The ecological importance of natural soundscapes is increasingly recognized, as their degradation may lead to biodiversity loss and disruptions in ecosystem functioning. The disappearance of these soundscapes poses a serious concern, underscoring the need for their preservation. Soundscape studies offer valuable insights into ecological change, enabling researchers to identify affected ecosystems and attribute shifts to factors such as anthropogenic noise. A wide array of methodologies supports this research–from auditory observation and spectrographic visualization to the computation of acoustic indices and sophisticated statistical modeling. Passive acoustic monitoring has emerged as a vital ecological tool, facilitating research, environmental surveillance, and conservation management across both terrestrial and aquatic soundscapes.
A geoacoustic imaging project studying underwater acoustic networks for services in support of the discovery of new underwater cultural heritage (UCH) sites.
In the context of aquatic environments, acoustic recording presents distinct challenges due to the complex nature of sound propagation. Unlike in air, sound does not travel in straight-line paths underwater; instead, it undergoes reflection, refraction, and diffraction. Acoustic energy interacts with uneven surfaces such as the sea surface and seafloor, as well as with suspended objects in bodies of water–including gas bubbles, fish swim bladders, and particulate matter–leading to scattering. Furthermore, some sound waves may penetrate the seafloor and eventually dissipate as heat. Misunderstandings about underwater acoustics are common, including the beliefs that (1) low-frequency sound cannot propagate in shallow water, (2) hard seafloors cause complete reflection with cylindrical spreading, and (3) soft seafloors produce spherical spreading. These oversimplifications overlook the nuanced physics of underwater sound transmission.
Understanding sound propagation across diverse environments requires a critical evaluation of commonly used acoustic models and their limitations. Dispelling prevalent misconceptions involves recognizing the nuanced behavior of sound and the assumptions underlying sound propagation equations. To address this, sonar equations have been created for various scenarios, ranging from animal acoustic communication and noise-induced communication masking to the acoustic surveying of marine fauna. Central to these analyses is the “layered ocean” concept, which examines how variations in temperature, salinity, and depth influence sound speed, ultimately affecting propagation pathways and signal fidelity.
This according to “Introduction to sound propagation under water” by Christine Erbe, Alec Duncan, and Kathleen Vigness-Raposa, Exploring animal behavior through sound. I: Methods, ed. by Christine Erbe and Jeanette A. Thomas (Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2022, 185–216; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2022-27424).
Scholars have long drawn connections between urban life and specific music genres, especially heavy metal. The British bands Black Sabbath and Joy Division serve as compelling case studies, exemplifying how their music emerged as a reflection of the bleak, industrial landscapes of 1960s and 1970s England. Despite belonging to different genres, both bands share a profound commonality: their sound was forged by—and evocative of—the desolation of these environments. This influence is particularly evident through key musical elements, including an unusually bass-heavy sonic palette, repetitive and continuous textures, austere arrangements, rigid song structures, and lyrical themes steeped in urban alienation.
Though separated by roughly a decade, Black Sabbath and Joy Division each aligned loosely with the dominant musical movements of their time. Black Sabbath emerged from the late 1960s blues rock scene, while Joy Division was a product of the post-punk wave of the late 1970s. Despite the differing genres, both bands distinguished themselves through striking originality and enduring influence. Their impact can be traced to two key sources: a strong sense of group synergy and their ability to channel shared urban-industrial experiences into music. In this sense, their music evokes a soundscape of similarly bleak and oppressive environments.
Black Sabbath in 1970. From left to right: Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward.
A defining similarity between Black Sabbath and Joy Division lies in the pervasive darkness and heaviness of both their sound and lyrical content. This shared aesthetic reflects a fascination with bleak and nihilistic themes–ranging from personal alienation and psychological turmoil to pressing social concerns such as war and drug addiction, particularly prominent in Black Sabbath’s music. This sonic and thematic weight can be traced directly to the oppressive industrial environments that shaped each band’s identity. Black Sabbath’s members, for instance, were raised in Aston, a war-scarred inner-city district of Birmingham marked by factories, soot-covered terrace houses, smoking chimneys, and remnants of World War II bomb sites. Such surroundings weren’t just the backdrop of their lives; they seeped into the music, transforming lived experience into powerful soundscapes of urban despair.
