Backgrounder:History of Environmental
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| Roots The first natural sound recording dates to at least 1889, when a captive bird was recorded on an Edison wax cylinder in Germany. The initial wave of interest, however, began in 1929 and lasted through the fifties, driven by the pioneers of field recording techniques such as the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Most of the vinyl records that resulted were used for field identification of animals. Several small companies survived for years almost entirely on the sales of these early natural sound recordings. These mono recordings were generally made with a single parabolic microphone that focused on one species at a time, each introduced by a human narrator. There were some notable exceptions that pioneered the use of ambient recordings of a variety of species and their soundscapes at once, including a 45RPM produced by Canadian recordist Dan Gibson in 1956 called Voices of the North Woods. But, for most people over 40, environmental sound recording begins with the advent of stereo and Irv Teibel's groundbreaking Environments series of LPs, the first of which was released in the 1969. Featuring state-of-the-art recordings of oceans, thunderstorms, and the like, Environments created the template followed by many as the field expanded in the 1980's. Another influential recording was Dr. Roger Payne's Songs of the Humpback Whale (1970), which sold over 200,000 units; it remains the best selling environmental sound recording in history. Hallmarks of these early releases included a focus on "pure" nature, unadulterated by any hint of a human presence, and the use of leading edge recording and playback devices (including stereo technology and headphones) to create an immersive listening experience. At the same time, and even earlier, interest in using the sounds of nature—and humanity—found a foothold in the realm of contemporary musical composition. In the 1950's Oliver Messian used recordings of bird songs as inspiration for a series of classical compositions, while soon after John Cage made waves in avant garde circles with his call to consider any and all sounds (even "noise") we encounter in our world as fair game for creating music. Modern-day soundscape composers have taken both of these impulses to heart. In Canada, the seventies saw the birth of an academic and artistic discipline known as acoustic ecology, centered on the teaching and writing of R. Murray Schafer (The Tuning of the World, 1977), and institutionalized at Simon Fraser University, in Burnaby, British Columbia. Acoustic ecology features a dynamic blend of disciplines, including biology, art, and sociology, with a strong focus on how the experience of our soundscapes affects both urban and rural people. Drawing from acoustic ecology, environmental activists have made the consideration of sound a part of city planning, wilderness preservation, and even muzak-free restaurant design. Branches The period from about 1981-1994 was the heyday of what became known as "nature sound recording." Several producers released multiple titles, reportedly with sales of over 50,000 units per title occurring with some frequency. Most built on the foundations of Teibel's series, focusing solely on nature's voices. Bernie Krause created a wildly successful series of releases for The Nature Company, establishing his style of condensing and at times overdubbing material to present an engaging representation of place (his career sales total over a million units, spread over 50-plus releases). Gordon Hempton (a.k.a "The Soundtracker") produced two series of releases using a binaural recording system, which uses mics placed in the fleshy ears of a mannequin head. This technique creates stunning three dimensional sound, and an almost palpable sonic presence. Hempton received an Emmy for his soundtrack to a 1993 PBS documentary, The Vanishing Dawn Chorus, which chronicled his journeys in search of the world's quietest places. Meanwhile, Dan Gibson's Solitudes series used a documentary approach, weaving a story of exploration in a given habitat. And in Europe, Walter Tilgner created quiet gems, also using a binaural head system, while Jean Roché founded Sittelle, and developed a unique format of several extended cuts per CD, allowing for both variety and immersion. Each of these groundbreaking producers has influenced other, younger producers in turn; often, the younger recordists spent time with one or more of these "elders," on the way toward developing their own individual styles. The advent of digital field recording and the compact disc for playback magically removed the cracks and pops of vinyl and the hiss of tape that had interfered more with the subtle, quiet sounds of an ambient environmental recording than they did with the fuller sounds of most music. By the end of this period, the work of these better recordists was beginning to be eclipsed by releases from various discount labels, many of which combined simple and often poorly recorded nature sounds with "pretty" music, a development that most committed producers found disruptive to real appreciation of the soundscape. By the mid-90's, sales of high-quality soundscape works had plummeted. As successful as his earlier releases had been, Krause struggled for two years to find a label willing to release his work; independents such as Jonathon Storm of Earthtunes saw their early, promising sales drop to near zero. This decline was likely attributable to both aggressive mass-marketing of the inferior lines, and a public sense of having already heard what "nature sound recording" had to offer. Meanwhile, in Canada and Europe, adventurous producers were using field recordings as central elements in sound art that found wide exposure in galleries, festivals, and radio airplay. These producers were just as apt to explore the sounds of the urban cacophony, as to weave the tales of Inuit elders or the cries of migrating waterfowl. An ongoing theme of these works is using sound as an entryway for reflections on nature and culture. New Leaves It is no longer accurate—nor was it ever—to label environmental sound production as simply "recording", as if it were merely a technical process. At every step, from choice of subjects to mic placement to studio mixing, today's soundscape artists are engaging in creative listening and thoughtful sound sculpting. They record everywhere from mountains to subways, then return to their studios to weave sonic essays and aural portraits in a wide range of styles. Rather than try to replicate the ambience of the seashore or forest, these producers are creating altogether new listening experiences, designed to reward repeated listening by conjuring different responses over time. They do not re-imagine a world without humans, but rather suggest new ways to hear the world as it is. Photography experienced a similar emergence in the early decades of this century. Growing from its more modest use as a documentary medium (in newspapers and portraiture), early advocates such as Alfred Steiglitz and his Photosecession group, and later Edward Weston and Ansel Adams' Group f/64, nurtured photography as a creative medium. In a similar way, soundscape recordings are coming alive, emerging from the blandness of "relaxation" music, and stepping out of the shadows of the avant garde fringe. Throughout its history, the field of environmental sound recording has continued to grow. Despite the ups and downs of commercial prospects, record companies and independent producers have persisted in releasing new titles. Indeed, the late 1990's has seen new releases from larger corporate labels such as Miramar and Germany's Wergo/Schott Media, the first CD releases from longtime Canadian sound artists Hildegard Westerkamp and Claude Schryer, and a string of new sonic profiles of cities throughout Europe. At the same time, established recordists like Lang Elliot have stepped out on their own, releasing independently produced natural sound titles. While eschewing the lower-quality productions sold at discount store listening stations, EarthEar is serving as a clearinghouse for the better of these new and archival releases. EarthEar's network of affiliates includes over 25 labels, with well over 100 titles of high-quality environmental sounds currently on the market. |