Atoms and errors: towards a history and aesthetics of microsound

Authors:
Phil Thomson
Affiliations:
School for the Contemporary Arts, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6 E-mail: philthom@freeshell.org, pthomson@sfu.ca URL: http://www.sfu.ca/~pthomson/
Venue:
Organised Sound
Year:
2004

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Abstract

Microsound is an emerging approach to music composition and analysis which places emphasis on extremely brief time-scales, usually a tenth of a second or less, as well as an integration of this micro-time level with the time-levels of sound gestures, sections, movements and whole pieces. This paper summarises some of the technical issues involved in microsonic analysis/composition, traces a history of microsonic techniques in contemporary music, and examines some of its aesthetic implications in a social context.