From The Palace of the Cinnebar Phoenix
Photo by Risheng Wang
In addition to his work with acoustic ecology, Schafer has been working on a large-scale series of outdoor operas, bringing his work, as Bernie Krause puts it, "into the environment".
Colin Eatock wrote, in the New York Times on August 27, 2005, that "For 40 years, Schafer has been writing a huge cycle of 12 music-theater works, collectively titled Patria. Larger than Wagner's Ring ... this cycle challenges the boundaries of both music and theater." And William Littler wrote, in the Toronto Star, that Patria is "The most wildly imaginative and physically ambitious series of music theatre works in the history of the Canadian stage."
Produced by
Electronic Music Foundation
Ear to the Earth 2010
R. Murray Schafer
Acoustic Ecology: Past and Present
Wednesday, October 27, 8pm
Greenwhich House Music School
46 Barrow Street
$15 / $10 seniors & EMF members / $5 students
PROGRAM
R. Murray Schafer
Acoustic Ecology: Past and Present
A talk on the origins of acoustic ecology, soundscapes and environmental recording,
and their evolution into today's practices.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Canadian composer and author R. Murray Schafer has won acclaim not only for his achievement as a composer, but also as an educator, environmentalist, scholar, visual artist and provocateur. A pioneer in acoustic ecology and soundscape studies, Schafer was awarded both the first Glenn Gould Prize and the first Jules Léger Prize, as well as two lifetime achievement awards from The Canada Council for the Arts.
ABOUT THE PRESENTATION
R. Murray Schafer, founder of acoustic ecology and pioneer of the field of soundscape studies, will present a historical overview of these movements, and a reflection on their present day application.
In 1970, Schafer founded the World Soundscape Project (now the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology) at Simon Fraser University, in Vancouver, Canada. There, he worked with Hildegard Westerkamp and Barry Truax, researching the relationship between individuals, societies, and their sonic environment. His 1977 publication The Tuning of the World summarizes his research and introduces the concept of acoustic ecology. Another term coined in this seminal publication is that of "schizophonia" (from the Greek: schizo = split; phone = voice, sound), the state engendered by sounds split from their source by electroacoutsic reproduction.
Influenced by John Cage’s definition of music as any and all sound, Schafer’s concept of the world’s soundscape as a macrocosmic musical composition unifies his musical and dramatic work, as well as his educational and cultural theories.
SITES
EMF :: Arts Electric :: EMF Productions :: Ear to the Earth :: CDeMusic :: EMF Media :: EMF Institute