Luigi Russolo (1885–1947)—painter, composer, builder of musical instruments, and first-hour member of the Italian Futurist movement—was a crucial figure in the evolution of twentieth-century aesthetics. As creator of the first systematic poetics of noise and inventor of what has been considered the first mechanical sound synthesizer, Russolo looms large in the development of twentieth-century music. In the first English language study of Russolo, Luciano Chessa emphasizes the futurist’s interest in the occult, showing it to be a leitmotif for his life and a foundation for his art of noises. Chessa shows that Russolo’s aesthetics of noise, and the machines he called the intonarumori, were intended to boost practitioners into higher states of spiritual consciousness. His analysis reveals a multifaceted man in whom the drive to keep up with the latest scientific trends coexisted with an embrace of the irrational, and a critique of materialism and positivism.

About the Author

Luciano Chessa, a composer and musicologist, teaches music history at the San Francisco Conservatory.

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part One. Luigi Russolo from the Formative Years to 1913
1. Futurism as a Metaphysical Science
2. Occult Futurism
3. Spotlight on Russolo
4. Painting Noise: La musica
5. Russolo and Synesthesia
6. Russolo’s Metaphysics

Part Two. The Art of Noises and the Occult
7. Intonarumori Unveiled
8. The Spirali di Rumori
9. The Arte dei “Romori”
10. Controversial Leonardo
11. Third Level

Conclusion: Materialist Futurism?
Notes

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Read an interview with Luciano Chessa in Frieze

Reviews

"Chessa's writing retains a visionary edge throughout, and the book itself could be seen as an example of synthesis and dynamism -- in the spirit of the project, a review of it could simply read (to paraphrase a portmanteau word made up by Futurist Giacomo Balla in 1920): Chessa splendidwavesintonednoiseswordsluminousssss!"
— The Wire

“The most comprehensive source of Russolo available in English.”
— Examiner.com

“Charting the very beginnings of Futurism, analog music, and the connections between music aesthetics and scientific theories, the book reconciles Russolo’s artistic temperament, spiritual awakenings, and philosophical entanglements.”
— Performa Magazine

“In Luigi Russolo, Futurist: Noise, Visual Arts, and the Occult, composer and San Francisco Conservatory music history professor Luciano Chessa reconstructs Russolo’s life through ambitious archival research, uncovering and digesting esoteric and obscure texts to reverse-engineer how the artist’s eccentric interests influenced his creative output.”
— Brainpickings.org

“Luigi Russolo is increasingly being recognized as an important figure in 20th century art and music, and his work deserves to be better understood. Chessa’s archival research and readings of esoteric or otherwise little-known texts are impressive, and he offers a convincing account of the influence of the occult on Russolo and the Futurists in general. This book alters our conception of Russolo, Futurism, and the early artistic avant-garde.”—Christoph Cox, Hampshire College

“This book is timely, and merits the attention of a wider audience. Luigi Russolo, futurista makes a compelling argument that radically revises our views on a major creative figure of the twentieth century. Luciano Chessa provides vast amounts of information on the ideas and trends that influenced the Futurists, and offers a wealth of insight and observations that point the way for further research on avant-garde music and art in the twentieth century.”—Paul DeMarinis, Department of Art and Art History, Stanford University

About the Book

About the Author

Table of Contents

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Reviews