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Richard Hemming
University of Wales Newport
Student Number: 20078412
Module : Theory
MA Creative Music Practice
Richard Hemming
University of Wales Newport
Student Number: 20078412
Module : Theory
MA Creative Music Practice




                              T h e   A c o u s t i c    E c o l o g y    o f      t h e    2 1   s t   C e n t u r y

                                                        W e s t e r n    W o r l d :

                   D i s s o n a n t ,     u n c o n t r o l l a b l e   n o i s e    o r    i n d e t e r m i n a t e

                                                         c o m p o s i t i o n ?
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              Essay separately downloadable from
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urbanization    a c o u s t i c           e c o l o g y                         technology




               We a r e i n a n e r a o f s o c i o l o g i c a l
               revolution. These revolutions are
               impacting our lives in areas of
               urbanization, technology, creativity
               and philosophy. The term acoustic
               ecology, the study of sound between a
               living organism and its surroundings,
               coined by Canadian composer and
               theorist R Murray Schafer, has arisen
               owing to dramatic changes in mans sonic
               environment. These changes brought
               a b o u t b y o u r c o n s t a n t l y e v o l v i n g 2 1 st
               Century living are creating new
               environments filled with unheard
               sounds, textures and timbres, new
               technological developments enhancing                             philosophy
               opportunities for creativity. Thus,
               necessitating existing philosophical
               models to be expanded upon.
 creativity
t h e      t e r m a c o u s t i c
                     e c o l o g y

  T h e s t u d y o f s o u n d      b e t w e e n a l i v i n g
o r g a n i s m a n d i t s s u r   r o u n d i n g s , c o i n e d
 b y C a n a d i a n c o m p o s    e r a n d t h e o r i s t R
                    M u r r a y S   c h a f e r
a c o u s t i c                e c o l o g y




“Modern man is inhabiting a world with an acoustic environment radically different

  f r o m a n y h e h a s h i t h e r t o k n o w n ( S c h a f e r c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 2 9 ) . ”
a c o u s t i c              e c o l o g y




As urbanization and all of its resultant
characteristics develop, more people, more cities,
more technology. A sense of a denser world
context and environment are emanated. With this
trend it is suggestive of more elements and is
subject, therefore, to more sound, denser sonic
environments.           Is it an uncontrollable trend of the
21 st c e n t u r y, a n o i s e m e l e e , o r s o m e t h i n g t h a t i s

usable in creative appropriation? A progression
from a quieter existence, where less sound was
being generated, into a concentrated, thicker,
noisier existence. French theorist and economist
Attali defines noise as:


         “A noise is a resonance that interferes
         with the audition of a message in the
         process of emission].[It is any disruption
         of any social process, any source of pain.
         At the extreme (extreme volume, for
         instance), it kills (Attali, 1985 pg26).”
O b v i o u s l y a s i g n i f i c a n t s u b j e c t i n t h e 2 1 st c e n t u r y, o w i n g t o
the laws attempting to govern noise levels. Politicians
discuss this through noise pollution, demonstrating through
their use of terminology (pollution) that it is something
unwanted, illegal and undesirable, a terrible noise. This
conveys imagery of man versus nature, noise versus silence,
an element of control over our acoustic ecology. Conjuring
up discussion over fundamentals of sound, music, noise and
composition and their relations to us in society.

                           U R B A N I Z A T I O N
                                                                                                 a      n o i s e   m e l e e




                                                                           a noise melee




                                               a   c r e a t i v e       a p p r o a c h
a c o u s t i c              e c o l o g y




“Is the soundscape of the world an indeterminate composition
   over which we have no control or are we its composer or
  c o n t r o l l e r s ( S c h a f e r c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 3 0 )
a c o u s t i c   e c o l o g y




Although Schafer coined the term that
specifically focuses on our acoustic ecology
recently, our sonic environment has been under
philosophical investigation for centuries.
Pythagorean philosophy demonstrates this through
the teachings of “Music of the Spheres” showing
early consideration into sonic surroundings,
modes of listening, encouraging an appreciation
of ones surrounding, as all empyrean bodies are a
form of music. Early suggestions that all sound
being in our environment is an element of music
and an utterance that it is a universal continual
composition, noise that should be considered for
composition, or, is already a composition of
music in itself.




                                                                “Music of the Spheres”
phenomenology




Pythagoras also introduced the
theory of “Pythagoras’s curtain”.
This is another important
realization bringing focus onto
sound matter and material,
subject and object origination in
our environment. Relating to the
philosopher Edmund Husserl's
area of Phenomenology,
discussing ‘acousmatics’ the
Larousse dictionary describes as
“a noise that one hears without
seeing what causes it” adds extra
theoretical depth to the field of
environmental sounds in
composition, to include sounds
created without intention, or
knowledge of where they have
originated, expanding the
universal sonic palette.
phenomenology


       Founder   of   ‘Musique   Concrete’

              Pierre    Schaeffer,




       Founder of ‘Musique Concrete’ Pierre
       Schaeffer, follower of Husserl and
       Pythagoras, solidifies theories of
       environmental sonic palettes for sounds or
       ‘objets sonores’ (as described by Schaeffer)
       as being part of composition by basing his
       entire works of on this ideology. Encouraging
       a creative positive element with this palette
       describing compositional techniques need to
       contain ‘Jeu’, the French for ‘Play’ defined
       in English as ‘to enjoy oneself by interacting
       in ones surroundings”.
The work of Spanish sound artist and
                   entomologist Francisco Lopez (in his
                   works ‘La Selva’, sound recordings in
                   fieldwork based in South American
                   rainforests) also encourages us to take in
                   our sound environment as a whole, further
                   confirming this environment as a
                   compositional tool.




