Dal bosco al palco: Timber and Timbre, Nature and Music

In this article I advocate moving studies of music and sound from a primarily anthropocentric focus to one that is more ecocentric. To support this argument, I offer four brief case studies of sonic engagement and natural resources centring on Italy. The first considers “sounds of the forest” in a nineteenth-century Italian music periodical. The second considers a short promotional film from the Italian Alps that expresses the surprise and delight of urbanized Westerners at discovering “sounds in the forest”. The third considers the “sounds from the forest” that are produced by sustainable timber production in the Paneveggio Forest of the Val di Fiemme, known for its resonance wood used famously in violins. Finally, in considering the Brazilian wood used to make professional bows to play such high-end string instruments, in “silenced forests” I consider a less sustainable and more destructive history of timber used for timbre. Overall, I advocate a more explicit and axiomatic connection between music and nature, while both critiquing and supporting the current approach to discussing the role of nature in influencing music.