Malherbe, Claudy. Translated by Joshua Fineberg and Berry Howard. "Seeing Light as Color, Hearing Sound as Timbre.” Contemporary Music Review, Vol. 19, Part 3 (2000):15-27
Malherbe's article considers the sensation, perception, and psychology of sound. This piece is insightful in my investigation of how cyberculture has changed our perception of noise* (*I have yet to define noise, but will do so clearly as I gather information, digest it, and decide how to approach this topic") in that it focuses on shifts in perception of sound, while finding parallels to shifts in perception of color. Malherbe's discussion of parallel shifts in perception of formal elements (i.e. color and sound) in painting and music in the 1800's (i.e. material-color to the color-of-light and timbre-maitiére and timbre-son) is highly relevant to my research as I draw parallels between today's perceptions of timbre through the multi-media lens of cyberculture.
Murail, Tristan. Translated by Joshua Cody. “The Revolution of Complex Sounds.” Contemporary Music Review, Vol. 24, No. 2/3, April/June (2005): 121-135
This piece is reflects on the way sound has evolved in the past century—i.e. how we compose, organize, and hear sound. Murail explores, what he calls, "A New World of Sounds" (p. 122), supporting his discussion with new instruments and techniques, the influence of electroacoustic music, and echoes, loops, and reverberation, among other new developments in sound. Murail writes:
In an attempt to integrate these new sounds that are above all, as we shall see, sounds of a 'complex' character, necessitates a profound revision of traditional compositional techniques…and of our very conception of the compositional act. (pp. 121)
Murail's thoughts on how we organize, compose, and structure the new sounds of today will be valuable as I consider how cyberculture affects our perception, and, resulting organization and categorization, of noise today. Murail's discussion of loops, as a sort of contemporary architecture of sound, is meaningful in relation to our perceptions of noise today. Some questions to consider as I research: How does our way of organizing noise today, as viewed through the lens of cyberculture, create new noise? For example, what new noise is made through the organization of noise through systems such as loops? (The space between loops, etc…)
Russolo, Luigi. Translated by Robert Filliou. The Art of Noise (futurist manifesto, 1913). Originally published in 1967 as a A Great Bear Pamphlet by Something Else Press. [*I am not sure how to note this source correctly, as it is an orginal publication, republished on the ubuclassics website (ubu.com) I will bring the source info to our meeting]
Russolo discusses his ideas about noise, silence, and sound and how those perceptions have changed. This piece, written in 1913, is relevant in that it is a historical (and, though I do not have the research to state this yet—-can I assume, quite groundbreaking?) document on perception and noise. In the manifesto, Russolo defines properties of noise versus sound:
Noise accompanies every manifestation of our life. Noise is familiar to us. Noise has the power to bring us back to life. On the other hand, sound, foreign to life, always a musical, outside thing, an occasional element,has come to strike our ears no more than an overly familiar face does our eye." (p. 9)
Perhaps over-simplified and romantic, but Russolo's writing is particularly relevant to exploration of how cyberculture has affected our perception of noise today. Would Russolo hear the influx of cyberculture as noise? Or would Russolo consider cyberculture as that "foreign to life….familiar face" sound? (p. 9)
Grisey, Gérard. Translated by Joshua Fineberg. "Did You Say Spectral?" Contemporary Music Review, Vol. 19, Part 3 (2000): 1-3.
Grisey’s discusses the formal organization, parameters, harmonic and timbral consequences, and temporal consequences of spectral music. This is a great resource as I research and draw my own conclusions as to how cyberculture has influenced our perception of the organization of noise, because spectral music is all about the organization and perception of sound. Grisey writes that spectral music has a “more attentive attitude towards the phenomenology of perception” (p.2)
Fineberg, Joshua. “Guide to the Basic Concepts and Techniques of Spectral Music.” Contemporary Music Review, Vol. 19, Part 2 (2000): 81-113
This is an appendix of spectral music ideas, terms, and techniques. This guide will serve as a reference of musical and aesthetic ideas, within the realm of spectral music, which will aide me in my own categorization of perception of noise, as organized through the lens of cyberculture, today.
T.J. Pinch and Karin Bijsterveld. “Should One Applaud? Breaches and Boundaries in the Reception of New Technologies in Music.” Technology and Culture, Volume 44, Number 3 (2003): 536-559
The reception of new technologies, and, the resulting reception to new sounds and modes of categorization, are discussed (in-brief) in this essay. Written as timeline of the author’s perceived greatest hits in music technology developments, this essay is very relevant in that it talks about new technologies, perception, and categorization of sounds.