Arguable as my definition of noise is based on a theory published by Henry Cowell, noise can be interpreted in many ways.
Some simply say 'undesirable sound' so please keep in mind that i am writing from Mr Cowells perspective of noise.
Discussion of the implications of the use of the ‘noise’ in electro-acoustic music composition:
In the natural world “What we hear is mostly noise” (Cage, J. 1937:25), in music we also have a vast amount of noise but it isn’t always brought into perspective in the same way natural noise is. Music that is tone orientated leaves the noise of a song out of focus and as a result it is left unaffected in a neutral state. Some music is now starting to convey how much noise surrounds us in real life and consequently we have a new palette of sounds and even instruments as well as new approaches to composing and performing. Noise has been around as long as music and has always been a part of music, so it is hard to discuss how noise effects these compositions without first describing what noise is.
Henry Cowell describes noise as a division of sound where there exists “Tone- or sound produced by periodic vibrations- and noise- or sound produced by non-periodic vibrations” (Cowell, H. 1929: 23) It is tone that music has been fixated on and it is noise that is new area of focus in some electro-acoustic music. In some opinions this is an expansion of music allowing us to really use the whole spectrum of sound to compose with. Arguably the use of noise secludes music by making it ‘un-listenable’ to less experimental composers and music connoisseurs, this in turn stunts development of what has been and still is by some considered the future development of music.
The most interesting fact about noise is how it has always been a part of music, like “sex to humanity, essential to its existence, but impolite to mention” (Cowell, H. 1929: 23). It has always played an important role in the timbre of instruments and how we perceive the sounds we hear. If noise is to be defined as sound produced by irregular vibrations, then everything we play carries with it layers of noise that give the tone its traits. Therefore composers who are able to exploit the use of noise can take into account that they have been using a restricting selection of timbres in their orchestras and bands. Edgard Varese supports the arguments of tone based music being restricted and in 1936 in one of his lectures, ‘New Instruments and New Music’ he describes how his music will be mapped by “zones of intensity” which are “differentiated by various timbres or colours” (Varese, E. 1936: 18) As a result of this you get compositions with an alternative perspective used as the basis for construction, for example a song written via the order and combinations of timbres or sound colours, rather than the order and combinations of tones.
The composers of these noise compositions are working with expanded material and techniques. As a result there is a sense of freedom within the music, but at the same time seclusion in the sense that the resulting music is hard to listen to, or takes a lot of thought to listen to. The compositions that explore noise are as expected, noisy, and this seems to stunt the development as the listening layman can not explore and appreciate it in the same way as the composer. Akita of Merzbow describes in an interview of how, in his earlier shows in Japan, “People thought the music was just too difficult and loud” (Akita, M.:61). This is a conclusion drawn by many untrained listeners who are used to being able to listen to a ‘tune’ or melody.
With tone we have a very refined and finely tuned notation system that allows us to compose, record and share our music in a way that all musicians have the opportunity to relate to. But in this new exploration of noise we have this system of notation greatly reduced. Graphic scores can give a rough improvisational guide at best, but don’t really provide any way of conveying in accuracy the pitch, speed, length etc. As a consequence a lot of composers and music connoisseurs alike can not relate to noise in music as they lack an understanding of how to perceive it. This again results in less people being able to understand and appreciate the music they hear, thus less people are able to learn, recreate or take influence from the composition meaning the growth or spread of the music is stunted or at least slowed.
Edgard Varese had some very significant opinions about the notation of electro-acoustic compositions that use noise and how “our actual notation will be inadequate” and the new notation to cater for noise will “probably be seismographic” (Varese, E. 1936: 18). These are again ideas that mean an expanded art form, in this case being able to score every frequency and convey any sound needed via computers. But at the same time as a result of this you will find seclusion, as the music is too complex for the audience to simply listen to. Edgard Varese is also a good example of noise composition that you can listen to and appreciate for the aesthetic qualities amongst many other things. “Deserts” (Varese, E. 2001) by Edgard Varèse was written just after tape became available, it is piece written in 1954 for wind percussion and tape and it shows a very effecive use of what is essentially a focus on noise, timbre and structure. The classical instruments used still carry the same tone they always have but rather than structuring a song based on an order for these tones the fixation is on the order or emphasis of noise. As a result you get an extremely pensive and tense atmosphere.
