MUSIC 7360

The Art of Field Recording: Philosophy, History, Practice

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2017-2018.

After World War II, avant-garde and experimental musicians used field recording to ask questions about mimesis, signification, (non)intention, and the relationship between nature and culture; many of these musicians associated their soundscape recordings with the environmental movement of the 1960s. This seminar aims to unite the philosophy, history, and practice of experimental field recording. Among the theoretical questions we will discuss: What is the difference between natural beauty and artistic beauty? What are the processes used to translate "natural" experiences into aural commodities? What does it mean to pose musical creation in the terms of listening? We will also study the history of field recordings as "musical" creations, in the work of R. Murray Schafer, Hildegard Westerkampf, Luc Ferrari, Toshida Tsunoda, Jana Winderen, Chris Watson, and others. Finally, we will create our own pieces based on recordings we make in the field, using microphones of our own design.

When Offered Fall.

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