Alvin Lucier’s I am sitting in a room (1969) is an icon of experimental music and sound art. The sizable literature addressing the aesthetic and philosophical implications of this piece rarely discusses the performance practice beyond what is indicated in the score itself. This is problematic for two reasons: 1) The meaning that is derived from the piece often hinges not just on what sounds are obtained, but on how they are obtained. 2) Over the past 50 years, changes in the performance practice have altered what constitutes the work: magnetic tape was used until 2000 when it was replaced by digital computers. Before 2000 it was rarely performed live; since then it has been performed live frequently. Despite this shift in how the piece circulates, and the fact that most articles addressing it only appeared after 2005, discussions in the literature rarely indicate which version of the piece they are addressing.
This dissertation rethinks the meaning of I am sitting in a room by making the performance practice the center of the inquiry. I conducted interviews with five sound engineers who have performed the piece, including James Fei and Nicholas Collins who have played definitive roles in the life of the piece. The interviews undermine the common characterization of Lucier’s aesthetic as one of “non-intervention.” Based upon substantial knowledge of the actual performance practice, my analysis leads to important new connections to the modernist tradition of commercial architectural acoustics and sound mixing in mid-century Hollywood films.
","abstract_html":"<p>Alvin Lucier’s <em>I am sitting in a room </em>(1969) is an icon of experimental music and sound art. The sizable literature addressing the aesthetic and philosophical implications of this piece rarely discusses the performance practice beyond what is indicated in the score itself. This is problematic for two reasons: 1) The meaning that is derived from the piece often hinges not just on what sounds are obtained, but on how they are obtained. 2) Over the past 50 years, changes in the performance practice have altered what constitutes the work: magnetic tape was used until 2000 when it was replaced by digital computers. Before 2000 it was rarely performed live; since then it has been performed live frequently. Despite this shift in how the piece circulates, and the fact that most articles addressing it only appeared after 2005, discussions in the literature rarely indicate which version of the piece they are addressing.</p> <p>This dissertation rethinks the meaning of <em>I am sitting in a room</em> by making the performance practice the center of the inquiry. I conducted interviews with five sound engineers who have performed the piece, including James Fei and Nicholas Collins who have played definitive roles in the life of the piece. The interviews undermine the common characterization of Lucier’s aesthetic as one of “non-intervention.” Based upon substantial knowledge of the actual performance practice, my analysis leads to important new connections to the modernist tradition of commercial architectural acoustics and sound mixing in mid-century Hollywood films.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Fox, Daniel"],"institution":"The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":"Music","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Joseph Straus"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["David Grubbs","Suzanne Farrin","Jeff Nichols"],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-09-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-09-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:00:35Z","subjects":["Architectural History and Criticism","Architectural Technology","Audio Arts and Acoustics","Composition","Ethnomusicology","Film Production","Interdisciplinary Arts and Media","Modern Art and Architecture","Musicology","Music Performance","Music Theory","Painting","Philosophy of Science","American Experimental Music","Alvin Lucier","Indeterminacy","Electronic Music","Ethnography","Science Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3943","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Joseph Straus"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["David Grubbs","Suzanne Farrin","Jeff Nichols"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Fox, Daniel"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-07-24T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Music"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Architectural History and Criticism","Architectural Technology","Audio Arts and Acoustics","Composition","Ethnomusicology","Film Production","Interdisciplinary Arts and Media","Modern Art and Architecture","Musicology","Music Performance","Music Theory","Painting","Philosophy of Science","American Experimental Music","Alvin Lucier","Indeterminacy","Electronic Music","Ethnography","Science Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3943"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Alvin Lucier’s I am sitting in a room (1969) is an icon of experimental music and sound art. The sizable literature addressing the aesthetic and philosophical implications of this piece rarely discusses the performance practice beyond what is indicated in the score itself. This is problematic for two reasons: 1) The meaning that is derived from the piece often hinges not just on what sounds are obtained, but on how they are obtained. 2) Over the past 50 years, changes in the performance practice have altered what constitutes the work: magnetic tape was used until 2000 when it was replaced by digital computers. Before 2000 it was rarely performed live; since then it has been performed live frequently. Despite this shift in how the piece circulates, and the fact that most articles addressing it only appeared after 2005, discussions in the literature rarely indicate which version of the piece they are addressing.
This dissertation rethinks the meaning of I am sitting in a room by making the performance practice the center of the inquiry. I conducted interviews with five sound engineers who have performed the piece, including James Fei and Nicholas Collins who have played definitive roles in the life of the piece. The interviews undermine the common characterization of Lucier’s aesthetic as one of “non-intervention.” Based upon substantial knowledge of the actual performance practice, my analysis leads to important new connections to the modernist tradition of commercial architectural acoustics and sound mixing in mid-century Hollywood films.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Modes of Intervention in Alvin Lucier’s I Am Sitting in a Room"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Joseph Straus"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["David Grubbs","Suzanne Farrin","Jeff Nichols"],"dc:creator":["Fox, Daniel"],"dc:date.available":["2020-07-24T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Alvin Lucier’s I am sitting in a room (1969) is an icon of experimental music and sound art. The sizable literature addressing the aesthetic and philosophical implications of this piece rarely discusses the performance practice beyond what is indicated in the score itself. This is problematic for two reasons: 1) The meaning that is derived from the piece often hinges not just on what sounds are obtained, but on how they are obtained. 2) Over the past 50 years, changes in the performance practice have altered what constitutes the work: magnetic tape was used until 2000 when it was replaced by digital computers. Before 2000 it was rarely performed live; since then it has been performed live frequently. Despite this shift in how the piece circulates, and the fact that most articles addressing it only appeared after 2005, discussions in the literature rarely indicate which version of the piece they are addressing.
This dissertation rethinks the meaning of I am sitting in a room by making the performance practice the center of the inquiry. I conducted interviews with five sound engineers who have performed the piece, including James Fei and Nicholas Collins who have played definitive roles in the life of the piece. The interviews undermine the common characterization of Lucier’s aesthetic as one of “non-intervention.” Based upon substantial knowledge of the actual performance practice, my analysis leads to important new connections to the modernist tradition of commercial architectural acoustics and sound mixing in mid-century Hollywood films.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3943"],"dc:subject":["Architectural History and Criticism","Architectural Technology","Audio Arts and Acoustics","Composition","Ethnomusicology","Film Production","Interdisciplinary Arts and Media","Modern Art and Architecture","Musicology","Music Performance","Music Theory","Painting","Philosophy of Science","American Experimental Music","Alvin Lucier","Indeterminacy","Electronic Music","Ethnography","Science Studies"],"dc:title":["The Modes of Intervention in Alvin Lucier’s I Am Sitting in a Room"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Music"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy"],"thesis:institution_name":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:00:35Z"}