Proceedings of the 4th International Conference of Students of Systematic Musicology, Cologne, Germany, October 5-7, 2011 The paradoxical role of noise in music Lílian Campesato Music Department – University of São Paulo Rua Cristiano Viana, 1089 apto 154 São Paulo - Brazil +55 11 3864-1539 [email protected] ABSTRACT information and not just the 'hiss' or 'distortion' that often occurred on a phone line. This article focuses on the passage from noise - as disruptive Information theory pointed to an understanding of noise and strange element - to sound when it is incorporated into that goes beyond its phonic or sonic content and sought to music. This process is directed to an understanding of how understand how a given signal could mask "regular patterns that noise has become a destabilizing element during the twentieth carry information" and disrupt the communication process. century, establishing a dialectic tension between rejection and From there, the idea of noise was associated with the existence acceptance as a musical element. From this point we raise two of "unwanted background signals”. This concept, when directly issues: the empirical aspect of noise in relation to the applied to a sound event is understood as "unwanted sounds" abstraction of what is communicated; and process of "silencing" [13] . noise as it is incorporated into music. This process is analyzed To be “unwanted” is an assignment that relies on a process from two seemingly opposing concepts: noise repression, in of subjective judging. Thus, noise is what someone considers as which noise is taken as something to be avoided; and noise such. This judgment, whose criteria are not fixed, establishes a sublimation, or the worship of noise. Eventually, we will dynamic assimilation of what is odd or unknown, of what is analyze examples of relatively recent repertoire of works in external to a system. But when this oddness is incorporated, it which this matter plays an important role: John Oswald's can be recognized and can gradually become familiar, losing its Pluderphonics, Christian Marclay's conceptualism, and the power to cause strangeness and therefore ceasing to be noise. sound radicalism of the noise movement. Namely, when a noise is identified, recognized and particularly when it is incorporated, it loses its raison d'être noise: when it Keywords is identified as such it no longer belongs to that category. This Noise, aesthetization of noise, musicalization of noise. concept of noise is indicated by several authors. In music, this idea seems to gain strength from the end of the twentieth 1. INTRODUCTION century and resonates in the writings of authors such as Jacques Attali [1], Douglas Kahn [11] and Paul Hegarty [9]. This article focuses on the passage from noise - as disruptive Central to this paper as a whole, is the idea that noise and strange element - to sound when it is incorporated into represents a disturbing and transgressive element. On the one music. This process is directed to an understanding of how hand it should be avoided, on the other it acts as an agent of noise has become a destabilizing element during the twentieth change and a modifier element in the musical system. century, establishing a dialectic tension between rejection and Therefore, noise - understood here not only as audible noise, acceptance as a musical element. From this point we raise two but also in an aesthetic sense – has always been part of the issues: the empirical aspect of noise in relation to the background over which music develops. Accordingly, we abstraction of what is communicated; and process of "silencing" identify a recurring process in which noise is initially presented noise as it is incorporated into music. This process is analyzed as a surprising element. But as it is incorporated in a particular from two seemingly opposing concepts: noise repression, in practice, it dissolves itself into this practice, losing some of its which noise is taken as something to be avoided; and noise noisy characteristic. sublimation, or the worship of noise. Eventually, we will analyze examples of relatively recent repertoire of works in 3. EMPIRICAL AND ABSTRACT which this matter plays an important role: John Oswald's Pluderphonics, Christian Marclay's conceptualism, and the In a regular process of communication, noise must generally be sound radicalism of the noise movement. neglected. For Kahn, noise can be understood “in one sense to 2. NOISE AND INFORMATION be that constant grating sound generated by the movement between the abstract and empirical” [11]. In this context, noise is connected to empirical processes while communication In the same year that musique concrète made its premiere, (meaning) is related to a process of abstraction. To the author a engineer and mathematician Claude E. Shannon published a relevant question arises when noise is being communicated. In paper on a mathematical theory of communication in which he this case, it disconnects from the empirical experience and sought to find the best way to encode the information a sender adheres