R. Murray Schafer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| R. Murray Schafer | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Raymond Murray Schafer | |
| Born | July 18, 1933 (age 73) Sarnia, Ontario, Canada |
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| Genre(s) | Avant-garde, classical, opera, musical theater | |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, librettist, pedagogue, writer | |
| Instrument(s) | piano | |
Raymond Murray Schafer (b. 18 July 1933) is a Canadian composer, writer, music educator and environmentalist perhaps best known for his World Soundscape Project, concern for acoustic ecology, and his book The Tuning of the World (1977).[1][2]
Born in Sarnia, Ontario, he then studied at the Royal Schools of Music in London, the Royal Conservatory of Music, and the University of Toronto.
His music education theories are followed in one way or another a bit around the world. He started soundscape studies at Simon Fraser University in the 1960s.
In addition to introducing the concept of soundscape he also coined the term schizophonia in 1977, the splitting of a sound from its source or the condition caused by this split: "We have split the sound from the maker of the sound. Sounds have been torn from their natural sockets and given an amplified and independent existence. Vocal sound, for instance, is no longer tied to a hole in the head but is free to issue from anywhere in the landscape."[3] Steven Feld, borrowing a term from Gregory Bateson, calls the recombination and recontextualization of sounds split from their sources schismogenesis.[4]
In 1987 he was awarded the first Glenn Gould Prize in recognition of his contributions. In 2005 he was awarded the Walter Carsen Prize, by the Canada Council for the Arts, one of the top honours for lifetime achievement by a Canadian artist.[5]
[edit] Selected work
- Patria
- The Princess of the Stars
- Carnival of Shadows
- The Tuning of the World
- World Soundscape Project
- Adieu Robert Schumann
[edit] References
- ^ World Soundscape Project. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
- ^ Schafer, Raymond Murray (1977). The Tuning of the World. Random House Inc.. ISBN 0394409663.
- ^ Mathieu, W.A. (1994). The Musical Life. Shambhala, p.223. ISBN 0-87773-670-7.
- ^ Feld, Steven; Keil, Charles (1994). Music Grooves: Essays and Dialogues. University Of Chicago Press, p.265-271. ISBN 0226429571.
- ^ Canada Council for the Arts (2005-11-08). Composer R. Murray Schafer wins Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
[edit] External links
- Arcana Editions bibliography
- R. Murray Schafer at the Canadian Encyclopedia
- R. Murray Schafer biography at the Canadian Music Center
- R. Murray Schafer at the Living Composers Project
- Music Behind Walls, 3:24 min, R. Murray Schafer (realmedia)
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| R. Murray Schafer (1987) • Yehudi Menuhin (1990) • Oscar Peterson (1993) • Toru Takemitsu (1996) • Yo-Yo Ma (1999) • Pierre Boulez (2002) • André Previn (2005) |