Joy Division in Manchester, 1979. Photo credit: Kevin Cummins
Joy Division’s origins closely mirrored those of Black Sabbath, shaped by similarly stark surroundings. Bassist Peter Hook and guitarist Bernard Sumner–the band’s central creative forces–grew up in Salford, a working class area near Manchester, during the 1960s and 1970s. Sumner vividly described his neighborhood as “a potted version of the entire, industrialized northwest,” listing iron works, copper works, cloth-finishing factories, paint and chemical plants, cotton mills, sawmills, and brass foundries—all within walking distance of his home. Despite a strong sense of community fostered by tightly packed terraced houses that fronted directly onto the street, the neighborhood was shadowed by frequent violence and a culture that emphasized emotional stoicism and cold, hardened masculinity.
A Manchester cotton mill, early 20th century.
The primal, bass-heavy, riff-driven sound of both Black Sabbath and Joy Division mirrors the industrial landscapes from which they emerged. Factories, conveyor belts, trains, and constant traffic created a dense low-frequency soundscape–a persistent rumble and thunder that saturated the environment. Although high-pitched noises occur in such settings, they are typically brief and peripheral, sharply contrasting with the ever-present bass tones. The absence of natural high-frequency sounds–such as birdsong or rustling leaves–further contributes to the sonic bleakness, depriving the environment of melodic brightness. This acoustic scarcity is echoed in the music: both bands emphasize low-end frequencies and a limited melodic range, effectively channeling the oppressive atmosphere of industrial life and amplifying the emotional starkness at the core of their sound.
This according to “Channelling the darkness: Group flow and environmental expression in the music of Black Sabbath and Joy Division” by Steve M. Taylor (Metal music studies 7/1[2021] 85–102; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2021-4270).
Black Sabbath played their final concert last week on 5 July 2025 at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, England. They are widely considered the pioneers of contemporary heavy metal.
Below, Black Sabbath performs Electric funeral on their farewell tour. The next video features Joy Division performing Transmission in September 1979.
The library of the Institut du Monde Arabe (Arab World Institute) in Paris is home to an extensive collection of writings on music from the Arab world, a region stretching from the Atlas Mountains to the Indian Ocean. This series of blog posts highlights selections from this collection, along with abstracts written by RILM staff members contained inRILM Abstracts of Music Literature, the comprehensive bibliography of writings about music and music-related subjects. In 2026, the Institut du Monde Arabe will host an exhibition on wedding cultures in the Arab world, and the institute’s library will hold an on-site exhibition of its book collection covering this topic.
In the Arab world, weddings unfold through a series of ceremonies where daily preparations and references to the sacred intertwine to initiate and bless the union of two families. From the first promises of the engagement ceremony to the morning after the wedding night, each step is guided by social norms and enveloped in society’s ideals of generosity, community, and gender roles. Whether it takes place in a single day or over the traditional seven days, each step of the wedding is intentionally marked by specific melodies, rhythms, and sounds. Prior to the actual wedding ceremony, during the night of ḥinnaẗ,natural dye is applied to the bride’s hands and feet as women praise the her beauty and recount love’s woes in song. Then, joyous zaġārīd (trills) through the air to declare the news to all, near and far, as the cantillation of the Qur’an or other sacred prayers proclaims the couple’s union in front of God. As upbeat drums of the zaffaẗ announce and accompanythe procession of the newlyweds, a subtler percussion chimes from the ẖilẖāl, the bride’s anklet, gifted from the groom to the bride to honor her femininity. These sounds intertwine with the most refined cultural expressions–skillfully crafted jewelry, intricately embroidered adornments, fragrances, and the finest cuisine, all blended together in celebration.
Even as the rush of modern life permeates every aspect of society in the Arab world, weddings continue to preserve many of the age-old customs. The related ceremonies create a momentary pause in the relentless flow of life to mark new social bonds and a transformation from singularity to family. The writings and research related to this lifecycle event covered in the annotated bibliography below explore the enduring customs across various regions of the Arab world: from the Tuareg tribes of the Sahara Desert and the Nubian tribes of the Nile Valley to urban dwellers in Cairo and Mosul. They document lyrics, transcribe melodies, describe instruments, and detail the roles of men and women in musical performances–all in an ongoing effort to understand and preserve this rich heritage of wedding customs and music.
