The soundscape : our sonic environment and the tuning of the world /
Our sonic environment and the tuning of the world
R. Murray Schafer.
- xii, 301 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Originally published: The tuning of the world. New York : Knopf, 1977.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Preface -- Introduction -- Part one: First soundscapes -- The natural soundscape -- The sounds of life -- The rural soundscape -- From town to city -- Part two: The post-industrial soundscape -- The industrial revolution -- The electric revolution -- Interlude -- Music, the soundscape and changing perceptions -- Part three: Analysis -- Notation -- Classification -- Perception -- Morphology -- Symbolism -- Noise -- Part four: Toward acoustic design -- Listening -- The acoustic community -- Rhythm and tempo in the soundscape -- The acoustic designer -- The soniferous garden -- Silence -- The music beyond -- Appendix I: Sample notation systems -- Appendix II: International sound preferance survey -- Glossary of soundscape terms -- Notes -- Index.
"The soundscape--a term coined by the author--is our sonic environment, the ever-present array of noises with which we all live... Schafer emphasizes the importance of discerning the sounds that enrich and feed us and using them to create healthier environments. To this end, he explains how to classify sounds, appreciating their beauty or ugliness, and provides exercises and “soundwalks” to help us become more discriminating and sensitive to the sounds around us. This book is a pioneering exploration of our acoustic environment, past and present, and an attempt to imagine what it might become in the future."--Back cover.
0892814551 9780892814558
93006392
Music--Acoustics and physics. Sound. Music--Philosophy and aesthetics.