Urban Music Studies

Scholars Network

29/01/2018
by R. Kuchar
Comments Off on CfP: Creative Locations: Art, Culture and the City.

CfP: Creative Locations: Art, Culture and the City.

10th Midterm Conference of the European Research Networks Sociology of Arts & Sociology of Culture, Spt. 4th-7th, 2018, Malta In recent years, the arts have gained increasing importance of strategies designed for culture-led urban regeneration. The general topic for the … Continue reading

One year of Elbphilharmonie

15/01/2018 by Leonard Sprueth | Comments Off on One year of Elbphilharmonie

Following construction delays and a set of scandals, a year ago, the new concert hall called Elbphilharmonie has been inaugurated in Hamburg, Germany. Conceptualised as the landmark of the Music City Hamburg, its spectacular architecture attracts thousands of tourists and music lovers. The diverse musical programme covers all musical genres, ranging from classical concerts to Einstürzende Neubauten, Poetry Slams and contemporary electronics. 850.000 spectators joining the first years´s programme let the city quickly forget about the troubles of planning and constructing…

Here a short flash back of the opening ceremony:

A Musicology for Landscape – New Book by David Nicholas Buck

03/01/2018 by Leonard Sprueth | Comments Off on A Musicology for Landscape – New Book by David Nicholas Buck

As the title suggests, David Buck’s recent publication concentrates on weaving sound into the sensory appreciation of landscape. Through conceptual and direct reference on musical notation, his work investigates landscape architecture’s inherent temporality and calls for refocusing  this under-researched aspect provided by the model of notating time. 

Being a landscape architect and educator, Buck’s work offers an innovative and contemporary approach to a wide range of landscape projects and as the founder of the “landscape architecture programme” at the University of East London, his design work in the UK and Japan has been widely published. During his PhD he focused on the investigation of alternatives for perspectival representations of space in landscape architecture through developing new notations from a synthesis with music, thus “A Musicology for Landscape” is evidently the latest in a succession of thriving works.

The book hereby addresses a difficulty within the architectural discourse, which is concerned with a lack of adequacy of the existing design tools to correctly explore the landscape’s inherited temporality. By seeking new forms of notation through the inclusion of musical notation, the book introduces three influential composers – Morton Feldman, György Ligeti and Michael Finnissy – presenting a critical evaluation of their work within music, as well as a means in which it might be used in design research. David Buck then juxtaposes musical scores with design representations by Kevin Appleyard, Bernard Tschumi and William Kent, until final examination through newly developed landscape architectural notations. Ultimately, bringing together musical composition and landscape architecture through notation, evokes a focused and sensitive exploration of temporality and sound in both fields.

David Buck – between landscape architecture and land art 

A Musicology for Landscape – 2017 – Routledge

 

02/01/2018
by Timon Scheuer
Comments Off on Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

There is an ongoing rumor that Hamburg at least used to have one of the most vibrant Night-life scenes. And this is its unofficial anthem ‘Auf der Reeperbahn nachts um halb eins’ by Hans Albers. All the best for 2018! … Continue reading