Annotated bibliography
ʿAlī, Muḥammad Šiḥātaẗ. أغاني النساء في صعيد مصر: الأعراس، البكائيات، التحنين [Women’s songs in Upper Egypt: Wedding, lament, and pilgrimage songs] (al-Qāhiraẗ: al-Hayʾaẗ al-Miṣriyyaẗ al-ʿĀmmaẗ li-l-Kitāb, 2015). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2015-92222; IMA catalogue reference].
Transcribing orally transmitted songs in Upper Egypt is crucial, especially as many of them are at risk of being forgotten due to the passing of older women who have memorized them. Song texts were collected as the result of ethnographic research in villages in the al-Badārī province of the Asyut governorate. The three main categories of the transcribed repertoire are songs related to rites of passage, such as weddings and their associated ceremonies, funeral and lament songs known as bukāʾiyyāt, and songs known as taḥnīn, performed in preparation for the pilgrimage. An appendix with photos capturing women’s activities in various aspects of life, including domestic chores, agricultural work, food preparation, and market activities is included.
ʿArnīṭaẗ, Yusrá Ǧawhariyyaẗ. الفنون الشعبية في فلسطين [Popular arts in Palestine] (Rāmallāh: Dār al-Šurūq li-l-Našr wa-al-Tawzīʿ, 2013). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2013-54151; IMA catalogue reference]
The tangible and intangible forms of folklore–encompassing popular musical expressions, embroidery customs, and ceremonial practices associated with marriage and celebrations–serve as testimony to the enduring heritage and cultural continuity of the Palestinian people. The present effort to document select aspects of Palestinian folklore servesseveral purposes: first, to safeguard these manifestations of popular culture and ensure their continuity; second, to forge a robust connection between the present and history; third, to uncover the creative dimensions inherent in Palestinian folklore; and ultimately, to inspire fellow researchers in music and the arts to undertake similar endeavors in documenting Palestinian folklore. Folk songs should be approached with the same urgency to study and preserve such as other Palestinian traditions. Popular songs’ characteristics are detailed, including the characteristics of colloquial dialects, the melodic content, maqam structure, ornaments, and more. Transcriptions of the melodies of 66 songs, along with their transcribed lyrics, are included and are chosen as hailing from different cities. The songs are grouped by topic or occasion, as follows: children’s songs and lullabies, songs of religious holidays and celebrations; love and wedding songs; songs of war and encouragement; work songs; drinking, satirical, and political songs; dance songs; funeral chants and laments; songs of stories and tales. Popular song is a reflection of the Palestinian peoples’ ways of life and social customs and is a spontaneous expression of collective feelings and aspirations.
al-ʿĀṣimī, Ğamīlaẗ. أغاني نساء مراكش: اللعابات، الطقيطقات، الهواري، التهضيرة [Women’s songs in Marrākuš: The laʿābāt, the ṭaqīṭaqāt, the hawārī, and the tahḍīraẗ] (Marrākuš: Muʾassassaẗ Āfāq li-l-Dirāsāt wa-al-Našr wa-al-Ittiṣāl, 2012). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2012-50441; IMA catalogue reference].
Women’s songs in Marrākuš are transmitted orally from one woman to another, they are unauthored and composed collectively. Based on fieldwork with professional women performers, song forms and texts are transcribed alongside documentation on the accompanying percussion instruments and the names of the women’s groups performing each piece. Twenty-four song texts from the laʿābāt, a women’s ensemble that performs during weddings and related ceremonies, are included. Additionally, 20 song texts of the ṭaqīṭaqāt, a song form that is also performed by the laʿābāt groups on festive occasions and features articulate lyrics and steady rhythms, are transcribed. Twenty-nine song texts from two types of the hawārī song form are included, and 11 song texts of the tahḍīraẗ form, performed by groups of women during weddings, promenades, or private gatherings, are presented. An appendix contains 12 transcriptions of short excerpts from songs and the notation for each percussion section of the two hawārī song forms.
al-Asyūṭī, Darwīš.أفراح الصعيد الشعبية: من طقوس ونصوص احتفاليات الزواج والحمل والولادة والختان [The weddings of Upper Egypt: Rituals, texts, and ceremonies of marriage, pregnancy, and circumcision] (al-Qāhiraẗ: al-Hayʾaẗ al-Miṣriyyaẗ al-ʿĀmmaẗ li-l-Kitāb, 2012). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2012-52032; IMA catalogue reference].
