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Paul Hegarty
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Noise Music: A History

by Paul Hegarty (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 44 ratings
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Noise/Music looks at the phenomenon of noise in music, from experimental music of the early 20th century to the Japanese noise music and glitch electronica of today. It situates different musics in their cultural and historical context, and analyses them in terms of cultural aesthetics. Paul Hegarty argues that noise is a judgement about sound, that what was noise can become acceptable as music, and that in many ways the idea of noise is similar to the idea of the avant-garde.

While it provides an excellent historical overview, the book's main concern is in the noise music that has emerged since the mid 1970s, whether through industrial music, punk, free jazz, or the purer noise of someone like Merzbow. The book progresses seamlessly from discussions of John Cage, Erik Satie, and Pauline Oliveros through to bands like Throbbing Gristle and the Boredoms. Sharp and erudite, and underpinned throughout by the ideas of thinkers like Adorno and Deleuze, Noise/Music is the perfect primer for anyone interested in the louder side of experimental music.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0826417264
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0826417268
  3. Publisher
    Bloomsbury Academic
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 2007
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6.39 x 0.84 x 9 inches
  7. Print length
    232 pages
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Can silence be "noisy"? Why do punk bands downplay their musical abilities? What do 37 minutes of ceaseless feedback and squawking birds tell us about the human experience? Calling upon the work of noted cultural critics like Jean Baudrillard, Georges Bataille and Theodor Adorno, philosophy and visual culture professor Hegarty delves into these questions while tracing the history of "noise" (defined at different times as "intrusive, unwanted," "lacking skill, not being appropriate" and "a threatening emptiness") from the beginnings of 18th century concert hall music through avant-garde movements like musique concrete and free jazz to Japanese noise rocker Merzbow. Ironically, it is John Cage's notorious 4'33", in which an audience sits through four and a half minutes of "silence," that represents the beginning of noise music proper for Hegarty; the "music," made up entirely of incidental theater sounds (audience members coughing, the A/C's hum), represents perfectly the tension between the "desirable" sound (properly played musical notes) and undesirable "noise" that make up all noise music, from Satie to punk. Hegarty does an admirable job unpacking diverse genres of music, and his descriptions of the more bizarre pieces can be great fun to read ("clatters and reverbed chickeny sounds... come in over low throbs"). Though his style tends toward the academic (the "dialectic of Enlightenment" and Heidegger appear frequently), Hegarty's wit and knowledge make this an engaging read.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Hegarty does an admirable job unpacking diverse genres of music...Hegarty's wit and knowledge make this an engaging read." -- Publishers Weekly, August 27, 2007

A brave attempt to grapple with an impossible subject as one could reasonably hope for...Some brilliant writing. -- The Wire, October 2007

Can silence be "noisy"? Why do punk bands downplay their musical abilities? What do 37 minutes of ceaseless feedback and squawking birds tell us about the human experience? Calling upon the work of noted cultural critics like Jean Baudrillard, Georges Bataille and Theodor Adorno, philosophy and visual culture professor Hegarty delves into these questions while tracing the history of "noise" (defined at different times as "intrusive, unwanted," "lacking skill, not being appropriate" and "a threatening emptiness") from the beginnings of 18th century concert hall music through avant-garde movements like musique concrete and free jazz to Japanese noise rocker Merzbow. Ironically, it is John Cage's notorious 4'33", in which an audience sits through four and a half minutes of "silence," that represents the beginning of noise music proper for Hegarty; the "music," made up entirely of incidental theater sounds (audience members coughing, the A/C's hum), represents perfectly the tension between the "desirable" sound (properly played musical notes) and undesirable "noise" that make up all noise music, from Satie to punk. Hegarty does an admirable job unpacking diverse genres of music, and his descriptions of the more bizarre pieces can be great fun to read ("clatters and reverbed chickeny sounds... come in over low throbs"). Though his style tends toward the academic (the "dialectic of Enlightenment" and Heidegger appear frequently), Hegarty's wit and knowledge make this an engaging read. -- Publishers Weekly

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury Academic (September 1, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 232 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0826417264
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0826417268
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.39 x 0.84 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 44 ratings

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Paul Hegarty

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4.5 out of 5 stars
44 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and a good reference for noise theory. They appreciate the chapters on Japanese noise and Merzbow, which are accurate.

