Urban Phonosphere: A Musicological View of the Origin, Types, and Significance of Sound Phenomena in the City 

Authors

  • Karel Volniansky  Author

Keywords:

Urban phonosphere, urban sonor, sonic environment, soundscape, sonority, anthropophony, archetypal sounds

Abstract

The urban phonosphere is highly complex as it is a mixture of various sound phenomena and the entire sonic environment. It consists of biophony, geophony, and especially anthropophony, and the combination of these—being considered as a sphere of sound phenomena that can be interpreted as different types of sonorities. In any phonosphere, including the urban one, it is possible to differentiate between various levels of specificity of sonic phenomena—from the general ones acting as a sonic ambience to the most specific. In the article, the origin, types, and meaning of these sonorities are discussed and they are classified according to their origin, and various other properties. The concept of sonor is central to understanding the structure of the urban phonosphere and is discussed in detail.  The musicological and cultural anthropological approaches to the study of urban sound phenomena in their totality as a phonosphere enable a holistic approach to its consideration in the cities around the world. 

Author Biography

  • Karel Volniansky 

    Karel Volniansky is a composer and musicologist. He holds a PhD in Musicology from the Herzen State Pedagogical University (RGPU), St. Petersburg, Russia. Senior lecturer at the Department of Music Theory, Composition & Conducting, The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Visiting professor at the Music Faculty, University of Toronto (2017–18). Research areas: music theory and composition, soundscape studies.

     

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Published

2023-12-23

Issue

Vol. 19 (2022)

Section

Articles