Describes the rituals and customs associated with engagement and marriage preparation in Asyut, Upper Egypt. It covers various traditions, including the dowry presentation, the shopping process for establishing a new bridal household, the ḥinnaẗ night for the bride, and the ritual shower for the groom, among other related ceremonies. It also includes transcriptions of song lyrics collected from narrators in Asyut, as well as others memorized by the author.
Bayrūk, ʿAzzaẗ. الغناء الحساني بين التنظيم والتلقائية [Hassanian singing between structure and spontaneity] (al-Rabāṭ: Markaz al-Dirāsāt al-Ṣaḥrāwiyyaẗ/Centre des Études Sahariennes, 2015). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2015-92229; IMA catalogue reference].
The singing of the Ḥassānī tribes can be categorized into two branches: structured singing, also known as the hūl, which has been shaped by the influences of Arab, African, and Berber traditions and developed during the Ḥassānī rule in the Western Sahara during the 15th and 16th centuries; and a second branch that is unstructured and spontaneous, encompassing prophetic praise, wedding songs, rain songs, work songs, and lullabies, among others. The analysis includes a selection of song texts and their social contexts.
al-Daywahǧī, Saʿīd. تقاليد الزواج في الموصل [Marriage traditions in Mosul] (al-Mawṣil: Muʾassasaẗ Dār al-Kutub, 1975). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 1975-28979; IMA catalogue reference].
Explores the social customs associated with marriage in Mosul, from the etiquette of selecting a bride or groom to the week-long wedding celebrations and the social norms governing interactions between the families of the bride and groom. Transcriptions of the lyrics of 32 wedding songs are included. Thematically, these songs celebrate the bride and groom, describe their virtues and beauty, express the families’ emotions as they bid farewell to their daughters and sons, and highlight societal expectations of marriage, among other topics.
El Mallah, Issam. The role of women in Omani musical life/Die Rolle der Frau im Musikleben Omans (Tutzing: Hans Schneider, 1997). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 1997-11646; IMA catalogue reference].
The role of women in the transmission and preservation of Omani traditional music is significant, as is their influence. Women take on roles as singers, drummers, dancers, instrumentalists, and leaders in organizing dance and singing groups. The participation of women in musical arts can be grouped into two categories: arts exclusively practiced by women and those practiced alongside men. The ones involving men and women include collective dance, collective drumming, and work songs. The art forms exclusively practiced by women include women’s drumming circles, women’s work songs, Bedouin dances, wedding songs and dances, traditional healing ceremonies, and arts involving young girls. A description of the setting and context of each art form is included.
Ibn Ḥarbān, Ǧāsim Muḥammad. الزواج في المجتمع البحريني عاداته، تقاليده، فنونه [Marriage in Bahraini society: Customs, traditions, and arts] (Bayrūt: al-Muʾassasaẗ al-ʿArabiyyaẗ li-l-Dirāsāt wa-al-Našr, 2000). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2000-84970; IMA catalogue reference].
Weddings in Bahrain involve a wealth of cultural expressions. The process of marriage includes various customs such as dowry arrangements and the elaborate preparation of both the groom and the bride. There are specific dress codes for men and women, along with jewelry, embellishments, and perfumes designated for each. The food prepared for weddings is also central to the ceremony. Women musician ensembles known as the ʿiddaẗ typically perform at these events. The song forms and accompanying dances, including the dizzaẗ and the zaffaẗ, are described, along with the rhythms and percussion instruments used. Related arts and customs are also discussed, such as the practice of naḍir–a ritual where individuals offer physical or symbolic gifts in hopes of fulfilling a wish or prayer; the ʿāšūrī which involves women performing drums and dance ceremonies; the ẖammārī, a women’s dance where participants are covered with a body cloth; and the naǧdī mawwāl, a song form sung by women, among other events. Transcriptions of some song texts and rhythms are included.
Mahfoufi, Mehenna. Chants de femmes en Kabylie: Fêtes et rites au village–Étude d’ethnomusicologie [Women’s songs in Minṭaqaẗ al-Qabāʾil: Celebrations and rites in the village–An ethnomusicological study]. (Paris: Ibis Press, 2005). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2005-16247; IMA catalogue reference].