Further confirmation of acoustic ecology, as an
element of composition, a tool or referent, is
composer and founder of ambient music Brian
Eno.   He tries to emulate acoustic environments
in ambient composition by describing it as
“music in a different way – as part of the
ambience of our lives- and we wanted it to be
continuous, a surrounding (Eno cited in Cox
a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 9 4 ) ” . E n o u s e s t h e g e n r e o f
ambient music to enhance our acoustic
environments and create notions of immersion.
John Cage furthers this discussion of the use of
                           noise and its relation to composition and music.
                           His beliefs were that there is no noise, only sound,
                           and that music is merely organized sound.
                           Discussing the way this affects us in our acoustic
                           ecology by quoting:

                           “I believe that the use of noise, wherever we are,
                           what we hear is mostly noise. When we ignore it
                           disturbs us. When we listen to it, we find it
                           f a s c i n a t i n g ( C a g e c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4
                           pg25).”




Jacques Attali also solidifies the notion of
sounds and noise and their inclusion in music
by advising, “listening to music is listening
to all noise (Atalli, 1985 pg7)”.
Discussing the theorists and composers above
legitimizes the use of all sound in our
environments to be considered for creative
inclusion in composition. Therefore, all of
our acoustic ecology is a potential
compositional piece or tool.

The discussions from Attali of noise and
elements of control move toward acoustic
ecology and its affect on society
s o c i o l o g i c a l      s h i f t




                    Sociological shift in auditory
                    culture have been noted by
                    M c l u h a n i n t h e 2 0 th C e n t u r y b y
                    stating:

                               “While visual culture has
                               d o m i n a t e d We s t e r n t h o u g h t ,
                               perception and imagination
                               since ancient Greece, the
                               l a t e 2 0 th c e n t u r y w i t n e s s e d
                               a rapid shift toward a very
                               different mode of
                               perception that of the
                               acoustic or auditory
                               (Mcluhan cited in Cox and
                               Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 6 7 ) . ”

                    This shift in society confirms
                    further the notion of how our
                    acoustic ecology is being
                    considered more as part of
                    composition, by culture focusing
                    more on aspects of the auditory
s o c i o l o g i c a l       s h i f t




                   German composer and philosopher
                   T h e o d o r e W. A d o r n o , r a t h e r t h a n
                   the previous theoretically
                   dominated visual culture of the
                   western world, does not support a
                   shift toward an auditory level.
                   He is negative toward Mcluhan’s
                   observation as he states:

                              “One might say that to
                              react with the ear, which
                              is fundamentally a passive
                              organ in contrast to the
                              swift, actively selective
                              eye, is in a sense not in
                              keeping with the present
                              advanced industrial age
                              and its cultural
                              anthropology (Adorno cited
                              i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4
                              pg74).”
Mcluhan defends his stance on the sociological
auditory shift when analyzing the nature of sight
itself, undermining Adorno’s misgivings, by
looking at the physicality of the eye being the
problem itself, linear in sight, everything in
sequence, linear logic. It encourages reasoning by
e x c l u s i o n ( M c l u h a n c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4
pg69-70), something that the multidirectional
auditory receiving experience does not.


                                                    linear




multidirectional
s o c i o l o g i c a l   s h i f t




                            Mcluhan and Adorno
                            are discussing the
                            distinctions between
                            sight and hearing in a
                            physical and
                            sociological sense,
                            Roman philosopher
                            born in 106BC Marcus
                            Cicero invalidates the
                            separation when
                            discussing “Sensus
                            Communis” a
                            culmination of all
                            senses, seeing,
                            hearing, smelling,
                            touching and tasting,
                            no distinctions in
                            early society.
s o c i o l o g i c a l       s h i f t




             Attali   communicates that by observing
             music    and sound in our society it acts
             as a m   irror to the current sociological
             organi   zation.



                 “Music].[It is a mirr    or for its
                 organization resembl     es the
                 current organization     of our
                 society: music is “a     repository
                 of].[the social score     (Attali
                 1985 pg9).”
Owing to rise of genres such as Musique
Concrete, Schafer coining the term acoustic
ecology, and ongoing philosophical debate
about sound, noise, and music in society.
Attali's theories demonstrate that Mcluhan is
right to state we have shifted toward a more
auditory existence. Attali, through this
theoretical mirror is answering the debate in
shift between visual and auditory culture.
This is supported by emerging compositions
from Pierre Schaeffer, John Cage, and
Francisco Lopez (plus many others). The
theories coupled with emerging works from
discussed composers communicates that we
are in new sociological, philosophical and
compositional areas.
technological effect

2 1 st c e n t u r y e v o l u t i o n s i n t e c h n o l o g y a r e i m p a c t i n g o n m u s i c ,
composition and sound. Under Attali’s mirror theory, therefore,
affecting society. Barrington Nevitt links acoustic space in society to
cultural content.

            “Acoustic space requires neither proof nor explanation but is
            made manifest through its cultural context (Nevitt cited in Cox
            a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 7 1 ) . ”

P r o m i n e n t c u l t u r a l c o n t e n t i n 2 1 st c e n t u r y w e s t e r n w o r l d i s t e c h n o l o g y,
we are in a revolutionary technological context. When observing
acoustic ecology in today’s society technological revolutions have
impacted this are of study. The technology of recording has enabled
theoretical expansion upon many theories.




