ABSTRACT
Contemporary music technologies are commonly thought to be electronic technologies, particularly the synthesizer, computer, and sound recording devices. These devices are products of the post-industrial or information age in which we now live, an age that focuses on data processing and in which the sonic and structural boundaries of music have been exploded. In such an environment it is all too easy to be overwhelmed by the apparent choice of sounds and ways of dealing with them. While we need no longer take refuge within the boundaries of orchestral instrument timbres, common music notation, or classical forms, it is helpful to take a moment and reflect on the history that produced these technologies and that now continues to lead to new instruments and forms that push beyond them. A historical context also humbles us that our time is not a peak of such development but a unique point along the meandering path of human desire to create meaning and expression that reflect our world and our abilities. This chapter both signposts the histories of music technology and provides some clues about making sense of its directions.
