
dead divas t)aliis nzcconyrmicaI/i c o n n e cced tu che d r i v e co J e h i s coricizc anal prese+ e cuft ii crs chat ch U.S. govcrismenc htaJ actively suUght co destcoI; o nly a ~eiieration ear l i er. Perm a n ence in soun d r e c o r d i riy w a s m u c h mui'e
than a mechanical face, it divas a thorou hip c i iltiiraI and po li t ical y ro r a n >
To a g r ea t J c 8 r ee, i n v c n t i ny, repruduci6 i l it i d i vas abou t r e w onscrucciciy,
sound and hearing and dcvejopin~ technologies tu fic and promote these
n evi construct. The idea af suund r ecor d i n g,'s pecnianence is a stri k i n g e x -
ample of che muvemenc fcurri ~wish co practice tu technological form A note on my approach conf.lucles chis incruduccion. Given che scope o) my
taL, I otri.r nu pretense co hnal.tI,' or catalicy in the account chat I o tter Tr 'w :'iraqi)it'A. P.<It is a deliheraccli s pecul a t i ve h i s cury. ~~fir incest is not to ecab-
lih once and for all amal] scc ot historical faces, although clearly face are irnporcaoc co my l i iscory. Rather, t)vis book uses hiscori as a l. in '
api; and cu l t u r e of philu-
suphical Iabocacori. tu leam co ask new q i i c s t i ons abouc sound, cechnol I f a l l , .mcuuncs af h u n aan acciorf carry N ich chem some concepc of human n a t i i re, t lm n w c w'o ulcf du N el/ co reHiwc on the choices that
Hf LLO!
17
we make iil. Jescribiny, hu ma n n a t u re.
T/h Az rLhbk P.al o tTers a, s)wcolative
foray into nzom encs xa hen the m' ugly natures of sound ing a ncl hear in were
obIeccs al practice and rifi.ation. It is not a complete staternnc on human nature itsrll. nor is my pr inaarI, boa.1 threcovery of lived experience. althou h c e r t a i n l y i ~ )~ l e 's own accounts of t h ei r ex p e r i ences carI pro~ ide in-
sight inco t)>e hiscory ot" saund. Like any intel)ectuJI pnxlijct. this book bears che newark of its zurhors biases. Nfy own distaste for che cult of Edison in phonograph hiscori<iyraphy has 1cd axe to erIxphxsize Berliner and Bell iI svho are much less fijlly
treated in the cr i t i cal h i s t o r i o g r a p h y'). The gr@ter depth ot che ttilm and ra-
dio )sistorioyraplxy i>as led me to place greater

mznq' of the m e c anarrzcives of c u l t u r a l an d
n the celeplione emphasio s
and phonoprq~h. Iri foreprounding il m h i story of sound, I dc ernpisasize

p o ] i t i c a l l i i s t o r y . 1t w o u l c l bt. or chancre
q~lly possib1e to orient a. history or sound around points ot
transformat io n i n t h e h i s t ory of spech. axusic, or even in Justri a1 and. other forms ot en' ir o n m c n t a l n o i se." B u t t h e h i s t o r y of souixd reproi l u c t ia n @no-
vi Jes a uniquely podex erful en try into ch h i s t or y o t souix3 precisly because it is a. history, ot zctenaI ts to ma n i p u l a t e, t r 4tnsform i and shawm sound.
il)I, emphasis on th e v er y e a rl y
tf technologies and practices m o n o nts <
a c times leads me t o c o n c e n t r ate on a f c l J c ivc'Iy snlalI, e l it e ( '&fl i te , m a l
Eurcil~iz or An>richen, mi Jdle-class. able-hodi(l. ecc.) group of peo
>~le.
%f) a fell ivtl nm ceri zl, perhaps l imi teil by sonae measures of hi scoriog r .iphy,
has z distinctlv American md East Cntsc bias. 1n che earlv vers of soundrproiluct io n t e i ) >iiol oy i es, t h ei r i j s e v,as lxezvily scattered an d a t o n x izmL
Each tc)>nolly took decaJes to -clitruse" fully throu@I>out American society IMI e lswher. The emp h a s is on sound i t s e ll a l so risk z certain l e v el ot au Jism <a term Use@i by s~. h olars of deaf cult u r e; we m i g h t b est think of
it as an ethnocent r ism ot t h ose who hear). Buc these are risks ivorch taking, Dw Audibh- Pe~( focuses on ]ieariny, elites because they prov id e a. wealth o t documen t a t io n a b ou t anil listenin g r h naeaniny (it" sound and l i s t e n in g q ua s o i j a d
o n v h i c h t o b u i l d a s t u d y A s a r e s u lt , I h ave not been very
c cincerneil xvich recovring, the experiences of my h i s t o r i cal su b j ects. A l x -
ander Graham Bll does not neet' T f !x Auhbk