A study of village song in Minṭaqaẗ al-Qabāʾil, focusing on the songs of women that accompany various festivals and the rhythm of daily life: birth, marriage, the expression of love, lullabies, bouncing (a game that consists of bouncing babies on one’s lap), death, and religious song. The songs are transcribed and translated, and their musical form is described and analyzed. The accompanying CD features wedding songs in tracks 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.
Mécheri-Saada, Nadia. Musique touarègue de l’Ahaggar (sud algérien) [Tuareg music of the Ahaggar in southern Algeria] (Paris: Awal; Paris: L’Harmattan, 1994). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 1995-9971; IMA catalogue reference].
The Ahaggar in southern Algeria is the homeland of Tuareg culture. Tuareg music is linked to the context of its performance, notably village festivals. Principal Tuareg instruments include the imzad (one-string fiddle), the tazamar (end-blown flute), and drums. Five musical genres are differentiated, including women’s marriage songs (āléwen) and the chanted poetry accompanied by drums, the tindé. The music’s texts, their themes, their social significance, and their poetics are analyzed.
Kamāl, Ṣafwat. “أفراح النوبة” [The weddings of the Nubia], al-Funūn al-šaʿbiyyaẗ 100 (yanāyir-dīsambir, 2015) 51–75. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2015-92886;IMA catalog reference].
In Nubia, marriage involves customs and rituals ranging from the engagement period to the ḥinnaẗ night in preparation for the wedding, the offering of a dowry, a feast on the wedding day, and the exchange of gifts, among others. The celebrations typically last for seven days. Transcriptions of selected songs that accompany these rituals were collected before the displacement of the Nubian peoples following the building of the Aswan Dam in the 1960s and thus highlight traditional Nubian social values and religious beliefs.
Puig, Nicolas. Farah: Musiciens de noces et scènes urbaines au Caire (Arles: Actes Sud, 2010). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2010-54197; IMA catalogue reference].
Faraḥ, which literally means joy or happiness, refers to the wedding ceremonies and street festivities in Egypt. Vibrant wedding nights, featuring musical ensembles, dancers, and many forms of socialization reflect social class and status. Musicians’ and singers’ negotiation of social norms and perceptions is approached as social performance. A proper understanding of marriage festivities in urban spaces is situated within the evolving attitudes towards public urban areas in Cairo, and in relation to other local festivities such as festivals and the celebration of saints’ mawlid. Since the mid-19th century, the modernizing reforms of public urban spaces have significantly influenced the venues for public music-making in Cairo, leading to changes in musical forms, the introduction of new instruments, and the adoption of new technologies. These changes have, in turn, affected the form and delivery of music during street weddings. A closer examination of the lives and work of four wedding musicians illustrates the numerous economic and social factors that shape their careers, their aspirations, and the challenges they encounter as wedding musicians in Cairo.
Written and compiled by Farah Zahra, Associate Editor, RILM
Advancements in technology have facilitated diverse research strategies in ecoacoustics (or acoustic ecology), algorithmic sound recognition, and aesthetic approaches, with significant scientific and technological applications. These developments have opened new avenues for studying the relationship between humans and their environment through sound. Portable ambisonic recorders, capable of capturing sound trajectories in a 360° sphere, have proven valuable for surround sound systems, as they accurately reproduce the acoustic environment’s spatial characteristics. This technology allows for faithful representation of the sound emitter’s unique qualities, movement patterns, and the reverberant properties of the environment. As a result, soundscape research intersects with multiple disciplines, including robotic listening, census strategies, acoustics, and algorithmic classification of fauna. Moreover, soundscape studies have increasingly contributed to environmental conservation efforts by informing strategies to mitigate the impact of human activities on natural ecosystems.
Ambisonic microphones
These technological advancements have facilitated the development of diverse strategies and mechanisms, ranging from traditional audio capture techniques to interactive systems that enable communication between humans and other species through sound. In all cases, soundscape studies provide valuable insights into how human activities impact the environment. This includes analyzing the effects of land and air traffic, power lines that generate electromagnetic fields, and other anthropogenic factors. By interpreting such interactions, soundscape research deepens our understanding of ecological disruptions and contributes to the development of strategies for minimizing human-induced environmental disturbances.
