Description
Book SynopsisExamines the relationship between sound and statuary in Western aesthetic thought in light of discourses on aurality emerging within the field of sound studies. Considers the sounding statue as an event and as conceptualized through acts of writing and performance.
Trade Review“Within the field of historical sound studies, Ryan McCormack claims a forceful voice. He finds his own well-reasoned way between studies of sound as a physical phenomenon and studies of ‘aural culture.’”
—Bruce R. Smith,author of The Acoustic World of Early Modern England:Attending to the O-Factor
“The Sculpted Ear evidences a long and rich history of sounding and hearing associated with the apparently silent art of sculpture. The book tackles important questions in sound studies, musicology, philosophy, and art history from a fresh perspective. The case studies to be found in each chapter provide new, fascinating information to the scholar of sound as well as intriguing new perspectives on the history of hearing.”
—James G. Mansell,author of The Age of Noise in Britain: Hearing Modernity
“By incorporating sounds from statues with events in history, The Sculpted Ear provides a meaningful picture of statues and their interplay with historical narratives.”
—Constance Wallace Sound Studies
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction: Elvis Leaves the Building
1. Animation Introduces Animation
2. Breathing Voice into Laocoön’s Mouth
3. Imperial Possessions
4. Hearing a Stone Man
5. Aural Skins
6. Now You Have to Go, Comrade
7. Museums of Resonance
Conclusion: I Now Present Sergei Rachmaninoff
Notes
Bibliography
Index