torical obl i v io n study chen> B ut , mor e
P v i ( c o s ave hi m f r o m h i s -
t lentify v sth c.lites in orcler to an d o n e d o e s noc neeil to s
i m p o r t a r it , th e h i s t or y of sound n>Usc move heyorid
recoierin experience to ir i t e r r og at in ~ ch coridi t i on s u n der w h i c h chat xpericnce bccam possib)e in the hrst pl. ice. Experiences are chriaselvcs varia hles shaped by che co n t e xt s t h r o ug h navii;ate w h i c l s t lxey thea h el p t h e i r s u b j e c t s
28
T H E A U D I BLE PA5T
Of cours th question ot experience sril) jin~ers. %'hile acknovrle dying the plurality of passibl auJibl p aints, this book o u t l i n e s som e c o n>mon
b ases tor n>odern sound c U l t u r e i n t h e XX'st es~~ i a l l y a r o u n d p r a c t i c e s ot sound repraclucti on. Ic is doubi t ul t h a t t h e y are tru lv u n i v e r s als, but they'
are sut'calcic:ncl}' general to be ' orch considering. Tl|ere are rercainli ot lier dominant. rnergeoc, or subjugated conscnic.ts ut soun(), listeninp, and hearing, beyond the ones coosiJered in t hese pages. I)iscories nt sound cou]d contribuc co .a much wi Jer range oF then>es in cultural and p(ilitical history than I cover in chis book. As zlxvzys. there are other l>iscories co be
w ritcen. %'c a i l ] h a v e co t vric ch(:rn in o r de r t o l . n o r v i t t h } ' Fundam e n tally lsallenge roy con c l u s i ons l>ere T his is noc to succun>b to th e I u c al i sn>, curnu !Jcivi sm, an d n o p o si t i v ism that has r.iyayed m u c h c o n t e rn~mrary cu l t u r e ] h i s t o r i o g r a p hy:. Events >ihcanc, sinai
o r pl>nomena naercly need to ex ist t o ca r ry' some i n t l l e c t u z l
t hey Jo noc neJ co pass a test oF universa3it}'. Sound hi s t o ry; ho w e vr p ar -
tial. must continually move beteen th immediate aAJ che genera], the concrete and che abstract. There is a burden ot sounJ history, just as there is a bur Jen of I~istory, to borrow a p)arm trom I-leyden %~hite. To oFer a compl ling ~ceont of to xvhiclx ic returns."'"'
soon<i lsistory m us t re@cain 'sensiciv to humanity, czrza action fro m w l x ic h i c p r o ceetls and
tive rnor yenra] w()rid oF tho u h t

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e o~

s]snok. Thomas Eilison first hearing his morals

hail a little lanb"-

returnecl to hire crom che cylinder ot a plonoyrapl built by hIs assistancs

Guplielrno t~farconi's wireless telipraph conquered tire En cl ish c Iannl in

sound wi t )ered away. It e xisted otly as it went o ut ct e x i s t e nce O n c e t e l e -

and constructs associated with sound-rp

technologies predaced roduition

the machines themseli es The basic technology to maLe phonographs (and,

these q im c i o n s , a ve m o v e t r a m lity ou t erTIerge J i n t o c h e s o c ial i n '

t: u l t u r ali v o r l d t r o n> v,hi c li t l > e. techIiologi e s

T .6. Arrchbh I-'mrs( ot"fers a l>iscory of t iori

c ultural r u r r n r s . Sourid - r e p r o d u ~r~on teelanologies are zr t i lardier i l i f u n d a m e n t a l n a t u r e o l s o u n <I, che bij -

f acts ot vast t r a n form a t i o n s i a

cdpacicv baseiI on ph>'sic. biology. and ri>echanics.

