Understanding the Art of Sound Organization

The art of sound organization, also known as electroacoustic music, uses sounds notavailable to traditional music making, including prerecorded, synthesized, and processed sounds. Thebody of work of such sound-based music (which includes electroacoustic art music, turntablecomposition, computer games, and acoustic and digital sound installations) has developed morerapidly than its musicology. Understanding the Art of Sound Organization proposes the first generalfoundational framework for the study of the art of sound organization, defining terms, discussingrelevant forms of music, categorizing works, and setting sound-based music in interdisciplinarycontexts. Leigh Landy's goal in this book is not only to create a theoretical framework but also tomake the work more accessible--to suggest a way to understand sound-based music, to give a listenerwhat he terms "something to hold on to," for example, by connecting elements in a work toeveryday experience. Landy considers the difficulties of categorizing works and discusses such typesof works as sonic art and electroacoustic music, pointing out where they overlap and how they aredistinctive. He proposes a "sound-based music paradigm" that transcends such traditionalcategories as art and pop music. Landy defines patterns that suggest a general framework and placesthe studies of sound-based music into interdisciplinary contexts, from acoustics to semiotics,proposing a holistic research approach that considers the interconnectedness of a given work'shistory, theory, technological aspects, and social impact. The author's ElectroAcoustic ResourceSite (EARS, www.ears.dmu.ac.uk), the architecture of which parallels this book's structure, offersupdated bibliographic resource abstracts and related information. Leigh Landy is a composer andscholar. He is Director of the Music, Technology, and Innovation Research Centre at De MontfortUniversity, U.K.

Leigh Landy is a composer and scholar. He is Director of the Music, Technology, and Innovation Research Centre at De Montfort University, U.K.