The Art of Noise

This is a response to questions based on the article, "The Art of Noise" by Luigi Russolo.

1. How do you think Russolo would feel in a world without simultaneous sound?

Russolo sees simultaneous sound as the only means of musical progression. Therefore, without it music and sound would halt and only be repetitive. Everything would sound the same and life in music would be incredibly boring. Simultaneous sound provides us with intense, innovative possibilities. Because noise in nature is unpredictable, there are endless possibilities. Russolo explains, “we have perhaps a thousand different machines, we can distinguish a thousand different noises, tomorrow, as new machines multiply, we will be able to distinguish ten, twenty, or thirty thousand different noises...[combining] them according to our imagination.” Russolo’s philosophies of noise prove that although manmade musical sounds (with instruments, voice, etc.) will eventually stop progressing, simultaneous sound that exists in nature and everyday life will never cease to expand.

Russolo mentions in this article that, “The Greeks...calculated mathematically...a few constant intervals to be used [which] limited the field of music considerably, rendering harmony, of which they were unaware, impossible.” However, as new ideas in music progressed, simultaneous sound was born. Simultaneous sound complicated music and made it more pleasing to the ear. In music, simultaneous sound exists in chords and harmonies, yet these harmonies exist in everyday life as, “Every noise has a tone, and sometimes also a harmony”.

Without simultaneous sound, music would have never progressed, and we would still be hearing the same, monotonous, boring sounds that the Greeks developed thousands of years ago.

2. Does Russolo value “noise”? Do you value it? Why or why not?

Russolo makes it very clear in this article that he values noise. He sees that noise has the ability to create endless possibilities and progression in sound and music. He realizes that although people may see noise as harsh and loud, and yet it actually contains tone and harmony if combined through one’s own imagination. Without noise, Russolo believes musical progression would come to a stop, as manmade sounds with instruments are not endless. The “pure sound” of harmony that is created by man eventually becomes uninteresting as it only repeats itself. However, Russolo points out that, “the machine today has created such a variety and rivalry of noises that pure sound, in its exiguity and monotony, no longer arouses any feeling.”

When I was reading Russolo’s article on the Art of Noise, I realized how important noise is and how much I value it as well. Sitting here writing my essay I can hear cars and buses pass, rain falling, and the sound of my roommate turning pages as she reads. Just hearing the combination of natural noise creates a calming harmony and leaves the same effect that any “pure sound” would. However, unlike the “pure sound”, this noise is interesting and different and makes me think of music in a new way.

3. What is the role of noise in the media you enjoy?

The role of noise in the media that I enjoy mainly come from games. Without noise in games, an entire interactive aspect of the game is removed, and it would become much less interesting. Games combine noise from music, nature, voice, action, etc, to create unique sounds.