Sonic Writing: Technologies of Material, Symbolic, and Signal Inscriptions

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 21 February 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Sonic Writing delves into the fascinating origins of contemporary music technologies, tracing their lineage back to ancient instruments and media. By examining the domains of instrument design, musical notation, and sound recording through the lenses of material, symbolic, and signal inscriptions of sound, the book explores how these historical techniques of sonic writing are implemented in new digital music technologies. With a broad scope that spans from ancient Greek music theory to medieval notation, early modern scientific instrumentation, and contemporary multimedia and artificial intelligence, the book provides a solid theoretical foundation for further exploration and development of musical expression technologies.

What sets this book apart is its unique perspective on the relationship between current musical practices and those from before the advent of notation and recording. It highlights the importance of instrument design in the study of new music and predicts how new computational technologies, such as machine learning, will shape our musical practices in the future.

Through a series of engaging illustrations and in-depth analysis, Sonic Writing offers a comprehensive exploration of contemporary musical media. It emphasizes interactivity, artificial intelligence, and networked devices as key drivers of innovation in musical expression. Author Thor Magnusson provides a conceptual framework for creating and analyzing this new musical work, arguing that contemporary sonic writing emerges as a new form of material and symbolic design, one that is characterized by its ephemerality and the constant redesign of technologies in a rapid cycle of innovation.

Overall, Sonic Writing is a valuable resource for musicians, music scholars, and anyone interested in the intersection of technology and music. It provides a deep understanding of the historical roots of contemporary music technologies and offers insights into the exciting possibilities for musical expression in the digital age.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 153 x 228 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501313868