World Soundscape Project
Encyclopedia
The World Soundscape Project or WSP is an international research project founded by Canadian
composer
R. Murray Schafer
in the late 1960s at Simon Fraser University
. The project initiated the modern study of Acoustic Ecology
. Its ultimate goal is "to find solutions for an ecologically balanced soundscape
where the relationship between the human community and its sonic environment is in harmony." The practical manifestations of this goal include education about the soundscape and noise pollution
, in addition to the recording and cataloguing of international soundscapes with a focus on preservation of soundmarks and dying sounds and sound environments.
Publications which emerged from the project include The Book of Noise (1968) and The Tuning of the World (1977), both by Schafer, as well as the Handbook for Acoustic Ecology (1978) by Barry Truax
. The project has thus far resulted in two major tours, in Canada and Europe, the results of which comprise the World Soundscape Library.
Notable members included Howard Broomfield, Bruce Davis, Peter Huse, Barry Truax
and Hildegard Westerkamp
.
where he taught a course in noise pollution in attempt to draw attention to the sonic environment. The project quickly attracted a small group of young composers and communications students, and after receiving support from the Donner Canadian Foundation it began its first project in 1972: a detailed study of the soundscape of Vancouver
. The study resulted in a recording, The Vancouver Soundscape which was published in 1973. It consisted of phonographical
recordings of local soundscapes and soundmarks as well as a spoken documentary recording by R. Murray Schafer discussing notions of acoustic design, providing analysis of examples of good and bad acoustic design in Vancouver, illustrated with further recordings.
This recording is notable for its phonographic approach and is distinct from later WSP recordings in that it features no on-site narration. However, some of the recordings do bear the beginnings of more compositional approaches to soundscape recording, evidenced particularly in the track, 'Entrance to the Harbour' in which a 30-minute boat journey is condensed into a 7-minute montage in an effort to highlight the important sound events.
The recordists of this publication were Howard Broomfield, Bruce Davis, Peter Huse and Colin Miles.
The recordings were mixed into a documentary radio series on CBC Ideas
called Soundscapes of Canada. The series consisted of ten one-hour programmes which were broadcast in 1974.
In 2009, a group of Finnish
researchers led by Helmi Järviluoma, Heikki Uimonen, and Noora Vikman in collaboration with Barry Truax
revisited the same five villages to analyze how their soundscapes had changed over 30 years due to urbanization
.
In the 1990s, the project reemerged with the digitization of much of the recordings library onto the DAT
format, and new digital recordings made in Vancouver
. These recordings formed the basis of the Soundscape Vancouver '96 project which culminated in a publication intended to revisit the Vancouver Soundscape project of 1973. Instead of phonographic recordings this release was compositionally-oriented, with the recordings used as source material for soundscape compositions by a host of prominent international electroacoustic
composer
s. Featured composers included Darren Copeland
, Sabine Breitsameter, Hans Ulrich Werner, Barry Truax
and Claude Schryer. It also featured one track of phonographic ambience and a narrated documentary by Barry Truax
and Hildegard Westerkamp
similar to the final track on the 1973 publication by R. Murray Schafer
. It was released as a double-CD with the original 1973 project.
While the project has not embarked on any recent studies or tours, its impact on the international acoustic ecology community has been dramatic and there are many groups in different countries now devoted to similar projects inspired by the efforts of the World Soundscape Project. In 1993, the members of the international acoustic ecology community, including important contributors to the World Soundscape Project, formed the World Forum of Acoustic Ecology.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
R. Murray Schafer
R. Murray Schafer
Raymond Murray Schafer is a Canadian composer, writer, music educator and environmentalist perhaps best known for his World Soundscape Project, concern for acoustic ecology, and his book The Tuning of the World...
in the late 1960s at Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
. The project initiated the modern study of Acoustic Ecology
Acoustic ecology
Acoustic ecology, sometimes called ecoacoustics or soundscape studies, is the relationship, mediated through sound, between living beings and their environment. Acoustic ecology studies started in the late 1960s with R. Murray Schafer and his team at Simon Fraser University as part of the World...