When noise is used in conjunction with tone in the same respect as Deserts you get a haunting ambience to the track and a lot of strain on the dynamics of sections. The dynamics of the piece are quite unique, it is quite apparent that louder is noisier and as a consequence you have a huge amount of focus on the volumes of sections. This is something that is brought to the forground naturally because of the readjusment to listening that needs to be made to absorbe the piece. Not all pieces are as easy to listen to as Deserts, with alot of electro-acoustic compositions you have a far more abstract interpretation of noise, and this is what detaches listeners of popular music from electro-acoustic tracks.
Noise is also present in popular music, in an interveiw with japanese noise artists ‘Merzbow’ or Masami Akita he was asked ‘What first attracted you to Noise?’ he referred to sounds like ‘aggressive blues rock guitar sounds like Jimi Hendrix… and fuzz organ sounds such as Mike Ratledge’. (Akita, M.:59). Akita developed a taste for electo-acoustic noise composition from listening to progressive rock and free jazz when he was younger. This is an interesting example of how noise in music can be deterring in the full-on abstract form it takes with some composers like Stockhausen. But when weened onto noise via more audiably accessible music it can be something of personal interest to want to listen to and explore noise in music. I find a lot of relevence between what Akita has to say about his experience with noise and Henry Cowell’s ideas of noise, you can see quite clearly how tone and noise are both parts of music when you start to take a look into some of the uses of noise in popular music like the distortion of a guitar. It is the focus or context that shifts and the proportions, giving a different perception of the ‘art’. With that in mind I can quite understand the enthusiasm behind some of the electro-acoustic composers, you can begin to understand the excitement that Russolos futerist manifesto triggered and begin to see the freedom that you allow yourself by exposing your music to the manipulation of noise and not just tone.
But as aforementioned there are missing links with noise in electro-acoustic composition, the level of planning and thought that may be geometrical, scientific, technological, philosophical, metaphorical can be overwhelming to laymen ears, and techniques like reduced listening are required to fully absorb these noise compositions. As a consequence of this esotericism less people can appreciate, reproduce and develop the compositions. The same problems occur when trying to notate the electro-acoustic compositions that use noise. Gaphic scores give a vague guide of the songs and can provide some minor detail about where maybe one or two perameters are going to swell or decrease, but this is not substantial. Consequently you have a lesser understanding of the compositions that use noise because less people are able to recreate and develop the ideas of the music. Until the composers can accurately record their music to paper or other mediums they will have to rely on the audio recordings to teach, pass on and develop their music. In conclusion, electro-acoustic compositions that use noise as part of the composition process as well as sound objects have a missing link of communication between the composers and the public audience, which distances the music. As a consequence, the free thinking, noise compositions- even though composed via an expanded palette of sounds, instruments, composition and performance techniques – have a reduced audience because of the esoteracism of the compositions and the abstruse thinking behind them. As a result the development of these ideas is restricted to a specific audience of connoisseurs and sometimes a specific enviroment of laboratories.
Bibliography
Cox, C. & D. Warner eds. (2004), Audio Culture: Reading in Modern Music: Continuum International
Cage, J. (1937) ‘The Future of Music: Credo’ pp. 25-28 in Cox, C. & D. Warner eds. (2004)
Cowell, H. (1929) ‘The Joys of Noise’ pp. 22-24 in Cox, C. & D. Warner eds. (2004)
Varese, E. (1936) New Instruments and New Music in ‘The Liberation of Sound’ pp. 17-21 in Cox, C. & D. Warner eds. (2004)
Akita, M. ‘The Beauty of Noise: An Interview with Masami Akita of Merzbow’ pp. 59-61
Varese, E. (2001) VARESE: Arcana / Integrales / Deserts [CD]: Naxos Classical
