Reflective Dialogues on Sound Arts and Soundscape Analysis
From Musecology's place-based composition and improvisation practices, there are usually two rather disparate musical creative outputs generated out of the sound-mapping processes:
techno genre: out of sound mixing of actual field recording, whether the arrangement is automatically sorted by AI or not.
impressionist music composition: composed or produced out of improvised feelings of the regional or place-specific characters that have been internalised and translated by the composer or music makers into musical notes and set arrangements (for instance, the works by John Cage and Debussy). Some examples have been collated in the embedded playlist about place-based composition works.
While some musicians and sound artists try to blend these two into set arrangements and sound arts, these works with their intangible nature are quite limited to site-specific confined environments that reach certain installation conditions, mostly suitable for geographical enclaves, specific type of architectural structure (such as heritage buildings) or contained space. Art critics and the general public sometimes question the meaning and impacts of these works.
However, few urban studies have discussed that sound arts can resonates public feelings and reflections on the history of urban areas with place-specific awareness to build reflective dialogues, to co-create shared sense of belongings and shape common understandings.
What is soundscape and why it matters now?
Soundscape as a concept was raised in the 1970s by a composer and environmentalist Murray Schafer. While the concept may have been restricted into limited fields of studies in previous decades, the matter of soundscape should become more pertinent now.
It can be due to the irreversible facts that the globe is warming and there has been mass urbanisation process going on. With global warming, urban dwellers tend to open windows more for better ventilation, or with closed windows there are multiplied sound effects from air conditions or cooling facilities outside the building facades. With urbanisation, there are inevitably increased traffic vibration on concrete tarmac roads. Soundscape therefore becomes more of a concerns in the holistic assessment for the quality of life.
Soundscape analysis is no longer constrained with noise assessment for development projects but should be extended to the overall psychology assessment and reflective dialogues of place wellbeing. In the past, field recordings can be used to compile sound bank for noise assessment to measure and modulate future scenario of noise due to new development.
Wellbeing impacts and individual lived experience - some examples:
When it’s too hot, extra sound or noise can feel more unbearable.
Multipliers of chatters from children can be imposing on people living next door with chronic depression.
Live music scenes, if not too intense, can be a happiness booster for isolated residents.
Train track noises to some living nearby railway can be music to their ears because they can sense the tempo of life and punctuality of matters, while it can be pure noise for the majority of residents. Vibration of railway can add to the overwhelming feeling in psychological well-being of a place.
Music Geography
We consider that there can be an emerging inter-disciplinary field of study for the case of music geography. This new inter-disciplinary study analyses all documented musical genres and their audio technologies for soundscape application, while it is juxtaposed in the existing strands of critical geography and cultural geography in human geography. The studies of music geography also matter in international relations, as existing studies on climate change already established the linkage of global impacts on quality of life that may result in territorial disputes or increased migration.
Contact Us
If you are interested to learn more about our works, welcome to get in touch with us at
Haylofts, 5 St Thomas' St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4LE (by appointment),
or by email to hello@ecomuse.co.uk .
© 2021 - 2025 Musecology Ltd. (UK Company No. 13806170)