                                    The technology of recording
technological effect of recording
                acousmatics & reduced listening




                                                             A ‘reduced
                                                         listening’ where
                                                           the sonorous
                                                          object has its’
                                                          own existence,
                                                          where you can
                                                           listen to the
                                                               objects
                                                            themselves.




                                                            R E P E AT E D
  SOUND
                                                          LISTENING TO
  BEFORE       REC       A C O U S M AT I C S   P L AY
                                                              OBJECT
RECORDING
                                                              ITSELF
technological effect




    Pierre Schaeffer believed that recording exacerbated
    Phenemological theory, describing experience without
    reference to the source or object. With sound and
    recording in a phenomelogical sense Schaeffer
    describes that sounds have been turned into sonorous
    objects, and new modes of listening are engineered. A
    ‘reduced listening’ where the sonorous object has its’
    own existence, where you can listen to the objects
    themselves. A reduced signal from the source,
    epitomizing the theory of ‘acousmatics’, these signals
    and sonorous objects are subject to multiple
    variations or ‘prise de son’ and recording presents the
    variations, there are many ways that we can record an
    object and this affects how we hear or ‘ecoute’ that
    object. Recording to tape means the sonorous object
    is not the tape itself it is merely a sonorous support
    of an acoustic signal (Schaeffer cited in Cox and
    Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 7 6 - 7 8 ) . S c h a e ff e r a c o u s t i c e c o l o g y,
    relationship with his sonic surroundings feels as if
    enhanced owing to the technology of recording.
technological effect

          Francisco Lopez in La Selva recordings pushes
          the theory further by discussing that in a
          rainforest a bird calls and that sound no longer
          belongs to the bird once produced. If the
          sound is recorded then this is another step in
          its transformation from the original signal,
          different microphones ‘hear’ in different ways
          and then digital techniques in editing
          reproduces this, giving a hyper-real or unreal
          sound version of a natural sound (Lopez cited
          i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 8 2 - 8 7 ) . A l t h o u g h
          ironically Lopez is aiming to record natural
          sounds in his acoustic ecology the
          technological affect upon his process as he
          describes have created a need for another level
          of theoretical understanding. Recording our
          sonic environment with technological advances
          has adjusted theory of modes of listening and
          acoustic ecology.




  Brian Eno looks at recording technology as a
  new compositional technique, a method a
  observing or creating new textures of sound,
  m u c h l i k e P. S c h a e f f e r ' s o b s e r v a t i o n s o f b e i n g
  able to ‘listen to the object themselves’,
  expanding the sonic palette for composition.
  With that step, Eno felt electronic virtual
  spaces could be engineered and this in turn
  aided his task in ambient music of creating
  music to enhance environment. Recording
  technology has also changed Eno's relationship
  with his sonic environment and compositional
  techniques.
technological effect




                                   playback, new modes
RECORDING                          of listening



                                      new theoretical/
                                      philosophical study



                                         new relationship
                                         with sonic
                                         environment



                                            new compositional
                                            techniques
technological effect




   With recording technology comes the ability to
   playback the recording resulting in new theoretical
   depths, but also comes the ability to listen back to
   recordings somewhere other than it was recorded.
   Transporting the recording to anywhere else in
   order to re-listen. In the 1980’s the invention of
   t h e Wa l k m a n t r a n s f o r m e d t h i s p h e n o m e n a b y
   allowing the user to listen back to recordings made
   anytime, anywhere on a personal level.


       “The walkman has offered a personal soundtrack
       that, unlike the transistor radio, car stereo and
       explicitly opposed intention of the bass boosted
       “ghetto blaster” or “boogie box,” is, above all,
       an intensely private experience (Chambers cited
       i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 9 9 ) . ”
technological effect

This technological invention has altered   philosophical outlook              s on listening and affected
acoustic ecology. Relationships with our   aural surroundings ar              e changed, domesticating the
external world by imposing your own sou    ndscape onto your aur              al environment all under the
commands of stop, start, rewind and fast   forward (Chambers ci               t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4
pg100).




                                   This technological revolution aids creation of our own
                                   sonic environment, internally, omitting the actual sonic
                                   surroundings, creating your own remix of acoustic
                                   ecology, your own composition, a composition your in
                                   control of. As Gilles Delueze discusses ‘Logique du sens
                                   (1969)’ those other cities that exist within cities
                                   ( C h a m b e r s c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 9 9 ) , c r e a t i o n
                                   of another realm inside an existing one, where walkman
                                   users live in their own composition and have their own
                                   personal acoustic ecology.

                                              “Micro narrative, customized story and
                                              soundtrack, not merely a space but a place
                                              ( C h a m b e r s c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 1 0 0 ) . ”
Gilles Delueze discusses ‘Logique du sens (1969)’ those other cities that
    e x i s t w i t h i n c i t i e s ( C h a m b e r s c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 9 9 )
“Micro narrative, customized story and

soundtrack, not merely a space but a place

( C h a m b e r s c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4

pg100).”
In Heideggerian terms, technology being an
extension of man, an extension of our
i n d i v i d u a l b o d i e s , t h e Wa l k m a n c o n t r i b u t e s
to the prosthetic extension of mobile
bodies. This prosthesis is exacerbated by
the physical connection of the technology to
the user through the headphones. This part
of the invention is the area that creates the
new acoustic ecology, not necessarily the
functionality of the unit itself but the
immersivity and exclusion of one self from
ones acoustic surroundings. This almost is
indicative of a meditative state a heighten
s t a t e a c h i e v e d i n N a d a Yo g a ;


