Journal of Sonic Studies, Vol. 3: Rethinking Theories of Television Sound (2012)

“The essays collected in this special issue of the Journal of Sonic Studies are intended to rethink the existing theories of television sound by offering a reexamination of some of the most persistent accounts of television sound from the 1980s to the present. These essays examine the technological and aesthetic changes that have accompanied the rise of new technologies, production practices, and listening perspectives over the past few decades, and they draw on a wide range of genres and categories of television sound, including commentary, voice-over, sound effects, and music soundtracks.” (from the Editorial)

Edited by Carolyn Birdsall, Anthony Enns
Publisher Leiden University Press

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Previous two issues

Dick Raaijmakers: Cahier-M: A Brief Morphology of Electric Sound (2000)

Cahier-M is about the morphology of electric sound. This inherently single-layered type of sound is discussed in the light of ‘neo-plastic’ music as suggested by the painter Piet Mondriaan in the 1920’s. He advocated a kind of music that consisted of single-layered, ‘single-colour’ electric sounds.

Furthermore, Cahier-M devotes ample attention to the morphological relationship between the typically uniform nature of electric sound and the multi-layered sound structures used by post-WWII serial composers. The discussion of this subject also covers layering (photo)graphic images as practised by the French physiologist E.J. Marey at the end of the 19th century, flipping monadic sound aggregates as practised by Karel Goeyvaerts since 1952, the application of so-called ‘horizontal arpeggios’ by Pierre Boulez around 1980, and the introduction of ‘liquid forms’ in contemporary architecture.

These aspects are illustrated based on a still valid morphological analysis of sound conducted by the author between 1963 and 1967.

Cahier-M comprises four chapters: ‘Invented Sound’, ‘Diagonal Sound’, ‘Composed Sound’ and ‘Spatial Sound’.

Publisher Leuven University Press, 2000
Volume 3 of Collected Writings of the Orpheus Institute
ISBN 9058670767
123 pages

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See also Raaijmakers’ Method (1985) and The Destructive Character (1992).

Journal of Sonic Studies, Vol. 1-2 (2011-2012)

The Journal of Sonic Studies is a peer-reviewed, online, open access journal providing a platform for theorists and artists who would like to present relevant work regarding auditory cultures, to further our collective understanding of the impact and importance of sound for our cultures.

Founding editors: Marcel Cobussen, Vincent Meelberg
Associate editors: Jan Nieuwenhuis, Sharon Stewart
Publisher Leiden University Press

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