Luigi Russolo, Futurist : Noise, Visual Arts, and the Occult

Luigi Russolo (1885-1947)--painter, composer, builder of musical instruments, and first-hour member of the Italian Futurist movement--was a crucial figure in the evolution of twentieth-century aesthetics. As creator of the first systematic poetics of noise and inventor of what has been considered the first mechanical sound synthesizer, Russolo looms large in the development of twentieth-century music. In the first English language study of Russolo, Luciano Chessa emphasizes the futurist's interest in the occult, showing it to be a leitmotif for his life and a foundation for his art of noises. Chessa shows that Russolo's aesthetics of noise, and the machines he called the intonarumori , were intended to boost practitioners into higher states of spiritual consciousness. His analysis reveals a multifaceted man in whom the drive to keep up with the latest scientific trends coexisted with an embrace of the irrational, and a critique of materialism and positivism. Luigi Russolo (1885-1947)-painter, composer, builder of musical instruments, and a member of the Italian futurist movement from its inception-was a crucial figure in the evolution of twentieth-century aesthetics. As creator of the first systematic poetics of noise and inventor of what has been considered the first mechanical sound synthesizer, Russolo looms large in the development of twentieth-century music. In the first English-language study of Russolo, Luciano Chessa emphasizes the futurist's interest in the occult, portraying it as a leitmotif for his life and a foundation for his art of noises. Chessa shows that Russolo's aesthetics of noise, and the machines that he called the intonarumori, were intended to elevate practitioners to higher states of spiritual consciousness. Chessa's analysis revels a multifaceted man in whom the drive to keep up with the latest scientific trends coexisted with an embrace of the irrational and with a critique of materialism and positivism. Book jacket

Luigi Russolo (1885-1947)—painter, composer, builder of musical instruments, and first-hour member of the Italian Futurist movement—was a crucial figure in the evolution of twentieth-century aesthetics. As creator of the first systematic poetics of noise and inventor of what has been considered the first mechanical sound synthesizer, Russolo looms large in the development of twentieth-century music.
In the first English language study of Russolo, Luciano Chessa emphasizes the futurist's interest in the occult, showing it to be a leitmotif for his life and a foundation for his art of noises. Chessa shows that Russolo's aesthetics of noise, and the machines he called the intonarumori, were intended to boost practitioners into higher states of spiritual consciousness. His analysis reveals a multifaceted man in whom the drive to keep up with the latest scientific trends coexisted with an embrace of the irrational, and a critique of materialism and positivism.

Luigi Russolo (1885-1947)--painter, composer, builder of musical instruments, and first-hour member of the Italian Futurist movement--was a crucial figure in the evolution of twentieth-century aesthetics. As creator of the first systematic poetics of noise and inventor of what has been considered the first mechanical sound synthesizer, Russolo looms large in the development of twentieth-century music. In the first English language study of Russolo, Luciano Chessa emphasizes the futurist's interest in the occult, showing it to be a leitmotif for his life and a foundation for his art of noises. Chessa shows that Russolo's aesthetics of noise, and the machines he called the __intonarumori__, were intended to boost practitioners into higher states of spiritual consciousness. His analysis reveals a multifaceted man in whom the drive to keep up with the latest scientific trends coexisted with an embrace of the irrational, and a critique of materialism and positivism. Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction 14 PART ONE. Luigi Russolo from the Formative Years to 1913 24 1. Futurism as a Metaphysical Science 26 2. Occult Futurism 56 3. Spotlight on Russolo 84 4. Painting Noise: La musica 111 5. Russolo and Synesthesia 123 6. Russolo’s Metaphysics 135 PART TWO. The Art of Noises and the Occult 148 7. Intonarumori Unveiled 150 8. The Spirali di Rumori 164 9. The Arte dei “Romori” 182 10. Controversial Leonardo 210 11. Third Level 222 Conclusion: Materialist Futurism? 238 Notes 244 Luigi Russolo (1885-1947) - painter, composer, builder of musical instruments, and first-hour member of the Italian Futurist movement - was a crucial figure in the evolution of twentieth-century aesthetics. This title emphasizes the futurist's interest in the occult, showing it to be a leitmotif for his life and a foundation for his art of noises. Luigi Russolo (1885-1947) - painter, composer, builder of musical instruments, and first-hour member of the Italian Futurist movement - was a crucial figure in the evolution of 20th-century aesthetics. Chessa emphasizes the futurist's interest in the occult