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John Cage, Imaginary Landscape I OASE 78 96 OASE 78 97 Julia Kursell and Armin Schäfer 1 Julia Kursell en Armin Schäfer 1 By ‘utterance point’ Met de term ‘uitingsmo- we refer to Michel ment’ refereren we aan Spaces Beyond Tonality II: Foucault’s notion of Ruimtes voorbij de tonaliteit II: Michel Foucaults con- ‘instance’ as he devel- cept ‘instance’ zoals hij John Cage, Imaginary Landscape I oped it in L’archéologie John Cage, Imaginary Landscape I dat ontwikkelde in zijn du savoir (Paris, 1969), L’archéologie du savoir, 105 ff. This has been Parijs 1969, p. 105 e.v. translated into English De term is in het Engels as ‘authority’, see vertaald als ‘authority’, Idem, The Archeology of cf. Michel Foucault, The Knowledge, translated Archeology of Knowledge, by A.M. Sheridan Smith Londen/New York 1989, (London/New York, p. 89 e.v. Zie ook deel I 1989), 89 ff. See also van deze tekst. part one of this text. 2 2 Hermann L.F. von Helm- Hermann L.F. von Helm- holtz, On the Sensations holtz, On the Sensations of Tone as a Physiological of Tone as a Physiological Basis for the Theory of Basis for the Theory Music, 2de Engelse of Music, 2nd English druk, vertaald, grondig Edition, translated, herzien en gecorrigeerd thoroughly revised and en aangepast aan de corrected, rendered vierde Duitse druk van conformal to the fourth 1877 door Alexander German Edition of J. Ellis, New York, 1954 1877 by Alexander J. [= repr. Londen, 1885], Ellis (New York, 1954 p. 370, p. vi. Vertaling [1885]), 370, vi. van: Lehre von den 3 Tonempfindungen als Hermann von Helm- Physiologische Grundlage holtz, ‘On the Physiolog- für die Theorie der Musik, ical Causes of Harmony 1863. in Music’ [1856], in: 3 Richard M. Warren and Hermann von Roslyn P. Warren (eds.), Helmholtz, ‘On the Helmholtz on Percep- Physiological Causes tion: Its Physiology and of Harmony in Music’ 1 Development (New York/ 1 (1856), in: Richard M. London/Sidney, 1968), Warren en Roslyn P. Hearing requires an oscillating body that appeared to come from one single sound 27-58, quote on 48. Horen vereist een oscillerend lichaam dat enkele bron leek te komen. De synthetische Warren (red.), Helm- makes a carrier medium oscillate, which source. The synthetic sounds were actu- een drager laat trillen, die op zijn beurt de klanken werden in feite waargenomen als holtz on Perception. Its Physiology and Develop- in turn transmits the oscillations to the ally perceived as vowels, which people trillingen doorstuurt naar het oor. Ditzelfde klinkers, die mensen uit ervaring buiten- ment, New York/Londen/ ear. Equally, a process such as this is re- are indeed particularly experienced at proces moet plaatsvinden om muziek te gewoon goed kunnen onderscheiden. Sidney 1968, p. 27-58, p. 48. Vert. van Ueber die quired for music to be heard. If, however, distinguishing. kunnen horen. Als muziek op een bepaalde De synthese van klanken was bedoeld physiologischen Ursachen music is composed in a particular way it The synthesis of sounds was intended manier wordt gecomponeerd, kan ze ech- om te helpen bewijzen dat het mogelijk is der musikalischen Harmo- nie, 1857. can create the illusion that it is beyond to help prove that it is possible to put ter de illusie creëren dat ze deze proces- eenvoudige sinusgolven samen te voegen these processes. Then the music’s media simple sine waves together to create the sen te boven gaat. Dan lijken de muzikale tot de complexe timbres van klinkers of and the concrete situation in which it complex timbres of vowels or musical middelen en de concrete situatie waarin muziekinstrumenten. In de synthetische is heard seem no longer to play any instruments. However, in the synthetic de muziek wordt gehoord geen rol van klanken vielen echter geen afzonderlijke significant role. The more uniform an sounds, separate sources of sound were betekenis meer te spelen. Het oor lijkt ge- geluidsbronnen te onderscheiden. Het oor utterance point is,1 the more easily it is not distinguished. The ear cannot hear, makkelijker te misleiden over de aard van kan, zo leidde Helmholtz uit zijn experimen- to deceive the ear as to nature of sounds Helmholtz deduced from his experi- klanken en locaties naarmate het uitings- ten af, niet horen of een complexe geluids- and locations. An experiment carried ments, whether a complex sound wave moment uniformer is.1 Een door Hermann golf ‘in zijn complexe vorm in de bron is out by Hermann von Helmholtz using ‘originated in the compound form from von Helmholtz uitgevoerd experiment met ontstaan of onderweg complex is gewor- an ‘apparatus for the artificial construc- a source or became compounded on een ‘apparaat voor het kunstmatig vormen den’.3 De ruimtelijke verscheidenheid van tion of vowels’2 certainly seemed to back the way’.3 The spatial disparity between van klinkers’2 leek deze bewering zeker de mechanische geluidsbronnen waarmee this up: the machine produced tones that the mechanical sound sources used to te staven: de machine