and hearing, h.-iplmrIcd 6it hy b~t, pIme hy place, practice

m arlins ofknowledge, culture. arId social organ izat i on . I t I ~rovide an zlter-

THE b.UDISLE PA5T

nar>ve to che pervasive riarracive chat says tlxat, in

as well a ri>any people's everyday language

i s l i c t e redivirh liphr and

chare of modernity, t certainly charts a sipnihcant fidel J at modern practice i

objecr ot con t e m p l a t i o r i. It w a s n ~easuret). objectif ie d, iolaced, End sin u -

t h e t'~.rJkgL t'l vision a nd i n > ages."

To take seriously rhe role of sounJ and

in modern life is to crouble hearing

ot > isrr.d Lu(tsrxe. ao sucli para)i t.l construct

ciel and culture.l disciplines. Sinsilarly, i isual conc'.ms populate

psychoanal.ysis, anil pustscru r o r s l i s m s eeinIIf; occupies great m i n d s i n

T h e c u l t u ra] status ot 'hL reer age and

s e m i o c i cs, fil m s t u d i e s , several schooh o t

an Jart-hiscorical interpretation. archicecture, and communication. literary

may i il.teresc inJividual sclmlars in rhese arras, it is still roo

l>caiman sciences. sounJ is not u su.ally a central rh eoret ical p r o b le m fo r rma-

v i s i o n . i~keanwlxile, stud ies of sound feiv no-

rend ro sh~ a~vay from q

o f saunJ c t I l t u r e as su. h ( w i t h a uestions

as any ra begin cIealing at" ich rhem as broad i r i t e l Iecroal rnJcters.

anJ arcieles availab]e on ditrerenr asI~r s of sounJ wr i r rerf by scholars at

dering array it stories about syp h ,

m u s ic , cechnolci .y, aricI otlxer sounJ-

ot shactered glass %'e k nv N t hey can corinecc, hu t w e

t h a t t h ; - parts l in e up so m h ow, ~ve krio~v that are u n sure ot ho w t l w y a c t u a lly l i n k c o y echer.

r intellectual domains 13ecause schUlacship on souncl has riot large.

onsistencly estured to@, ar J more fundamental iind synchet ic t lmarecical,

p hilosophical (luestions to bear on t h e 1 arious intel lect ual f i e l d

hibits. The challenge. chen, is co iraa~ine sound as a p

b eyond it s i a x tn ed iace em p i r i ca l c o n t e xt . T' he hist or y ot" sound i s a l r e aJ y

ro j eccs ol the human sciences; it is up to us co Hesh l arger p

historical cond i t i o n s chat

%'e erin tull y c o r i s ider th e seriscs .xs l>iscorical onl y i f

thereforre(~urres a. commitriaeric to chconstructionist anJ c()ntextualist

i n, the past, prserit, or fu t ur e

s ubject divas tra.nsformeJ . " ' '

, n J listenin ivere part ot no Jssive shifts

As Theodor Adurno, KX'airer Bcnj t aniin, and c o u n t l ess richer w r i t e r s h . iv e

<ienli' han "c J." a shacl

iris'emhlerri of rriad e rn<ti" ;

roost irmpurcant electro ni c i n v e n t i o n " o f chi o ur parcel)tuel h a b it s n J

tN e rit i e t l~ century, tr a nsform-

m n y o t h e r c e c h n o l Lig>es. 5'et LeM al>ieu's n>ore

ot sound-repraJuctian teel>nulopy, but at its banality It modernity, in part,

i ng emblems" may very w c] l h ave been taken In st r ide by some of i cs

huge paper crzifs, thus oui in'