. Its ultimate goal is "to find solutions for an ecologically balanced soundscape
Soundscape
A soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment. The study of soundscape is the subject of acoustic ecology...
where the relationship between the human community and its sonic environment is in harmony." The practical manifestations of this goal include education about the soundscape and noise pollution
Noise pollution
Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...
, in addition to the recording and cataloguing of international soundscapes with a focus on preservation of soundmarks and dying sounds and sound environments.
Publications which emerged from the project include The Book of Noise (1968) and The Tuning of the World (1977), both by Schafer, as well as the Handbook for Acoustic Ecology (1978) by Barry Truax
Barry Truax
Barry Truax is a Canadian composer who specializes in real-time implementations of granular synthesis, often of sampled sounds, and soundscapes...
. The project has thus far resulted in two major tours, in Canada and Europe, the results of which comprise the World Soundscape Library.
Notable members included Howard Broomfield, Bruce Davis, Peter Huse, Barry Truax
Barry Truax
Barry Truax is a Canadian composer who specializes in real-time implementations of granular synthesis, often of sampled sounds, and soundscapes...
and Hildegard Westerkamp
Hildegard Westerkamp
Hildegard Westerkamp is a German and Canadian composer of electroacoustic music.Many of her compositions deal with the acoustic environment. Particular themes include soundscapes of urban or rural areas, including voices, noise, silence, music and media, and so on...
.
Early History - The Vancouver Soundscape
The project emerged from Schafer's reaction to the increasing degradation of Vancouver's developing soundscape, as well as work as a professor at Simon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
where he taught a course in noise pollution in attempt to draw attention to the sonic environment. The project quickly attracted a small group of young composers and communications students, and after receiving support from the Donner Canadian Foundation it began its first project in 1972: a detailed study of the soundscape of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. The study resulted in a recording, The Vancouver Soundscape which was published in 1973. It consisted of phonographical
Field recording
Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside of a recording studio. The recording is typically recorded in the same channel format as the desired result, for instance, stereo recording equipment will yield a stereo product...
recordings of local soundscapes and soundmarks as well as a spoken documentary recording by R. Murray Schafer discussing notions of acoustic design, providing analysis of examples of good and bad acoustic design in Vancouver, illustrated with further recordings.
This recording is notable for its phonographic approach and is distinct from later WSP recordings in that it features no on-site narration. However, some of the recordings do bear the beginnings of more compositional approaches to soundscape recording, evidenced particularly in the track, 'Entrance to the Harbour' in which a 30-minute boat journey is condensed into a 7-minute montage in an effort to highlight the important sound events.
The recordists of this publication were Howard Broomfield, Bruce Davis, Peter Huse and Colin Miles.
Soundscapes of Canada
Following the success of The Vancouver Soundscape, two members, Peter Huse and Bruce Davis, embarked on a tour across Canada in 1973, in an effort to document the changing soundscape and preserve dying sounds becoming obsolete due to new technology. The types of sounds recorded on this project included natural ambiences, signifiers such as bells, chimes and foghorns, as well as mechanical and industrial sounds. The recordings are typically long uninterrupted takes and do not attempt to mask the presence of the recordists. Much of the recordings consist of Huse and Davis asking for directions or interacting with the people they encounter in the sound environments they documented. This approach of transparency marks a shift in aesthetic from the previous venture.The recordings were mixed into a documentary radio series on CBC Ideas
Ideas (radio show)
Ideas is a long running scholarly radio documentary show on CBC Radio One. Co-created by Phyllis Webb and William A. Young, the show premiered in 1965 under the title The Best Ideas You'll Hear Tonight...
called Soundscapes of Canada. The series consisted of ten one-hour programmes which were broadcast in 1974.
Five Village Soundscapes
In 1975, a larger group of members, including Schafer, embarked on a tour of Europe. The tour included workshops and lectures in several major cities, spreading the educational and theoretical aspects of the Project, as well as detailed analysis and recording projects of five European Villages, one of each in Sweden, Germany, Italy, France and Scotland. The recording projects were similar in style and purpose to the Canadian tour, but with special focus on rural areas and soundscapes which were still well-preserved. The tour also resulted in two publications, a narrative account of the trip called European Sound Diary and a detailed soundscape analysis called Five Village Soundscapes.In 2009, a group of Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
researchers led by Helmi Järviluoma, Heikki Uimonen, and Noora Vikman in collaboration with Barry Truax
Barry Truax
Barry Truax is a Canadian composer who specializes in real-time implementations of granular synthesis, often of sampled sounds, and soundscapes...
revisited the same five villages to analyze how their soundscapes had changed over 30 years due to urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
.
