View source for Visual music

{{distinguish|text=[[Graphical sound]], a recording technique}}
{{redirects|Color music|the suite by Michael Torke|Color Music (Torke)|"color" and "coloration"|Color (medieval music)}}

[[File:Lichtspiel Opus I (1921).webm|thumb|thumbtime=250|''Lichtspiel: Opus I'' (1921) by [[Walter Ruttmann]]]]
'''Visual music''', sometimes called '''color music''', refers to the creation of a visual analogue to musical form by adapting musical structures for visual composition, which can also include [[silent film]]s or silent [[Lumia (art)|Lumia]] work. It also refers to methods or devices which can translate sounds or music into a related visual presentation. An expanded definition may include the translation of music to painting; this was the original definition of the term, as coined by [[Roger Fry]] in 1912 to describe the work of [[Wassily Kandinsky]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3653012/The-man-who-heard-his-paintbox-hiss.html|title=The man who heard his paintbox hiss|first=Ossian|last=Ward|date=9 June 2006|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> There are a variety of definitions of visual music, particularly as the field continues to expand. In some recent writing, usually in the [[fine art]] world, visual music is often conflated with or defined as [[synaesthesia]], though historically this has never been a definition of visual music. Visual music has also been defined as a form of [[intermedia]].

Visual music also refers to systems which convert music or sound directly into visual forms, such as [[film]], [[video]], [[computer graphics]], installations or performances by means of a mechanical instrument, an artist's interpretation, or a computer. The reverse is applicable also, literally converting images to sound by drawn objects and figures on a film's soundtrack, in a technique known as drawn or [[graphical sound]]. Famous visual music artists include [[Mary Ellen Bute]], [[Jordan Belson]], [[Oskar Fischinger]], [[Norman McLaren]], [[John Whitney Sr.]], and [[Thomas Wilfred]], plus a number of contemporary artists.

==Instruments==
The history of this tradition includes many experiments with [[color organ]]s. Artist or inventors "built instruments, usually called 'color organs,' that would display modulated colored light in some kind of fluid fashion comparable to music".<ref>Moritz, W, (1997), [http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.1/articles/moritz2.1.html The Dream of Color Music, And Machines That Made it Possible] in  Animation World Magazine</ref> For example, the ''Farblichtspiele'' ('colored-light-plays') of former [[Bauhaus]] student [[Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack]]. Several different definitions of color music exist; one is that color music is generally formless projections of colored light. Some scholars and writers have used the term color music interchangeably with visual music.

The construction of instruments to perform visual music live, as with sonic music, has been a continuous concern of this art. Color organs, while related, form an earlier tradition extending as early as the eighteenth century with the Jesuit [[Louis Bertrand Castel]] building an ''ocular harpsichord'' in the 1730s (visited by [[Georg Philipp Telemann]], who composed for it). Other prominent color organ artist-inventors include: [[Alexander Wallace Rimington]], [[Bainbridge Bishop]], [[Thomas Wilfred]], [[Charles Dockum]], [[Mary Hallock-Greenewalt]] and [[Kurt Laurenz Theinert]].{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

==On film==
Visual music and abstract film or video often coincide. Some of the earliest known films of these two genres were hand-painted works produced by the Futurists [[Bruno Corra]]<ref>{{IMDb name|id=0180651|name=Bruno Corra}}</ref> and [[Arnaldo Ginna]] between 1911 and 1912 (as they report in the [[futurism (art)|Futurist Manifesto of Cinema]]), which are now lost. [[Mary Hallock-Greenewalt]] produced several reels of [[Direct Films|hand-painted films]] (although not traditional [[film|motion pictures]]) that are held by the Historical Society of Philadelphia. Like the Futurist films, and many other visual music films, her 'films' were meant to be a visualization of [[musical form]].

Notable visual music filmmakers include: [[Walter Ruttmann]], [[Hans Richter (artist)|Hans Richter]], [[Viking Eggeling]], [[Oskar Fischinger]], [[Len Lye]], [[Mary Ellen Bute]], [[Jordan Belson]], [[Norman McLaren]], [[Harry Everett Smith|Harry Smith]], [[Hy Hirsh]], [[John Whitney (animator)|John]], [[James Whitney (filmmaker)|James Whitney]], [[Steven Woloshen]], [[Richard Reeves (animator)|Richard Reeves]] and many others up to present day.