produceerde tonen kunstmatig klinkers worden samengesteld, were oscillating at one frequency only. compile vowels artificially seems to be die slechts op één frequentie oscilleerden. lijkt te kunnen worden genegeerd. De rela- These tones represented a ground zero something that can be ignored. Although Deze tonen vormen een ‘ground zero’ van tie tussen geluid, geluidsbron en hun positie of timbre which according to Helmholtz the relationship between sound, sound timbre, dat volgens Helmholtz uit dit soort in de ruimte is nog altijd onduidelijk, maar was made up of such sinusoidal waves. source and their position in space still sinusgolven bestond. Toen de sinusgolven de geluidssynthese maakt de veronder- When the sine waves were put together remains unclear, the sound synthesis werden samengevoegd tot duidelijk om- stelde relatie tussen geluid en de elementen to form well-defined sounds, human calls the assumed relationship between lijnde klanken nam de menselijke perceptie van zijn productie twijfelachtig. Zoals water perception identified a specific timbre in sound and the elements of its produc- in die klanken een specifiek timbre waar. tot aan zijn bron kan worden gevolgd, zo the sounds. The mixture of sine waves tion into question. Just as water can be Het mengsel van sinusgolven werd waar- kan ook geluid worden gevolgd tot de plek was heard as one single sound that traced back to its source, sound can also genomen als één enkele klank die uit één van waaruit het zich oorspronkelijk door OASE 78 SPACES BEYOND TONALITY II: JOHN CAGE, IMAGINARY LANDSCAPE I 98 OASE 78 RUIMTES VOORBIJ DE TONALITEIT II: JOHN CAGE, IMAGINARY LANDSCAPE I 99 be traced back to the place from which Radio Research Project, he declared that 4 de tijd heen heeft verspreid. Echter, net zoals verschillende locaties over te seinen, muziek 4 See Friedrich Kittler, Verg. Friedrich Kittler, it has spread over time. Just as, however, in transmitting music to various locations, Grammophon, Film, water op zich niet automatisch prijsgeeft op ontoelaatbare wijze reduceerde tot een Grammophon, Film, Type- water does not, in and of itself, reveal radio reduced it inadmissibly to a tem- Typewriter, translated, uit welke bron het voortkomt en waar die tijdsfenomeen en de ruimtelijkheid van de writer, Berlijn 1986. with an Introduction, by 5 which source it originates from or where poral phenomenon and extinguished the Geoffrey Winthrop- ligt, zo is ook de gehoorde relatie tussen muziek tenietdeed. In plaats van de akoes- Verg. Silvanus P. this lies, the heard relationship between music’s spatiality. Instead of the acoustic Young and Michael geluid en geluidsbron ambigu. Het oor kan tische plek waar de muziek weerklonk, Thompson, ‘Phenomena Wutz (Stanford, 1986). of Binaural Audition, sound and sound source is ambiguous. place in which the music sounded, all that 5. misschien met enige nauwkeurigheid relaties werd enkel de opeenvolging van klanken Part II’, Philosophical The ear may be able to recognise pitch was transmitted were mere sequences of See Silvanus P. tussen toonhoogtes herkennen en conclusies overgedragen. Magazine, reeks 5, jrg. Thompson, ‘Phenomena 6 (1878), p. 383-391; relationships with reliable accuracy and sounds. of Binaural Audition, trekken door de wetten van de akoestiek Adorno lichtte zijn reserves tegen de id., ‘The Pseudophone’, reach conclusions by using the laws of Adorno explained his reservations Part II’, Philosophical toe te passen. Het is echter duidelijk dat die radio toe aan de hand van het voorbeeld Philosophical Magazine, Magazine, Series 5, reeks 5, jrg. 8 (1879), acoustics. Clearly, however, it is continu- against radio using the example of the Vol. 6 (1878), 383-391; voortdurend de verkeerde conclusie trekt. van de hoorn in Wagners Die Meistersinger. p. 385-390. ally mistaken in its conclusions. We do French horn in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger. Idem, ‘The Pseudo- We horen niet de geluidsbron zelf, maar In de opera klinkt de hoorn ver weg als 6 phone’, Philosophical Theodor W. Adorno, not hear the sound source itself, having In the opera house the horn sounds Magazine, Series 5, Vol. 8 hebben in plaats daarvan geleerd die uit het hij zachtjes wordt gespeeld, ook al bevindt Current of Music. Ele- instead learned to infer it from the heard distant when played quietly although it (1879), 385-390. gehoorde geluid af te leiden. In zijn experi- hij zich niet verder van de luisteraar dan ments of a Radio Theory. 6 Nachgelassene Schriften, sound. Its spatial position seems in turn is no further away from the listener than Theodor W. Adorno, menten met sinusgolven scheidde Helmholtz de violen, waarvan de klank dichterbij lijkt, band 1, deel 3, Robert to be external to the heard sound. In his the violins, whose sound seems nearer, Current of Music. Ele- niet alleen het geluid van zijn bron; hij omdat ze zich ‘aan de oppervlakte van de Hullot-Kentor (red.), ments of a Radio Theory.
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