http://www.ubu.com/sound/scratch.html
Russolo writes that “nowadays musical art aims at the shrilliest, strangest and most dissonant amalgams of sound.” In this selection of sound art, there are a variety of different distinct sounds occurring simultaneously. Some fade after a certain period while new ones are introduced. In the Side A piece, it sounds like a busy place with some possibly brass musicians rehearsing. There is a strange sounding dog barking, a man singing, construction work, and other street noises. The combination of all these different sounds is strange but somewhat familiar. These sounds are all familiar to those who have walked down a busy city street. This is what Russolo would call noise-sound, where music changes with the introduction of machinery. In the 18th century, this would not be considered music. Yet today, our definition of music has broadened with the innovations of different musicians over time. Music has expanded to include a variety of different noises that has been combined together as more and more musicians experiment with new sounds. Musicians are no longer limited to strictly musical instruments such as pianos, trumpets, violins and the like. Anything that makes a sound can be used as part of a musical composition.
Imagine being somewhere, such as an outside restaurant, a park or even a library. Close your eyes and listen. What do you hear? It’s bound to be a variety of sounds from people talking, background music and footsteps. Even in a library, you would at least hear the occasional turning of pages. Russolo writes that everything we hear can be considered musical art. It is strange to many that all these sounds would be considered art at all. But think of all the different songs you have listened to. Many songs have at least some sort of sound that did not exist centuries ago and has only been made possible due to technology. Auto tune and techno are just some examples of how music has changed.