           “Interiorized sound (vibration)
           removes the individual from this
           world and elevates him toward higher
           spheres of existence (Schafer cited
           i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 3 5 ) . ”


It is as if in headphones you are the sphere,
connected to the universe and has utterances
of Pythagoras Music of the Spheres.   Sounds
in headphones are more direct than taking in
an aural environment; they create a
different sense of acoustic ecology with the
auditory information. Schafer describes this
difference by quoting:


           “Sounds emanate from points inside
           the cranium itself, as if the
           archetypes of the unconscious are in
           conversation (Schafer cited in Cox
           a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 3 5 ) . ”
technological effect




         Schafer discusses hear how the headphone
         phenomena creates an unusual ‘headspace’, never
         experienced before from external auditory
         environments, and how this has effect on the
         mind. How the users minds perceive those sounds
         and environment, a change in their acoustic
         ecology and expansion on theoretical discussions
         are needed. The headphone and walkman
         generation has evolved acoustic ecology,
         expanded upon existing philosophy, created
         another level of auditory perception and
         encouraged an immersive nature inside ones
         mind, in control of ones own compositions,
         s h u t t i n g o u t t h e e x i s t i n g 2 1 st c e n t u r y a c o u s t i c
         environment, perhaps perceived as noise,
         uncontrollable, controlled through this
         technology.

         The headphone phenomena in conjunction with
         the discussion of acoustic ecology and whether
         o u r 2 1 st c e n t u r y s o n i c e n v i r o n m e n t i s n o i s e o r a
         composition itself, have led us to perception,
         how the listener perceives this environment.
         Some wear headphones and others don’t creating
         variations in modes of listening in a physical
         sense, a theoretical sense and an interpretative
         sense.
hermeneutics

           The study of interpretation theory


Music theorist Ola Stockfelt discuses this interpretive notion
hermeneutics, in conjunction with soundscapes, background music and
listening.

       “Symphony that in the concert hall or on earphones can give an
       autonomous intramusical experience, tunings ones mood to the
       highest tension and shutting out the rest of the world, may in
       the café give the same listeners a mildly pleasant, relaxed
       separation from the noise on the street].[In this way, the
       situation one encounters the music conditions the music itself
       ( S t o c k f e l t c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 8 9 ) . ”

Stockfelt discusses the context affecting the interpretation of the
music and environmental context affecting acoustic ecology, however,
the conditioning of the music itself, irrespective of the environment,
must come down to an individual level of perception. That ones mode
of listening is linked to ones competence of listening. Listening with
intention, to decipher on an individual level whether noise or music,
composition or dissonant melee.




                        Lopez considers this to be ‘profound listening’,
                        immersion inside sound matter and states:

                                 “Music is an aesthetic, perception,
                                 understanding and conception of sound. Its our
                                 decision-subjective, intentional, non universal,
                                 not necessarily permanent (Lopez cited in Cox
                                 a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 8 7 ) ”
hermeneutics




This notion of perception and variance of
receiving auditory information has utterances of
Epistemology from German philosopher Emmanuel
Kant, the theory of ‘a priori (knowledge gained
from the former) and a posteriori (from the
latter). Suggestive that an educated ear in areas
of composition, sound, soundscapes acoustic
ecology, hermeneutics and philosophy linked to
audio culture will perceive an acoustic
environment differently to an uneducated,
unaware individual.




 Pierre Schaeffer confirms this theory further by
 discussing ‘seule l’ecoute d’un auditeur’, only the
 listening of a listener can determine it. B y this
 understanding a dog a Martian or a child could not
 p e r c e i v e w h e t h e r a c o u s t i c e c o l o g y i n t h e 2 1 st
 century were dissonant noise or an indeterminate
 composition as the intellectual arsenal to achieve
 the latter is non existent. Schaeffer further
 confirms this by stating that:

 “Therefore, the sonorous object (is not the tape
 itself, in terms of recording) is contained in our
 c o n s c i o u s ( S c h a f e r c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4
 pg35)
A ‘reduced
                                                   listening’ where the
                                                    sonorous object has
                                                    its’ own existence,
                                                   where you can listen
                                                       to the objects
                                                        themselves.




                                                                                  Epistemology from
                                                                                  German philosopher
                                                                                  Emmanuel Kant, the
                                                                                  theory of ‘a priori
                                                                                  (knowledge gained from
                                                                                  the former) and a
                                                                                  posteriori (from the
                                                                                  latter).
                                           HERMENEUTICS

                                                                          Consciousness



‘seule l’ecoute d’un auditeur’

   “Therefore, the sonorous

   object (is not the tape

   itself, in terms of

   recording) is contained in

   our conscious (Schafer

   c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r,

   2004 pg35).”
Conclusion




In conclusion one can discuss acoustic ecology
through observation of sounds, noise, soundscapes
and aural environments, through theorists,
philosophers and composers. One can observe these
teachings in conjunction with sociological contexts
in terms of auditory perception, visual and aural
cultural trends in society. Combining this further
k n o w l e d g e w i t h t h e t e c h n o l o g i c a l i m p a c t o f 2 1 st
century western culture, to determine whether our
current acoustic ecology is one of uncontrollable
dissonance and noise, or whether, in fact it is an
indeterminate constant environmental composition in
itself. However, fundamentally this decision of noise
or composition is at a level of perception on the
individual, hermeneutics and epistemological
decision, determined in our consciousness, by our
levels of understanding and knowledge of auditory
information.