==Computer graphics==

[[File:Oscilloscope diagram.svg|thumb|right|Oscilloscope showing a single pitch, a [[sine wave]]]] The [[cathode ray tube]] made possible the [[oscilloscope]], an early electronic device that can produce images that are easily associated with sounds from microphones. The modern [[Laser lighting display]] displays wave patterns produced by similar circuitry. The imagery used to represent audio in [[digital audio workstation]]s is largely based on familiar oscilloscope patterns.

The [[Animusic]] company (originally called 'Visual Music') has repeatedly demonstrated the use of computers to convert music &mdash;  principally pop-rock based and composed as [[MIDI]] events &mdash; to animations. Graphic artist-designed [[virtual instrumentation|virtual instruments]] which either play themselves or are played by virtual objects are all, along with the sounds, controlled by MIDI instructions.<ref name="ralberts">{{cite web|url=http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2006/03/22/animusic-computer-music-videos.html|title=Inside Animusic's Astonishing Computer Music Videos|last=Alberts|first=Randy|date=March 22, 2006|publisher=O'Reilly Media, Inc|access-date=15 June 2010}}</ref>

In the image-to-sound sphere, [[MetaSynth]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uisoftware.com/MetaSynth/index.php|title=MetaSynth 5 for Mac OS|website=www.uisoftware.com}}</ref> includes a feature which converts images to sounds. The tool uses drawn or imported bitmap images, which can be manipulated with graphic tools, to generate new sounds or process existing audio. A reverse function allows the creation of images from sounds.<ref name="sasso1005">{{cite web|url=http://emusician.com/mag/emusic_ui_softwaremetasynth_mac/|title=U&I SOFTWARE MetaSynth 4 (Mac)|last=Sasso|first=Len|date=Oct 1, 2005|publisher=Electronic Musician|access-date=15 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301051808/http://emusician.com/mag/emusic_ui_softwaremetasynth_mac/|archive-date=1 March 2010|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Virtual reality==
With the increasing popularity of [[Head-mounted display|head mounted displays]] for virtual reality <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wearabletechworld.com/topics/wearable-tech/articles/416177-tractica-expect-big-sales-vr-head-mounted-displays.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408045306/http://www.wearabletechworld.com/topics/wearable-tech/articles/416177-tractica-expect-big-sales-vr-head-mounted-displays.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=April 8, 2016|title=Tractica: Expect Big Sales of VR Head-Mounted Displays|website=www.wearabletechworld.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/458037/virtual-reality-headsets-unit-sales-worldwide/|title=Global VR headset sales by brand 2016-2017 - Statistic|website=Statista}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.studiodaily.com/2017/01/how-big-is-the-installed-base-for-virtual-reality/|title=How Big Is the Installed Base for Virtual Reality? - Studio Daily|date=11 January 2017|website=studiodaily.com}}</ref> there is an emerging new platform for visual music. While some developers have been focused on the impact of [[virtual reality]] on live music <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/mach/innovation/how-virtual-reality-redefining-live-music-n687786|title=How virtual reality is redefining live music|website=nbcnews.com|date=28 November 2016 }}</ref> or on the possibilities for [[music video]]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/aug/04/virtual-insanity-vr-new-frontier-music-videos-waves|title=Virtual insanity: is VR the new frontier for music videos?|first=Brian|last=Moylan|date=4 August 2016|website=the Guardian}}</ref> virtual reality is also an emerging field for [[music visualization]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/vr-music-visualizers-are-like-tripping-without-drugs-1712457576|title=VR Music Visualizers Are Like Tripping Without Drugs|first=Chris|last=Mills|website=gizmodo.com|date=19 June 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/12/28/10675270/gear-vr-virtual-reality-music-visualizer-groovr|title=Does anybody really want a virtual reality music visualizer?|website=theverge.com|date=28 December 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://groovr.com/|title=GrooVR Music Driven Virtual Reality - Music Visualizer|website=groovr.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.us.playstation.com/2015/06/17/harmonix-music-vr-coming-to-project-morpheus/|title=PlayStation.Blog|website=PlayStation.Blog|date=17 June 2015 }}</ref> and visual music.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2013/04/01/inventor-updates-creation-bring-vision-music/4KRSQ8c35h4ejqSU2Zk4EO/story.html|title=Inventor updates '70s creation to bring 3-D vision to music - The Boston Globe|website=bostonglobe.com}}</ref>

==Graphic notation==
Many composers have applied [[graphic notation (music)|graphic notation]] to write compositions. Pioneering examples are the graphical scores of [[John Cage]] and [[Morton Feldman]]. Also known is the graphical score of [[György Ligeti]]'s [[Artikulation (Ligeti)|Artikulation]] designed by Rainer Wehinger, and [[Sylvano Bussotti]].