to an idea (or to an abstraction) of other noise [11]. wishes to convey to a receiver [19]. Within this framework Shannon applied a technical meaning to the terms "information" This notion may become clearer if we consider an example and "noise". Information was defined as a measure of decrease related to verbal discourse. Speech hesitation during a in uncertainty while noise was any random interference in the conversation can be understood as noise because it hinders what someone intends to communicate. However, this noise carries a Proceedings of the 4th International Conference of Students of Systematic Musicology, Cologne, Germany, October 5-7, 2011 particular type of information that is lost in the process of of the former precisely because of what the player attempts to abstraction of communication in which it is necessary to eliminate (or at least control): noise. interpret the content of speech to understand the message. Occasionally, the context and causes of this hesitation as well as According to Chouard, our attention tends to drive itself to the pauses in breathing, stammering and voice intonation, acquire a significant messages we hear in order to separate them from significant aspect, to the extent that it may indicate symptoms background noise [5]. For example, noise is an unavoidable of the person's mood or intentions. These signals may not be component of electronic devices since it is part of the thermal directly related to speech content, but might completely change nature of circuits. In order to eliminate them it would be necessary to remove heat, lowering temperature to a level the understanding of what is said. where there can be no life. Background noises are therefore The intentional incorporation of noise in music can only happen "sign of life" as reinforces Chouard [5]. To silence them would through a process of abstraction of that noise which becomes a be the equivalent of death. musical sign of another noise. Kahn suggests that if noise is an abstraction of an originally inconvenient sound. "(…) then However, living organisms have an ability to use noise in favor noise is itself a form of noise reduction; it is something done to of their enrichment in a way that machines can not do. One way sound that most often goes unheard" [11]. For example, during to conceive of this "positive" use of noise, is assigning a a famous performance of John Cage's 4'33”, a truck passes near meaning to it. Information Theory needed, somewhat, to abstract noise's potential meaning to subject it to mathematical the room where the piece is being presented. In Cage's intention, this sound becomes part of the piece framework as and statistical treatment. this noise becomes 'musical'. But 'to become musical' implies a 4. REJECTION AND ACCEPTANCE OF process of abstraction in which it ceases to be noise. It stops disturbing the music to become part of the music. This 'musical' NOISE IN MUSIC noise becomes a sound that refers to a noise. Thus, listening to sounds of a truck engine as music is part of a noise reduction's In a way, the historical development of Western classical music process. It is a transformative process in which noise becomes exemplifies a kind of history of adoption and rejection of noise music. in a broad sense. For example, the constant tension built around In this sense noise is precisely the element that refers to a a diabolical sound (which can be condensed into the figure of particular context, to a gesture, or to a contingency. As the the tritone) that should be explicitly avoided during the middle result of a specific situation, noise resists generalizations. Its ages was repressed by the Institutions (mainly the Church) significance lies on what is particular to its existence. An responsible for regulating ethics and morality in that period. explosive and unexpected noise that interrupts an action can be The repression of music mediaeval demons, the confiscation of full of meaning. It indicates the occurrence of an event, at a Greco-Roman statues by the Vatican and their symbolic certain time, at a certain distance, with a certain intensity. The castration by removing their sexual organs, the division degree of understanding this noise depends on one's concern between carnal pleasure represented by medieval festivals and regarding it, but also depends on one's history and experience the untouchable divine, they are just a few examples of cleanup with similar situations. In this direction, Kahn stresses the link processes started long ago and whose ties go beyond the between noise and the empirical, as something that is aesthetic field. experienced in a particular way [11]. The rigor of written music, the equal temperament, the Although generally associated with something one should requirement of an attentive and respectful listening, the avoid, noise may have a dual function (face): one good and rejection of error, are all part of a great differentiation effort another annoying, as pointed out by physician Claude-Henri and, consequently, of repression of what should be avoided: Chouard.