Monday, December 26, 2011

Grandpappies of Noise



Luigi Russolo (1883-1947)
Italian Futurist who wrote the manifesto The Art of Noises in 1913,
in which he reasoned that modern men would have a greater appreciation for complex sounds as a direct result of the Industrial Revolution.
His performances of "noise concerts," employing noise-generating machines and a noise orchestra, were met with general disapproval and riotous violence, as he had himself predicted.

All of his noise machines were destroyed in WWII
during the bombings on Paris.






Pierre Schaeffer (1910-1995)
An early developer of Musique Concrete--which did not limit music to sounds created by voice or instrument, nor "musical" elements of harmony, melody, rhythm or meter--this Frenchman pioneered early recording and sampling techniques using phonographs and turntables, and later magnetic tape and tape loops.

He briefly mentored electronic artist Jean Michel Jarre.