Microsound

Below the level of the musical note lies the realm of microsound, of
sound particles lasting less than one-tenth of a second. Recent technological
advances allow us to probe and manipulate these pinpoints of sound, dissolving the
traditional building blocks of music -- notes and their intervals -- into a more
fluid and supple medium. The sensations of point, pulse (series of points), line
(tone), and surface (texture) emerge as particle density increases. Sounds coalesce,
evaporate, and mutate into other sounds. Composers have used theories of microsound
in computer music since the 1950s. Distinguished practitioners include Karlheinz
Stockhausen and Iannis Xenakis. Today, with the increased interest in computer and
electronic music, many young composers and software synthesis developers are
exploring its advantages. Covering all aspects of composition with sound particles,
Microsound offers composition theory, historical accounts,
technical overviews, acoustical experiments, descriptions of musical works, and
aesthetic reflections. The book is accompanied by an audio CD of examples.