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4 customers mention "Readability"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and useful. They say it's a worthwhile purchase and long overdue.

"This book is wonderful. It could be part of a course on sound art. I am a jazz trombonist who has "crossed over". I totally recommend this...." Read more

"...on Japanese noise and Merzbow are spot on and alone make the book a worthy purchase...." Read more

"First off, this book is long overdue; however, what undermines Hagerty's project is his theoretically dry and unconvincing writing..." Read more

"Great read. Used it as a reference for a paper I wrote in one of my communications classes...." Read more

3 customers mention "Noise theory"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the noise theory in the book good, not too hard or soft. They appreciate the chapters on Japanese noise and Merzbow.

"...Sometimes google misspells his name as I'd M Theft Able. Yet noise occurs in so many ways, including eco sounds, syn, tape, collage, and industrial...." Read more

"...The chapters on Japanese noise and Merzbow are spot on and alone make the book a worthy purchase...." Read more

"...It tries very well to reason why we make noise.If you make or dig noise,even if you are a philosophical novice,read this book." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Yvonne D Forte
    5.0 out of 5 stars Totally yes
    Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This book is wonderful. It could be part of a course on sound art. I am a jazz trombonist who has "crossed over". I totally recommend this. My personal favorite noise/sound artist is I'd m thfft able. Sometimes google misspells his name as I'd M Theft Able. Yet noise occurs in so many ways, including eco sounds, syn, tape, collage, and industrial. If you're cool enough to take it, try some noise. I am a 1st year MFA candidate concentrating on experimental music composition. That is what brought me to the doorstep of this book.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Mariodemon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfied Me, Regarding To Noise Music
    Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2011
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    Recommended if you are interested in the history behind all the use of noise in music to noise music itself, in philosophical and various critical angles, considering the vast bibliography studied for the making of this book.
    It effected me the way I intended it to when I bought it, listening to this kind off music in a different way.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • rdf
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great Background and Analysis
    Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2008
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    Hegarty comes at the topic from the standpoint of an avid listener and performer, explaining and exploring what the various artists are trying to achieve. His coverage of historical and contemporary performers/composers is exceptionally broad and adds a invaluable context for the work -- even if some influences are only mentioned in passing.

    The chapters on Japanese noise and Merzbow are spot on and alone make the book a worthy purchase. I have been listening to this stuff for over ten years and found the discussions both accurate and enlightening.

    I only give it four stars since while reading other parts of the book I kept wishing that he would describe what the music sounds like rather than engage its theory. One other minor point: the font on the paperback is a small narrow sans serif which increased the reading effort (although given the topic this might have been a design decision)
    3 people found this helpful
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  • D. Brown
    3.0 out of 5 stars Where's the musician?
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2008
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    First off, this book is long overdue; however, what undermines Hagerty's project is his theoretically dry and unconvincing writing (something the editor should have caught, unless the press wanted to publish the philosophical meanderings of the author). Thus, the reader is bombarded with concepts at the expense of offering insights into the production of noise (by actually interviewing the artists in question). This is a major problem with ethnomusicology and musicology in general-waxing and waning about the supposed post-modern qualities about music at the expense of the musician in favor of a totalizing reading of the subject.

    Here's some examples: If Japanese noise is zen, then it is also rope bondage (134). -That's really academically lazy, I might add.

    On John Zorn, "If he and others are some sort of neo-anthropologists, or exorcists, they are ethnographers of a future culture, and in the meantime, engage in neither the ethno-or the-graphy (137). - Am I'm supposed to be impressed with semantics here or what?

    All in all, it will satiate the need to fill the gap; however, the many gaps within this text will hopefully be filled in the near future before many of our contemporary "noise" artists are dead.
    42 people found this helpful
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  • Lincoln
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great read. Used it as a reference for a ...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Great read. Used it as a reference for a paper I wrote in one of my communications classes. Really interesting look at the roots of the modern noise music genre I have seen over the past couple of years.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Robot XXIX
    2.0 out of 5 stars Over-analyzed and pedantic
    Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2011
    Having listened to a variety of noisemusics over the years, I was really excited to read this bookk which promised an overview of the genre without the hipster leanings that so often prevail when this subject has been broached (i.e. - a lot of namedropping and a dearth of actual content). Unfortunately, this book fails to provide a good groundwork to continue personal research from and also so dry and 'intellectual' as to render one into a sonobulastic state almost from the get-go.

