The Soundscape of Modernity by Emily Thompson

The Soundscape of Modernity by Emily Thompson

A vibrant history of acoustical technology and aural culture in early-twentieth-century America.In this history of aural culture in early-twentieth-century America, Emily Thompson charts dramatic transformations in what people heard and how they listened. What they heard was a new kind of sound that was the product of modern technology. They listened as newly critical consumers of aural commodities. By examining the technologies that produced this sound, as well as the culture that enthusiastically consumed it, Thompson recovers a lost dimension of the Machine Age and deepens our understanding of the experience of change that characterized the era.Reverberation equations, sound meters, microphones, and acoustical tiles were deployed in places as varied as Boston's Symphony Hall, New York's office skyscrapers, and the soundstages of Hollywood. The control provided by these technologies, however, was applied in ways that denied the particularity of place, and the diverse spaces of modern America began to sound alike as a universal new sound predominated. Although this sound--clear, direct, efficient, and nonreverberant--had little to say about the physical spaces in which it was produced, it speaks volumes about the culture that created it. By listening to it, Thompson constructs a compelling new account of the experience of modernity in America.

Emily Thompson is a Northern California-based author and artist. She enjoys Steampunk and all things Victoriana, but she also dabbles in science fiction and fantasy. She changed her major in university from cinema and animation to Japanese language and spent a year studying in Tokyo. She earned a Japanese degree and then spent nearly two years teaching English and writing in Japan. She now calls Silicon Valley home, where she spends her days writing in coffee shops, painting, and playing far too many video games.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780262701068
ISBN 10	0262701065
Title	The Soundscape of Modernity
Author	Emily Thompson
Series	The Mit Press
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	MIT Press Ltd
Year published	2004-09-17
Number of pages	510
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.