Ultimately as Mark Slouka quotes:

         “One mans music, is another mans noise
          ( S l o u k a c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 4 0 ) . ”
Thank you for you
time.....
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cities urbanization                                                                                     eye

http://www.parklanelimo.com/busy%20city.jpg                                                             http://api.ning.com/files/
busy city                                                                                               TyzHI*fxYwBPVZJ1kShDv5l0k4K3guCNRQAI2wg87VVhDOU*qssr2Q-
                                                                                                        tD3*EQY8SL-2SDEIO3kAM370ExD9h7i3O7HcdHOmF/
http://www.warpedrealitymagazine.com/images/Andrea/Noise%20Fest                                         SongsOfTheSensesIcon.jpg
%20cover.jpg                                                                                            senses
noise fest

http://www.thedeafblog.co.uk/noise.jpg                                                                  http://wayofthewest.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/sound.jpg
noise lad                                                                                               sound

http://www.eso-garden.com/index.php?/weblog/C9/                                                         http://users.linkfilter.net/~eric/worshiptheglitch/uher.jpg
music of the spheres                                                                                    recording

http://www.phillwebb.net/history/twentiethcentury/Continental/                                          http://www.gearfuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/walkman.gif
Phenomenology/Husserl/Husserl8.jpg                                                                      walkaman
husserl
http://www.photoeverywhere.co.uk/west/usa/san_francisco/                                                http://th02.deviantart.net/images3/300W/i/2004/158/a/4/
city_skyline_skyscrapers5912.jpg                                                                        Bald_man_wearing_Headphones_2.jpg
cities                                                                                                  headphones

http://i42.tinypic.com/2hmojyb.jpg                                                                      http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/blattnew/images/kant-portrait.jpg
ear                                                                                                     kant

http://www.photoeverywhere.co.uk/west/usa/san_francisco/                                                http://5fingers.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/pierre.jpg
city_skyline_skyscrapers5912.jpg                                                                        schaeffer
city scene large
                                                                                                        http://www.impactlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/conscious-
http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2000/07/schafer.jpg                                                     machine_cp3hb_2263.jpg
                r murray schafer                                                                        conscious

