Drever, John L.. 2020. 'Primacy of the Ear – But Whose Ear?: The Case for Auraldiversity in Sound and Music Practice and Discourse'. In: Royal Musical Association 56th Annual Conference. Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom 8 – 10 September 2020. [Conference or Workshop Item]

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Abstract or Description

60 years on from Pierre Schaeffer’s call for ‘primacy of the ear ’ [‘primauté de l’oreille’] (Schaeffer 1957) and Denis Smalley’s reassertion of ‘the primacy of aural perception’ (Smalley 1986) in music theory and composition, this presentation asks an ostensibly simple question: whose ear is implied when we talk of and compose under this fundamental principle? Is there a tacit audiometric norm, the ‘otologically normal’—an acoustics standard from which A-weighted decibels is based (ISO 226:2003) – or even a pair of golden ears, at its core? And if a music is predicated on a specific auditory acuity, where does this leave the audience. With reference to his own practice and hearing, the author will tackle the above issues. In conclusion the concept of auraldiversity is proposed and creative strategies that eschew or problematise auraltypical archetypes in sound and music and related theory are encouraged.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Keywords:	Auraltypical, Auraldiversity
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Music > Unit for Sound Practice Research
Dates:	Date Event 8 September 2020 Completed
Event Location:	Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom
Date range:	8 – 10 September 2020
Item ID:	29360
Date Deposited:	20 Oct 2020 09:56
Last Modified:	20 Oct 2020 09:56
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/29360

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