Soundscape Vancouver 1996
The project slowed down during the 1980s and direct activity by the original members under the WSP banner dwindled. However, the aftereffects left by their work in the 1970s helped Acoustic Ecology emerge internationally as a field of study and the methodologies of the World Soundscape Project served as the basis or inspiration for subsequent international endeavours.In the 1990s, the project reemerged with the digitization of much of the recordings library onto the DAT
Digital Audio Tape
Digital Audio Tape is a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987. In appearance it is similar to a compact audio cassette, using 4 mm magnetic tape enclosed in a protective shell, but is roughly half the size at 73 mm × 54 mm × 10.5 mm. As...
format, and new digital recordings made in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. These recordings formed the basis of the Soundscape Vancouver '96 project which culminated in a publication intended to revisit the Vancouver Soundscape project of 1973. Instead of phonographic recordings this release was compositionally-oriented, with the recordings used as source material for soundscape compositions by a host of prominent international electroacoustic
Electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music originated in Western art music during its modern era following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition during the mid-20th century are associated with the activities of composers...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s. Featured composers included Darren Copeland
Darren Copeland
Darren Copeland is an electroacoustic music composer born June 18, 1968 in Bramalea, Ontario, Canada, and currently living in Brampton, Ontario, Canada....
, Sabine Breitsameter, Hans Ulrich Werner, Barry Truax
Barry Truax
Barry Truax is a Canadian composer who specializes in real-time implementations of granular synthesis, often of sampled sounds, and soundscapes...
and Claude Schryer. It also featured one track of phonographic ambience and a narrated documentary by Barry Truax
Barry Truax
Barry Truax is a Canadian composer who specializes in real-time implementations of granular synthesis, often of sampled sounds, and soundscapes...
and Hildegard Westerkamp
Hildegard Westerkamp
Hildegard Westerkamp is a German and Canadian composer of electroacoustic music.Many of her compositions deal with the acoustic environment. Particular themes include soundscapes of urban or rural areas, including voices, noise, silence, music and media, and so on...
similar to the final track on the 1973 publication by R. Murray Schafer
R. Murray Schafer
Raymond Murray Schafer is a Canadian composer, writer, music educator and environmentalist perhaps best known for his World Soundscape Project, concern for acoustic ecology, and his book The Tuning of the World...
. It was released as a double-CD with the original 1973 project.
Present day
The entire library is still in the process of being digitized and a new project has begun to bring its contents online for student access. The online catalogue has been updated to include photographs from many of the recording sites.While the project has not embarked on any recent studies or tours, its impact on the international acoustic ecology community has been dramatic and there are many groups in different countries now devoted to similar projects inspired by the efforts of the World Soundscape Project. In 1993, the members of the international acoustic ecology community, including important contributors to the World Soundscape Project, formed the World Forum of Acoustic Ecology.
See also
- SoundscapeSoundscapeA soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment. The study of soundscape is the subject of acoustic ecology...
- Acoustic ecologyAcoustic ecologyAcoustic ecology, sometimes called ecoacoustics or soundscape studies, is the relationship, mediated through sound, between living beings and their environment. Acoustic ecology studies started in the late 1960s with R. Murray Schafer and his team at Simon Fraser University as part of the World...
- Sound cultureSound cultureSoundCulture is also an international organisation of artists, theorists and performers with a common interest to promote and develop the sonic arts....
- R. Murray SchaferR. Murray SchaferRaymond Murray Schafer is a Canadian composer, writer, music educator and environmentalist perhaps best known for his World Soundscape Project, concern for acoustic ecology, and his book The Tuning of the World...
- Barry TruaxBarry TruaxBarry Truax is a Canadian composer who specializes in real-time implementations of granular synthesis, often of sampled sounds, and soundscapes...
External links
- World Soundscape Project
- Sonic Research Studio SFU - includes catalogue of WSP library.