Algorithmic recognition plays a crucial role in identifying and classifying bird vocalizations. In ornithology, specialists undergo extensive training to recognize bird species and their songs based on region or mating season–a process that is time-consuming and requires significant expertise. To streamline this task, applications capable of recognizing and categorizing birdsong have been developed, enhancing efficiency and accuracy. The study of soundscapes has further contributed to refining algorithmic recognition strategies for cataloging wildlife within specific environments. A notable example is the Raven software, developed by Cornell University’s Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, which can analyze audio recordings to identify and classify numerous bird species. This technology has proven invaluable for tracking and documenting avian populations across different regions. As these systems continue to evolve, there is significant potential for further advancements, making automated bioacoustic analysis an increasingly powerful tool in ecological research and conservation.
This according to “Paisaje sonoro: Creatividad interdisciplinaria y tecnologías aplicadas para el registro del canto de las aves” [Soundscape: Interdisciplinary creativity and applied technologies for the recording of birdsong] by Pablo Rubio Vargas and Jorge Rodrigo Sigal Sefchovich (ANTEC: Revista peruana de investigación musical 8/2 [2024] 170–183; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2024-13931).
Click the link below to watch a video titled Empowering bioacoustics research in Southeast Asia, which explains efforts at the Center for Conservation Bioacoustics to create biacoustic networks across the region.
Digital opera has roots in electroacoustic works that integrate spatial soundscapes into performance, such as Kaija Saariaho’s L’amour de loin (2000, pictured above). Musicologist Anna Schürmer offers a broader view, tracing its history even further, suggesting its origins may precede electroacoustic sound. Schürmer links the evolution of digitally mediated works to the construction of larger 18th century theaters, where sound connected audiences across physical divides. Earlier multimedia-infused productions, like Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Die soldaten (1965), Harrison Birtwistle’s The mask of Orpheus(1986), Libby Larsen’s Frankenstein(1990), and Bill Viola’s The Tristan project (2004, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Philharmonic), are significant for their use of electronics. However, they fall short of utilizing digital sound sample processing. Additional antecedents include mid-20th century radio plays and performances where multimedia significantly shaped the auditory experience.
A production of Viola’s The Tristan project.
From Rihm’s Die Hamletmaschine.
The most prominent use of contemporary digital technology in opera lies in sound design, where digital processing techniques shape how audiences perceive sound within the performance space. This innovation builds on earlier milestones, including IRCAM (the French institute of research on music and sound) performances employing electronic or MIDI keyboards and voice, such as Wolfgang Rihm’s Die Hamletmaschine (1987) and various works by Karlheinz Stockhausen. In the 21st century, the digital manipulation of sound samples has become a staple–though often overlooked–in both contemporary and traditional operatic productions, with subtle amplification techniques further extending its reach.
This according to the new entry on digital opera by Megan Steigerwald Ille, in DEUMM Online.
Below is a performance of Die soldaten with music by Bernd Alois Zimmermann, along with an excerpt from Kaija Saariaho’s L’amour de loin sung by the soprano, Susanna Phillips.
The Filipino ethnomusicologist and composer Jose Maceda created unique works that blended his fieldwork on Filipino and other music with his expertise in European avant-garde traditions. His compositions combined innovative techniques such as spatialization, a focus on timbre, and musique concrète with Asian instruments, rhythms, and structures. Maceda was particularly drawn to a flexible approach to time, famously commenting during a flight from New Zealand to the Philippines that a recording of a Chopin Berceuse was “so stiff that I wanted to jump out of the plane!”
In a 1975 paper presented at the Third Asian Composers’ League Conference and Festival in Manila, Maceda proposed a new concept of Asian musical time, inspired by natural phenomena like bird migration and plant flowering, rather than clocks, time signatures, or barlines. In 1971, he composed Cassettes 100, a performance featuring a hundred performers with portable cassette players in the lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The piece incorporated recordings of Indigenous instruments, natural sounds, and choreographed movements. As Maceda explained, “The recordings are my dictionary. They are a receptacle of ideas from which I can pull at any time.”
Maceda’s Cassettes 100 was re-staged in Singapore as part of the 2019 exhibition Suddenly turning visible: Art and architecture in Southeast Asia (1969–1989).
After graduating from the Academy of Music in Manila in 1935, Maceda continued his studies in piano with Nadja Boulanger and Alfred Cortot in Paris. He also pursued musicology at Columbia University and Queens College in New York, anthropology at Northwestern University, and ethnomusicology at Indiana University in Bloomington, as well as at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned his doctorate. Between 1940 and 1957, Maceda performed as a pianist in France, and during the same period, he also worked as a conductor in both the United States and the Philippines. He conducted works by composers such as Edgard Varèse, Iannis Xenakis, Pierre Boulez, and others, including pieces from China and the Philippines. In 1958, Maceda worked as a researcher at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales in Paris, where he met influential figures such as Pierre Boulez and Iannis Xenakis.
