‘Intervections’

Abstract

Several interrelated developments have radically affected the musical and cultural landscape over the past century, shaping conceptions of ‘new’ music in profound ways. These include: the development and proliferation of sound recording technologies and electronic methods of sound production/reproduction; increased contact between musical traditions and systems of musical logic from previously disparate cultural and social locations; the re-emergence of real-time modes of music-making in Western music after an almost complete absence of nearly 150 years; a great expansion in the range of sonic resources available to creative practitioners; the breakdown of old cultural hierarchies including such artificial constructs as ‘high’ and ‘low’ cultures. Drawing on my experiences as a composer, improviser, and sound artist, I examine the social, musical, and ideological implications of these musical/cultural vectors, as well as the ways in which they intersect with one another in the field of contemporary music.