An Individual Note - Book Review
I don’t recall where I first saw this book. I think it was an Amazon recommendation, which would make sense given the words Music, Sound and Electronics feature heavily in my book collection.
To tell the truth, while I had come across Daphne Oram’s name in other books on electronic and experimental music, I never really took the time to dig any deeper. This book made me wish I had.
While the book provides some insight into Daphne’s life history, the real delight of reading it stems from Daphne’s ability to paint a detailed picture of electronic and acoustic sounds in just 165 pages!
It’s inspiring, warming, and while it covers some technical aspects like electronic circuits, Daphne never loses sight of the composer behind the sounds that emanate from such simple circuits.
If, like me, you appreciate the tactile sensation of a handcrafted tuned circuit, Daphne’s exploration of how these circuits connect with the human brain and emotions will surely captivate you.
Clearly, a lot of thought and work went into each of the bite sized chapters that a single read through does not do this book justice.
This book was a great source of inspiration for my music and it has rekindled my interest in electronics and radio (which might find its way into a future track).
It’s a hardback worthy of a place on your coffee table, that’s for sure.