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On Acousmatic Sound:
In Response to The Art of Noise by Luigi Russolo, 1913
Ava Marzulli, 2023
“The variety of noises is infinite. We certainly possess nowadays over a thousand different machines, among whose thousand different noises we can distinguish. With the endless multiplication of machinery, one day we will be able to distinguish among ten, twenty or thirty thousand different noises. We will not have to imitate these noises but rather to combine them according to our artistic fantasy“ (Conclusion 7 of The Art of Noise by Luigi Rossolo).

  1. There should be no fear of imitation, an ambiguous origin of a sound is evidence of consistent devotion to the evolution of a comprehensive sonic vocabulary.

  2. At this point, we have created machines equipped with their own innate voice, unlike any “instrument”. We have created machines equipped with the voice to mimic flawlessly the likes of “instruments”. 

  3. Who is to say that this mechanical polyphony should be limited only to its native apparatus, never cohabitating with what it imitates.  

  4. The desire to imitate shall not be perceived as a limitation, the notion of imitation itself is proof of its capacity for evocation.  

  5. What is there truly to be gained from the distinguishing of a sound’s origin from another? Down with the hierarchy of objecthood in tandem with sonic potentiality. The sound itself is the most vital, not by which means it is achieved. 

  6. The machine(s) have enabled us to derive the same sound through a variety of entry points. No trajectory will be regarded as more profound than another. 

  7. Because of the tremendous advancements of the machine, distinguishing sound origin has never been more slippery.

On Acousmatic Sound

Consistent devotion to the evolution of a comprehensive sonic vocabulary

A noise poem inspired by Francesco Cangiullo’s poem “Fumatori II” from “Lacerba” (1914) utilizing the sound vocabulary of the six categories of noises for the futurist orchestra as well as some additional sound-words. This poem is to be considered an in-progress archive of words that are applicable when describing the sonic through language.