Maceda served as a professor of piano and ethnomusicology at the University of the Philippines from 1952 to 1990. He became renowned for his extensive fieldwork, which spanned diverse settings, including urban areas, remote mountain villages, and island communities across the Philippines. Maceda’s research also took him to musician communities in Sarawak (Malaysia), Thailand, Kalimantan (Indonesia), Africa, Brazil, and Australia, with his findings published in numerous international journals. His work focused on documenting Southeast and East Asian musical practices and folk traditions, particularly prehistorical Indigenous music. Maceda’s field recordings, which encompass 51 language groups and include music, instruments, photographs, text transcriptions, and translations, are archived at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City. From 1997 to 2004, Maceda served as the executive director of the UP Center for Ethnomusicology in the Department of Music Research at the university.
The floorplan for Maceda’s Pagsamba, performed by 241 musicians at the Parish of Holy Sacrifice in Quezon City, Philippines (1968). Image courtesy of the UP Center for Ethnomusicology.
He received numerous prestigious scholarships and awards throughout his career, recognizing his contributions to music and ethnomusicology. He was awarded research scholarships for his work in Africa and Brazil by the Guggenheim Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation in 1968. Maceda also received the Ordre des Palmes Académiques in France (1978), the Outstanding Research Award from the University of the Philippines (1985), the John D. Rockefeller Award from the Asian Cultural Council in New York (1987), and the Fondazione Civitella Ranieri Award in Italy (1997). In 2000, he was honored as a Filipino National Artist for Music by the Philippine government. Additionally, three of his albums–Gongs and bamboo (2001), Drone and melody (2007), and Ugnayan(2009)–were released on John Zorn’s Tzadik label.
This according to the entry on Jose Maceda in MGG Online.
The complex intersections of carceral violence and acoustics are particularly evident in the case of Saydnaya, the infamous military prison in Syria, known for its state-run torture practices under Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Often referred to as “the slaughterhouse”, the prison witnessed the hanging of as many as 13,000 individuals between 2011 and 2015. Survivor testimonies, along with the recent digital reconstruction of the prison’s interior, reveal that sound played a pivotal role in shaping the power dynamics within the Syrian prison system. Much of the violence inflicted in Saydnaya was acoustic in nature, intentionally designed around specific elements of the aural experience. The weaponization of sound in Saydnaya suggests that listening itself was manipulated as a mechanism of surveillance and torture, while paradoxically, it also became a means of resistance and survival.
The Syrian prison can be conceptualized as an acoustically surveilled site, marked by intentional sensory deprivation, weaponized silence, extreme listening practices, and acousmatic violence–violence whose sound lacks a visible source. Such practices were not isolated but part of a broader pattern of sonic warfare, which some critical sound theorists have increasingly highlighted in their exploration of the role of sound in incarceration.
This according to “Prisonniers du son: La prison de Saydnaya en Syrie” by Maria Ristani, Lieux de mémoire sonore: Des sons pour survivre, des sons pour tuer, ed. by Luis Velasco-Pufleau and Laëtitia Atlani-Duault (Paris: Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, 2021, 21–35; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2021-107654).
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A monster’s vocality and capacity for communication have been complicated themes since the earliest adaptations of the novel. The evolution of the monster’s speech, along with the dynamics of its silence, reveals how essential vocality is to forming a sympathetic portrayal of the character. Each new version highlights this relationship, demonstrating that even in adaptations where the monster’s voice is largely absent, vocality remains crucial to shaping audience empathy.
This dynamic mirrors what performance theorist Marvin Carlson describes as “ghosting”, a phenomenon where theater productions are infused with multiple layers of history. This creates interpretations linked to the audience’s memories of the written text, the performers, props, and even the performance space. In the case of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, these layers are even more complex and elusive, reflecting its extensive and varied influence over the two centuries since the novel’s publication.