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Theory Presentation

  • 1. Richard Hemming University of Wales Newport Student Number: 20078412 Module : Theory MA Creative Music Practice Richard Hemming University of Wales Newport Student Number: 20078412 Module : Theory MA Creative Music Practice T h e A c o u s t i c E c o l o g y o f t h e 2 1 s t C e n t u r y W e s t e r n W o r l d : D i s s o n a n t , u n c o n t r o l l a b l e n o i s e o r i n d e t e r m i n a t e c o m p o s i t i o n ?
  • 2. This presentation has been adapted from the original slides for WEB purposes. It is a presentation of a theory paper. Therefore, there is considerably more text on these slides in order to communicate the content fully. Essay separately downloadable from http://richardhemming.wordpress.com/ All content on the following pages is displayed under the ownership of  Richard Hemming unless quoted or stated.
  • 3. urbanization a c o u s t i c e c o l o g y technology We a r e i n a n e r a o f s o c i o l o g i c a l revolution. These revolutions are impacting our lives in areas of urbanization, technology, creativity and philosophy. The term acoustic ecology, the study of sound between a living organism and its surroundings, coined by Canadian composer and theorist R Murray Schafer, has arisen owing to dramatic changes in mans sonic environment. These changes brought a b o u t b y o u r c o n s t a n t l y e v o l v i n g 2 1 st Century living are creating new environments filled with unheard sounds, textures and timbres, new technological developments enhancing philosophy opportunities for creativity. Thus, necessitating existing philosophical models to be expanded upon. creativity
  • 4. t h e t e r m a c o u s t i c e c o l o g y T h e s t u d y o f s o u n d b e t w e e n a l i v i n g o r g a n i s m a n d i t s s u r r o u n d i n g s , c o i n e d b y C a n a d i a n c o m p o s e r a n d t h e o r i s t R M u r r a y S c h a f e r
  • 5. a c o u s t i c e c o l o g y “Modern man is inhabiting a world with an acoustic environment radically different f r o m a n y h e h a s h i t h e r t o k n o w n ( S c h a f e r c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 2 9 ) . ”
  • 6. a c o u s t i c e c o l o g y As urbanization and all of its resultant characteristics develop, more people, more cities, more technology. A sense of a denser world context and environment are emanated. With this trend it is suggestive of more elements and is subject, therefore, to more sound, denser sonic environments. Is it an uncontrollable trend of the 21 st c e n t u r y, a n o i s e m e l e e , o r s o m e t h i n g t h a t i s usable in creative appropriation? A progression from a quieter existence, where less sound was being generated, into a concentrated, thicker, noisier existence. French theorist and economist Attali defines noise as: “A noise is a resonance that interferes with the audition of a message in the process of emission].[It is any disruption of any social process, any source of pain. At the extreme (extreme volume, for instance), it kills (Attali, 1985 pg26).”
  • 7. O b v i o u s l y a s i g n i f i c a n t s u b j e c t i n t h e 2 1 st c e n t u r y, o w i n g t o the laws attempting to govern noise levels. Politicians discuss this through noise pollution, demonstrating through their use of terminology (pollution) that it is something unwanted, illegal and undesirable, a terrible noise. This conveys imagery of man versus nature, noise versus silence, an element of control over our acoustic ecology. Conjuring up discussion over fundamentals of sound, music, noise and composition and their relations to us in society. U R B A N I Z A T I O N a n o i s e m e l e e a noise melee a c r e a t i v e a p p r o a c h
  • 8. a c o u s t i c e c o l o g y “Is the soundscape of the world an indeterminate composition over which we have no control or are we its composer or c o n t r o l l e r s ( S c h a f e r c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 3 0 )
  • 9. a c o u s t i c e c o l o g y Although Schafer coined the term that specifically focuses on our acoustic ecology recently, our sonic environment has been under philosophical investigation for centuries. Pythagorean philosophy demonstrates this through the teachings of “Music of the Spheres” showing early consideration into sonic surroundings, modes of listening, encouraging an appreciation of ones surrounding, as all empyrean bodies are a form of music. Early suggestions that all sound being in our environment is an element of music and an utterance that it is a universal continual composition, noise that should be considered for composition, or, is already a composition of music in itself. “Music of the Spheres”
  • 10. phenomenology Pythagoras also introduced the theory of “Pythagoras’s curtain”. This is another important realization bringing focus onto sound matter and material, subject and object origination in our environment. Relating to the philosopher Edmund Husserl's area of Phenomenology, discussing ‘acousmatics’ the Larousse dictionary describes as “a noise that one hears without seeing what causes it” adds extra theoretical depth to the field of environmental sounds in composition, to include sounds created without intention, or knowledge of where they have originated, expanding the universal sonic palette.
  • 11. phenomenology Founder of ‘Musique Concrete’ Pierre Schaeffer, Founder of ‘Musique Concrete’ Pierre Schaeffer, follower of Husserl and Pythagoras, solidifies theories of environmental sonic palettes for sounds or ‘objets sonores’ (as described by Schaeffer) as being part of composition by basing his entire works of on this ideology. Encouraging a creative positive element with this palette describing compositional techniques need to contain ‘Jeu’, the French for ‘Play’ defined in English as ‘to enjoy oneself by interacting in ones surroundings”.
  • 12. The work of Spanish sound artist and entomologist Francisco Lopez (in his works ‘La Selva’, sound recordings in fieldwork based in South American rainforests) also encourages us to take in our sound environment as a whole, further confirming this environment as a compositional tool. Further confirmation of acoustic ecology, as an element of composition, a tool or referent, is composer and founder of ambient music Brian Eno. He tries to emulate acoustic environments in ambient composition by describing it as “music in a different way – as part of the ambience of our lives- and we wanted it to be continuous, a surrounding (Eno cited in Cox a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 9 4 ) ” . E n o u s e s t h e g e n r e o f ambient music to enhance our acoustic environments and create notions of immersion.
  • 13. John Cage furthers this discussion of the use of noise and its relation to composition and music. His beliefs were that there is no noise, only sound, and that music is merely organized sound. Discussing the way this affects us in our acoustic ecology by quoting: “I believe that the use of noise, wherever we are, what we hear is mostly noise. When we ignore it disturbs us. When we listen to it, we find it f a s c i n a t i n g ( C a g e c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 pg25).” Jacques Attali also solidifies the notion of sounds and noise and their inclusion in music by advising, “listening to music is listening to all noise (Atalli, 1985 pg7)”. Discussing the theorists and composers above legitimizes the use of all sound in our environments to be considered for creative inclusion in composition. Therefore, all of our acoustic ecology is a potential compositional piece or tool. The discussions from Attali of noise and elements of control move toward acoustic ecology and its affect on society
