Miraculous Agitations: On the Uses of Chaotic, Non-Linear and Emergent Behavior in Acoustic Vibrating Physical Systems

"Miraculous agitation" denotes an acoustic marvel: a striking sound emerging from vibrating physical systems. A somewhat subjective phenomenon, acoustic marvels are typified by expressive or harmonic richness, and their production is reliant on delicate interrelationships between objects under vibration, often involving chaotic or nonlinear behavior. In some cases it is even possible to observe emergent behavior. Significantly, acoustic marvels may commonly strike the auditor as seeming to be "of electronic origin," thus pointing toward postelectronic electroacoustic techniques. This paper takes a qualitative approach to the examination of such acoustic marvels and their possible applications in new music composition.