Musical theorists such as [[Harry Partch]], [[Erv Wilson]], [[Ivor Darreg]], [[Glenn Branca]], and [[Yuri Landman]] applied [[geometry]] in detailed visual musical diagrams explaining [[microtonal]] structures and [[musical scale]]s.

== See also ==

===Science===
* [[Chromesthesia]]
* [[Cymatics]]
* [[Synesthesia in art]]

===Industry===
* [[VJing]] - The art of performing visual music
* [[Motion graphics]] - a process or technique often used in contemporary visual music
* [[Video synthesizer]]
* [[Visual album]]

=== Similar types of art ===
* [[Abstract film]] or [[Experimental film]] or [[Video art]]
* [[Audiovisual art]]
* [[Sound art]] or [[Sound sculpture]] or [[Sound installation]]

==Notes==
<references/>

== Further reading ==

* Kerry Brougher et al. ''Visual Music: Synesthesia in Art and Music Since 1900''. Thames and Hudson, 2005.
* [[Martin Kemp (art historian)|Martin Kemp]], ''The Science of Art: Optical Themes in Western Art from Brunelleschi to Seurat.'' New Haven: Yale, 1992.
* Maarten Franssen, "[http://www.tbm.tudelft.nl/CastelOcularHarpsichord The Ocular Harpsichord of Louis-Bertrand Castel]." ''Tractrix: Yearbook for the History of Science, Medicine, Technology and Mathematics 3'', 1991.
* Maura McDonnell, "Constructing Visual Music Images with Electroacoustic Music Concepts." In [https://www.routledge.com/Sound-and-Image-Aesthetics-and-Practices/Knight-Hill/p/book/9780367271466 Andrew J. Hill, editor, ''Sound and Image: Aesthetics and Practices'']. Taylor & Francis Group, 2020.
* Aimee Mollaghan, ''The Visual Music Film''. Palgrave, 2015.
* Keely Orgeman, ed. ''Lumia. Thomas Wilfred and the Art of Light''. Yale University Art Gallery, 2017.
* [[Hermann von Helmholtz]], ''Psychological Optics, Volume 2''. [S.l.]: The Optical Society of America, 1924. [http://www.psych.upenn.edu/backuslab/helmholtz/ DjVu, UPenn Psychology site]
* William Moritz, "The Dream of Color Music and Machines That Made it Possible." [http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.1/articles/moritz2.1.html ''Animation World Magazine'' (April 1997).]
* William Moritz, "Visual Music and Film as an Art before 1950." In [http://content.cdlib.org:8088/xtf/view?docId=ft5p30070c&chunk.id=d0e5968&doc.view=print Paul J. Karlstrom, editor, ''On the Edge of America: California Modernist Art, 1900-1950''. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1996.]
* William Moritz, Towards an Aesthetic of Visual Music. ASIFA Canada Bulletin, Vol 14, December 1986.
* [[Cretien van Campen|Campen, Cretien van]]. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20071208214230/http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11303 The Hidden Sense. Synesthesia in Art and Science.]" Cambridge: [[MIT Press]], 2007.
* Dina Riccò & Maria José de Cordoba (edited by), "MuVi. Video and moving image on synesthesia and visual music", Milan: Edizioni Poli.design, 2007. [Book + DVD]
* Dina Riccò & Maria José de Cordoba (edited by), "MuVi3. Video and moving image on synesthesia and visual music", Ediciones Fundación Internacional Artecittà [Granada, 2012] [Book + DVD]
* Dina Riccò & Maria José de Cordoba (edited by), "[https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Dina_Ricc%C3%B2_MuVi4_Video_and_moving_image_on_synesth?id=Wi8ECQAAQBAJ MuVi4. Video and moving image on synesthesia and visual music]", Granada: Ediciones Fundación Internacional Artecittà, 2015. [Book + DVD]
* [[Michael Betancourt]], "Mary Hallock-Greenewalt's Abstract Films." [Millennium Film Journal no 45, 2006]
* Holly Rogers, ''Sounding the Gallery: Video and the Rise of Art Music''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Visual music|nowrap=yes}}

{{Animation}}
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[[Category:Visual music| ]]
[[Category:Experimental film| ]]
[[Category:History of film]]
[[Category:Film theory]]
[[Category:Video art]]
[[Category:Digital art]]
[[Category:Visual arts]]
[[Category:Abstract animation]]