The Art Of Noise

The music and noise manifestos of the Italian Futurists formed a blueprint for sonic warfare waged against traditionalism, a radical new agenda played out with machines primed for maximal acoustic destruction and aimed at the negation of all existing value systems.

THE ART OF NOISE collects together these and other writings for the first time in English, showing how the origins of modern noise music actually date from a century ago, forming an invaluable insight into Futurist thought and its most enduring and relevant legacies, and revealing how an understanding of noise-art is key to a complete comprehension of Futurist painting.

THE ART OF NOISE collects five key Futurist manifestos: Luigi Russolo’s The Art Of Noises and The Futurist Noise Machines, and Balilla Pratella’s Manifesto Of Futurist Musicians, Technical Manifesto Of Futurist Music, and Destruction Of Quadrature; plus Carlo Carrà’s related sensory manifesto The Painting Of Sounds, Noises And Smells; Bruno Corra’s notes on Chromatic Music; Ferrucchio Busoni’s visionary and influential Sketch For A New Aesthetic Of Sound Art; a historical introduction on Futurist music and its legacy; and a chronology of Futurist music and noise.

This new expanded edition includes F.T. Marinetti’s original 11-point Manifesto Of Futurism, first published in 1909.

Marinetti, Russolo and Pratella are founding members of Italian Futurism, whose work has immense art-historical importance.