The Composer's Black Box
Making Music in Cybernetic America
$89.16
- Paperback
286 pages
- Release Date
5 March 2026
Summary
Stories about new musical instruments are often told as quests for new kinds of sounds.
The Composer’s Black Box asks, What happens when new musical instruments produce not only new sounds but also new dynamics of musical agency and control? And what consequences do those new dynamics have for musicality beyond sound? With a focus on five key figures—Morton Subotnick, Pauline Oliveros, Donald Buchla, Alvin Lucier, and Sun Ra—this book explores how scientific and technological…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780520410206 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0520410203 |
| Author: | Theodore Gordon |
| Publisher: | University of California Press |
| Imprint: | University of California Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 286 |
| Release Date: | 5 March 2026 |
| Weight: | 440g |
| Dimensions: | 229mm x 152mm |
| Series: | California Studies in Music, Sound, and Media |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
“A valuable corrective to the utopian ideals of Subotnik and other cybernetic acolytes, who viewed electronic music within a framework of smooth technological progress and human advancement.”
* The Wire *About The Author
Theodore Gordon
Theodore Gordon is Assistant Professor of Music at Baruch College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York.
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