Within this context, the monster is frequently depicted as dim-witted and inarticulate, if not entirely silent. Restoring the creature’s voice–along with the eloquence and insight it can convey–highlights an often-overlooked aspect of Shelley’s novel, particularly in relation to the pop culture narrative surrounding the “Frankenstein complex”, which influences how we interpret all Frankenstein texts, from film adaptations to staged dramas and the original novel. In this sense, the silencing of the monster significantly affects our capacity to empathize with them and shapes our understanding of their connection to our own humanity.
This according to “Listening to the monster: Eliding and restoring the creature’s voice in adaptations of Frankenstein” by Jude Wright (Journal of adaptation in film & performance 8/3 [2015] 249–266; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2015-90335).
The scene below from the 1931 film Frankenstein (directed by James Whale), illustrates how vocality can shape character empathy.
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DEUMM Online digitizes, enhances, and extends the Dizionario enciclopedico universale della musica e dei musicisti (DEUMM), the most important modern music dictionary in the Italian language. Comprising a broad range of entries (persons, topics, dances, genres, geographical locations, institutions, instruments, and works), DEUMM Online uses advanced and intuitive search and translation functionalities. This venerable music encyclopedia, which has set the standards in modern Italian music lexicography, is, in its new online format, once again an indispensable node in a comprehensive, international, networked research experience.
For those unable to join the Rome event in person, the event will be live streamed on YouTube by Fondazione Roma Tre Teatro Palladium, accessible directly from the following QR code:
The program (below) will include Daniele Trucco’s DEUMM-inspired music, greetings from Luca Aversano (President, ADUIM), Marcoemilio Camera (President, IAML Italia), and Tina Frühauf (Executive Director, RILM), as well as presentations by Zdravko Blažeković (Executive Editor, RILM), Stefano Campagnolo (Director, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma), Alex Braga (composer), and DEUMM Online’s general editors Antonio Baldassarre and Daniela Castaldo. Pianist Giuseppe Magagnino will also perform works by Ellington, Beethoven, The Beatles, and more.
And mark your calendars: DEUMM Online will be featured again at the following events:
19 November 2024: Turin, hosted by Istituto per i Beni Musicali di Piemonte at the Teatro Regio
21 November 2024: Milan, hosted by the Archivio Storico Ricordi in the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense
Luigi Russolo’s contributions to art and music extend beyond his well-known manifesto, L’arte dei rumori (The art of noises). While he has been celebrated for his theoretical and practical advancements in noise music, his role as a painter and his impact on futurist art are equally significant. As one of the signatories of the futurist painting manifesto (1910), Russolo was deeply involved in the early development of futurism, an artistic and social movement that celebrated modernity, technology, and the dynamism of contemporary life. His painting Treno in velocità (Speeding train), a pivotal work that reflects the futurist fascination with speed and technological progress, exemplifies this enthusiasm for capturing movement and modern machinery.
House+Light+Sky (1913)
In his paintings from this period, Russolo explored the themes of motion, not just through the depiction of machines like trains and automobiles, but also by capturing the energy of crowds of protesters and other dynamic urban scenes. This exploration extended well beyond visual art into the realm of sound, culminating in his manifesto on noise, where he argued for a broader appreciation of the everyday sounds of industrial and urban life.
Synthèse plastique des mouvements d’une femme (Plastic synthesis of a woman’s movements, 1912)
Russolo’s invention of the intonarumori (noise instruments) was a direct extension of his artistic principles. These instruments were designed to produce a variety of noises, challenging conventional notions of musicality and embracing the sounds of the modern world. His compositions for these instruments anticipated future developments in experimental music and had a lasting influence on composers like George Antheil, Edgard Varèse, and John Cage. Russolo’s work represented an innovative fusion of visual art and sound, reflecting the futurist ideals of embracing the new and the dynamic. His influence extended into music and remains a testament to his innovative spirit in both the visual and auditory domains.
This according to “Pasajes sonoros [y ruidistas] de la ciudad futurista” by Juan Agustín Mancebo Roca (Ausart aldizkaria: Arte ikerkuntzarako aldizkaria/Journal for research in art/Revista para la investigación en arte 9/1 [2021] 127–142; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2021-16831). Also find the entry on Luigi Russolo in A dictionary of the avant-gardes (2001). Find it in RILM Music Encyclopedias.
The image at the beginning of this post is Russolo’s Dinamismo di un’ automobile (Dynamism of a car, 1913).
Below, the musician Mike Patton and Luciano Chessa test out reconstructed futurist noise machines based on intonarumori for an exhibit.
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