  • 14. s o c i o l o g i c a l s h i f t Sociological shift in auditory culture have been noted by M c l u h a n i n t h e 2 0 th C e n t u r y b y stating: “While visual culture has d o m i n a t e d We s t e r n t h o u g h t , perception and imagination since ancient Greece, the l a t e 2 0 th c e n t u r y w i t n e s s e d a rapid shift toward a very different mode of perception that of the acoustic or auditory (Mcluhan cited in Cox and Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 6 7 ) . ” This shift in society confirms further the notion of how our acoustic ecology is being considered more as part of composition, by culture focusing more on aspects of the auditory
  • 15. s o c i o l o g i c a l s h i f t German composer and philosopher T h e o d o r e W. A d o r n o , r a t h e r t h a n the previous theoretically dominated visual culture of the western world, does not support a shift toward an auditory level. He is negative toward Mcluhan’s observation as he states: “One might say that to react with the ear, which is fundamentally a passive organ in contrast to the swift, actively selective eye, is in a sense not in keeping with the present advanced industrial age and its cultural anthropology (Adorno cited i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 pg74).”
  • 16. Mcluhan defends his stance on the sociological auditory shift when analyzing the nature of sight itself, undermining Adorno’s misgivings, by looking at the physicality of the eye being the problem itself, linear in sight, everything in sequence, linear logic. It encourages reasoning by e x c l u s i o n ( M c l u h a n c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 pg69-70), something that the multidirectional auditory receiving experience does not. linear multidirectional
  • 17. s o c i o l o g i c a l s h i f t Mcluhan and Adorno are discussing the distinctions between sight and hearing in a physical and sociological sense, Roman philosopher born in 106BC Marcus Cicero invalidates the separation when discussing “Sensus Communis” a culmination of all senses, seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting, no distinctions in early society.
  • 18. s o c i o l o g i c a l s h i f t Attali communicates that by observing music and sound in our society it acts as a m irror to the current sociological organi zation. “Music].[It is a mirr or for its organization resembl es the current organization of our society: music is “a repository of].[the social score (Attali 1985 pg9).”
  • 19. Owing to rise of genres such as Musique Concrete, Schafer coining the term acoustic ecology, and ongoing philosophical debate about sound, noise, and music in society. Attali's theories demonstrate that Mcluhan is right to state we have shifted toward a more auditory existence. Attali, through this theoretical mirror is answering the debate in shift between visual and auditory culture. This is supported by emerging compositions from Pierre Schaeffer, John Cage, and Francisco Lopez (plus many others). The theories coupled with emerging works from discussed composers communicates that we are in new sociological, philosophical and compositional areas.
  • 20. technological effect 2 1 st c e n t u r y e v o l u t i o n s i n t e c h n o l o g y a r e i m p a c t i n g o n m u s i c , composition and sound. Under Attali’s mirror theory, therefore, affecting society. Barrington Nevitt links acoustic space in society to cultural content. “Acoustic space requires neither proof nor explanation but is made manifest through its cultural context (Nevitt cited in Cox a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 7 1 ) . ” P r o m i n e n t c u l t u r a l c o n t e n t i n 2 1 st c e n t u r y w e s t e r n w o r l d i s t e c h n o l o g y, we are in a revolutionary technological context. When observing acoustic ecology in today’s society technological revolutions have impacted this are of study. The technology of recording has enabled theoretical expansion upon many theories. The technology of recording
  • 21. technological effect of recording acousmatics & reduced listening A ‘reduced listening’ where the sonorous object has its’ own existence, where you can listen to the objects themselves. R E P E AT E D SOUND LISTENING TO BEFORE REC A C O U S M AT I C S P L AY OBJECT RECORDING ITSELF
  • 22. technological effect Pierre Schaeffer believed that recording exacerbated Phenemological theory, describing experience without reference to the source or object. With sound and recording in a phenomelogical sense Schaeffer describes that sounds have been turned into sonorous objects, and new modes of listening are engineered. A ‘reduced listening’ where the sonorous object has its’ own existence, where you can listen to the objects themselves. A reduced signal from the source, epitomizing the theory of ‘acousmatics’, these signals and sonorous objects are subject to multiple variations or ‘prise de son’ and recording presents the variations, there are many ways that we can record an object and this affects how we hear or ‘ecoute’ that object. Recording to tape means the sonorous object is not the tape itself it is merely a sonorous support of an acoustic signal (Schaeffer cited in Cox and Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 7 6 - 7 8 ) . S c h a e ff e r a c o u s t i c e c o l o g y, relationship with his sonic surroundings feels as if enhanced owing to the technology of recording.
  • 23. technological effect Francisco Lopez in La Selva recordings pushes the theory further by discussing that in a rainforest a bird calls and that sound no longer belongs to the bird once produced. If the sound is recorded then this is another step in its transformation from the original signal, different microphones ‘hear’ in different ways and then digital techniques in editing reproduces this, giving a hyper-real or unreal sound version of a natural sound (Lopez cited i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 8 2 - 8 7 ) . A l t h o u g h ironically Lopez is aiming to record natural sounds in his acoustic ecology the technological affect upon his process as he describes have created a need for another level of theoretical understanding. Recording our sonic environment with technological advances has adjusted theory of modes of listening and acoustic ecology. Brian Eno looks at recording technology as a new compositional technique, a method a observing or creating new textures of sound, m u c h l i k e P. S c h a e f f e r ' s o b s e r v a t i o n s o f b e i n g able to ‘listen to the object themselves’, expanding the sonic palette for composition. With that step, Eno felt electronic virtual spaces could be engineered and this in turn aided his task in ambient music of creating music to enhance environment. Recording technology has also changed Eno's relationship with his sonic environment and compositional techniques.
  • 24. technological effect playback, new modes RECORDING of listening new theoretical/ philosophical study new relationship with sonic environment new compositional techniques
  • 25. technological effect With recording technology comes the ability to playback the recording resulting in new theoretical depths, but also comes the ability to listen back to recordings somewhere other than it was recorded. Transporting the recording to anywhere else in order to re-listen. In the 1980’s the invention of t h e Wa l k m a n t r a n s f o r m e d t h i s p h e n o m e n a b y allowing the user to listen back to recordings made anytime, anywhere on a personal level. “The walkman has offered a personal soundtrack that, unlike the transistor radio, car stereo and explicitly opposed intention of the bass boosted “ghetto blaster” or “boogie box,” is, above all, an intensely private experience (Chambers cited i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 9 9 ) . ”
