Acousmatic Composition: the Atomisation of Performance as Technological Consequence
Acousmatic Composition:
The Atomisation of Performance as Technological Consequence
Introduction
The mechanical capture and reproduction of sound first became achievable with the advent of the phonograph, and technology has progressed at an impressive rate since. The 100 years of the 20th century saw more technological advancement than in the thousand years that preceded it (the new century, a decade old, eclipsing the last). Recording of sound has been achieved in more and more ways; not just through the use of new technology but through the approaches employed by innovative practitioners and composers that have since informed common practices (a topic which I will revisit later).
It is my impression that evolving technology has informed the compositional process, but to what extent? Aspects of instrumental performance such as violin vibrato have arguably arisen out of recording 's unforgiving influence (Katz, 2004; Pp. 4), but as music can be captured mechanically, its reproduction is of similar process – that is to say that music may now be touched, and changed. Katz (2004; Pp. 4) supports this: “Once music is reified...it becomes...manipulable in ways that had never before been possible.” The physical manifestation of music has spawned numerous practices and disciplines involving the manipulation and subsequent re-recording of sound, and it is the impact therein that I intend to discuss.
The term acousmatic will doubtless bear a degree of relation to the works of Pierre Schaeffer and that of musique concrète practitioners. Certainly, acousmatic listening itself refers to aural consumption rather than performance. Schaeffer (2004; Pp. 77) himself describes it as “a reversal of the usual procedure...It is the listening itself that becomes the origin of the phenomenon to be studied.” However, acousmatic composition is not described in this paper in relation to the use of acousmatic sound within works. This may appear slightly misleading. With a
The Atomisation of Performance as Technological Consequence
Introduction
The mechanical capture and reproduction of sound first became achievable with the advent of the phonograph, and technology has progressed at an impressive rate since. The 100 years of the 20th century saw more technological advancement than in the thousand years that preceded it (the new century, a decade old, eclipsing the last). Recording of sound has been achieved in more and more ways; not just through the use of new technology but through the approaches employed by innovative practitioners and composers that have since informed common practices (a topic which I will revisit later).
It is my impression that evolving technology has informed the compositional process, but to what extent? Aspects of instrumental performance such as violin vibrato have arguably arisen out of recording 's unforgiving influence (Katz, 2004; Pp. 4), but as music can be captured mechanically, its reproduction is of similar process – that is to say that music may now be touched, and changed. Katz (2004; Pp. 4) supports this: “Once music is reified...it becomes...manipulable in ways that had never before been possible.” The physical manifestation of music has spawned numerous practices and disciplines involving the manipulation and subsequent re-recording of sound, and it is the impact therein that I intend to discuss.
The term acousmatic will doubtless bear a degree of relation to the works of Pierre Schaeffer and that of musique concrète practitioners. Certainly, acousmatic listening itself refers to aural consumption rather than performance. Schaeffer (2004; Pp. 77) himself describes it as “a reversal of the usual procedure...It is the listening itself that becomes the origin of the phenomenon to be studied.” However, acousmatic composition is not described in this paper in relation to the use of acousmatic sound within works. This may appear slightly misleading. With a
Bibliography: Adorno, T. (2002) On the Fetish Character in Music and the Regression of Listening Brech, M. (2002) New Technology – New Artistic Genres: Changes In The Concept And Aesthetics Of Music Eno, B. (2004) The Studio As A Compositional Tool. In: Cox. C, and Warner, D Gould, G. (2004) The Prospects Of Recording. In: Cox. C, and Warner, D. ed. Audio Culture: Readings In Modern Music Horning, S. (2002) From Polka To Punk: Growth Of An Independent Recording Studio, 1934-1977 Katz, M. (2004) Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music. London: University Of California Press. Milner, G. (2009) Perfecting Sound Forever: The Story Of Recorded Music. London: Granta Publications. Morin, C., 1998. The Evolution OF Beatles’ Recording Technology [online]. [Accessed 10th May 2012] Schaeffer, P. (2004) Acousmatics. In: Cox. C, and Warner, D. ed. Audio Culture: Readings In Modern Music