Noise in music has at least three non-equivalent definitions: acoustic, communicative, and subjective

Danish theorist Torben Sangild argues that no single definition of noise in music is possible and identifies three distinct meanings: (1) an acoustics definition — spectral noise as a random signal with flat power spectral density; (2) a communicative definition — noise as distortion or disturbance of a signal or message; and (3) a subjective definition — what is noise to one person can be meaningful to another, and what seemed unpleasant yesterday may not be today. Understanding which sense is in play is essential for discussing noise music critically. Murray Schafer adds a fourth layer: noise as any loud sound, or a disturbance in any signaling system.

Examples

White noise (acoustic sense); radio static interfering with a broadcast (communicative sense); Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge, which ‘sounded like noise’ to contemporaries but is now canonical repertoire (subjective sense — his publishers persuaded him to remove it).

Assessment

Explain why Beethoven’s publishers persuading him to remove the Grosse Fuge illustrates the subjective definition of noise. How does this case differ from the acoustic definition? Which definition best describes what noise music artists invoke?