  • 26. technological effect This technological invention has altered philosophical outlook s on listening and affected acoustic ecology. Relationships with our aural surroundings ar e changed, domesticating the external world by imposing your own sou ndscape onto your aur al environment all under the commands of stop, start, rewind and fast forward (Chambers ci t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 pg100). This technological revolution aids creation of our own sonic environment, internally, omitting the actual sonic surroundings, creating your own remix of acoustic ecology, your own composition, a composition your in control of. As Gilles Delueze discusses ‘Logique du sens (1969)’ those other cities that exist within cities ( C h a m b e r s c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 9 9 ) , c r e a t i o n of another realm inside an existing one, where walkman users live in their own composition and have their own personal acoustic ecology. “Micro narrative, customized story and soundtrack, not merely a space but a place ( C h a m b e r s c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 1 0 0 ) . ”
  • 27. Gilles Delueze discusses ‘Logique du sens (1969)’ those other cities that e x i s t w i t h i n c i t i e s ( C h a m b e r s c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 9 9 )
  • 28. “Micro narrative, customized story and soundtrack, not merely a space but a place ( C h a m b e r s c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 pg100).”
  • 29. In Heideggerian terms, technology being an extension of man, an extension of our i n d i v i d u a l b o d i e s , t h e Wa l k m a n c o n t r i b u t e s to the prosthetic extension of mobile bodies. This prosthesis is exacerbated by the physical connection of the technology to the user through the headphones. This part of the invention is the area that creates the new acoustic ecology, not necessarily the functionality of the unit itself but the immersivity and exclusion of one self from ones acoustic surroundings. This almost is indicative of a meditative state a heighten s t a t e a c h i e v e d i n N a d a Yo g a ; “Interiorized sound (vibration) removes the individual from this world and elevates him toward higher spheres of existence (Schafer cited i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 3 5 ) . ” It is as if in headphones you are the sphere, connected to the universe and has utterances of Pythagoras Music of the Spheres. Sounds in headphones are more direct than taking in an aural environment; they create a different sense of acoustic ecology with the auditory information. Schafer describes this difference by quoting: “Sounds emanate from points inside the cranium itself, as if the archetypes of the unconscious are in conversation (Schafer cited in Cox a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 3 5 ) . ”
  • 30. technological effect Schafer discusses hear how the headphone phenomena creates an unusual ‘headspace’, never experienced before from external auditory environments, and how this has effect on the mind. How the users minds perceive those sounds and environment, a change in their acoustic ecology and expansion on theoretical discussions are needed. The headphone and walkman generation has evolved acoustic ecology, expanded upon existing philosophy, created another level of auditory perception and encouraged an immersive nature inside ones mind, in control of ones own compositions, s h u t t i n g o u t t h e e x i s t i n g 2 1 st c e n t u r y a c o u s t i c environment, perhaps perceived as noise, uncontrollable, controlled through this technology. The headphone phenomena in conjunction with the discussion of acoustic ecology and whether o u r 2 1 st c e n t u r y s o n i c e n v i r o n m e n t i s n o i s e o r a composition itself, have led us to perception, how the listener perceives this environment. Some wear headphones and others don’t creating variations in modes of listening in a physical sense, a theoretical sense and an interpretative sense.
  • 31. hermeneutics The study of interpretation theory Music theorist Ola Stockfelt discuses this interpretive notion hermeneutics, in conjunction with soundscapes, background music and listening. “Symphony that in the concert hall or on earphones can give an autonomous intramusical experience, tunings ones mood to the highest tension and shutting out the rest of the world, may in the café give the same listeners a mildly pleasant, relaxed separation from the noise on the street].[In this way, the situation one encounters the music conditions the music itself ( S t o c k f e l t c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 8 9 ) . ” Stockfelt discusses the context affecting the interpretation of the music and environmental context affecting acoustic ecology, however, the conditioning of the music itself, irrespective of the environment, must come down to an individual level of perception. That ones mode of listening is linked to ones competence of listening. Listening with intention, to decipher on an individual level whether noise or music, composition or dissonant melee. Lopez considers this to be ‘profound listening’, immersion inside sound matter and states: “Music is an aesthetic, perception, understanding and conception of sound. Its our decision-subjective, intentional, non universal, not necessarily permanent (Lopez cited in Cox a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 8 7 ) ”
  • 32. hermeneutics This notion of perception and variance of receiving auditory information has utterances of Epistemology from German philosopher Emmanuel Kant, the theory of ‘a priori (knowledge gained from the former) and a posteriori (from the latter). Suggestive that an educated ear in areas of composition, sound, soundscapes acoustic ecology, hermeneutics and philosophy linked to audio culture will perceive an acoustic environment differently to an uneducated, unaware individual. Pierre Schaeffer confirms this theory further by discussing ‘seule l’ecoute d’un auditeur’, only the listening of a listener can determine it. B y this understanding a dog a Martian or a child could not p e r c e i v e w h e t h e r a c o u s t i c e c o l o g y i n t h e 2 1 st century were dissonant noise or an indeterminate composition as the intellectual arsenal to achieve the latter is non existent. Schaeffer further confirms this by stating that: “Therefore, the sonorous object (is not the tape itself, in terms of recording) is contained in our c o n s c i o u s ( S c h a f e r c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 pg35)
  • 33. A ‘reduced listening’ where the sonorous object has its’ own existence, where you can listen to the objects themselves. Epistemology from German philosopher Emmanuel Kant, the theory of ‘a priori (knowledge gained from the former) and a posteriori (from the latter). HERMENEUTICS Consciousness ‘seule l’ecoute d’un auditeur’ “Therefore, the sonorous object (is not the tape itself, in terms of recording) is contained in our conscious (Schafer c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2004 pg35).”
  • 34. Conclusion In conclusion one can discuss acoustic ecology through observation of sounds, noise, soundscapes and aural environments, through theorists, philosophers and composers. One can observe these teachings in conjunction with sociological contexts in terms of auditory perception, visual and aural cultural trends in society. Combining this further k n o w l e d g e w i t h t h e t e c h n o l o g i c a l i m p a c t o f 2 1 st century western culture, to determine whether our current acoustic ecology is one of uncontrollable dissonance and noise, or whether, in fact it is an indeterminate constant environmental composition in itself. However, fundamentally this decision of noise or composition is at a level of perception on the individual, hermeneutics and epistemological decision, determined in our consciousness, by our levels of understanding and knowledge of auditory information. Ultimately as Mark Slouka quotes: “One mans music, is another mans noise ( S l o u k a c i t e d i n C o x a n d Wa r n e r, 2 0 0 4 p g 4 0 ) . ”
  • 35. Thank you for you time.....
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