    In essence, I learned no new information and the author is unbearably 'clever'. This reads like a college freshman's study. Avoid at all costs.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • A. Sykora
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good noise theory;not too hard,not too soft.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    Hegarty's book is not a dry,excessively detailed history but rather a work much more usefull to myself and perhaps all noisicians and sound artists.It tries very well to reason why we make noise.If you make or dig noise,even if you are a philosophical novice,read this book.
    One person found this helpful
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  • J. Bjorne
    4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining AND informative
    Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2007
    Sometimes the writing tends to be a tad dry, but this is a serious work of scholarship regarding the "noise" movement through the history of music so one wouldn't expect a page turner. There is a whole chapter devoted to Japanese Noise music, as well as one specifically on Merzbow, who is like the god of noise. I appreciated the fact that in the introduction the author did mention that he only touches on Coil, Nurse With Wound, and Current 93 b/c they have their own book ("England's Hidden Reverse" by David Keegan). Several mentions of Throbbing Gristle are made as well, though the book "Wreckers of Civilization" by Simon Ford is an excellent read on that wacky troupe. I was entertained by the author's description of listening to specific pieces of music, and he raised my interest in several artists I wasn't familiar with. This was a gift, but I would have gladly paid full price for this excellent book.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • RenaissanceMan1993
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read for Music Students
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    My first "academic" module for university centered around the question 'what is music?' and this book was in my reading list.
    I found this book very helpful for my essay writing but I also reference it in convocations about music on a regular basis which is a testament to just how informative its contents are. The chapters on progressive rock and Merzbow where especially interesting.

    Although some may find the writing of this book to be a tad on the dry side the knowledge that it will give you is worth the read.

    If you are at all interested in the areas of music regarding the 'avant-garde', 'experimental' or 'noisy' then this is the kind of material you want and is an essential read within its subject matter.
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  • Zeilenkönig
    4.0 out of 5 stars Kunst und Krach
    Reviewed in Germany on June 18, 2017
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    Wann wird aus Lärm Musik? Worin liegt die Bedrohung von Lärm und Krach? Kann Stille auch eine Art Lärm sein? Worin unterscheidet sich ein Geräusch von einem Klang? Grundsätzlichen Fragen dieser Art geht der irische Philosophie-Professor und Kulturwissenschaftler Paul Hegarty in seiner weit ausgreifenden Studie über die „Geschichte des Lärms“ nach. Dabei spannt er den Bogen von Konzertsaal-Aufführungen im 18. Jahrhundert bis zu den Avantgarde-Bewegungen von Musique Concréte, Free Jazz und japanischer Noise-Art. Hegartys Ausführungen sind mit ihren Rückgriffen auf Denker wie Jean Baudrillard, Theodor W. Adorno oder Martin Heidegger nicht immer einfach nachzuvollziehen, entpuppen sich letztlich aber als Erkenntnisgewinn. Im Endergebnis hebt sich für Hegarty der Gegensatz von „Lärm“ und „Musik“ in den zeitgenössischen Spielformen der ‚Noise Music’ auf. Natürlich kommen in diesem Zusammenhang auch Krautrock, Punk, HipHop und Industrial zu ihrem Recht. Abstrakte Begrifflichkeiten werden von Hegarty immer wieder mit sinnlichen Beispielen aufgefüllt. Trotz ihres Theorieanspruchs ist die Sprache dieses Buches nie abweisend oder hermetisch – eine bahnbrechende Untersuchung!
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  • Mrs EA Jones
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2016
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    OK
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  • Vicente Jr
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not noisey enough.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2015
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    I always was one for theorizing music (one of my favourite works beeing Lipstick Traces) but this book takes it one step further. Too academic. If you are expecting a lot on the music, forget it. Not much history and some bad choices regarding subject. Anyway you get to know a lot of new things and curiosities but it's not for the music lover, for the one interested in the details regarding the music itself and the artists. I am a fan of Bataille but after this book i don't think i'll EVER want to hear of him again, poor sod. Get this book and you will know why. This could've been a contender.
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