R. Murray Schafer and Preserving the Sonic Environment of the Natural World Jonathan Yeoh 10100149MUSI 333 Dr. Friedeman SallisR. Murray Schafer and the preservation of the sonic environment of the natural worldR. Murray Schafer (1933-) is probably one of the most influential living composers in the world today and has developed extremely pertinent thoughts regarding the connection between music, sound and environmentalism. Through his music, his writing and his pedagogy, he has established himself as the leading figure of ambient music and has thus made great strides towards the preservation of the sonic environment and the natural world. Hailed as one of Canada's most successful composers, Schafer has created significant contributions in the fields of music, ecology and pedagogy and continues to influence others through his theories on these concepts. Among his writings, he often mentions the dangers of noise pollution to the world's soundscape, and to combat it, we need a social awareness of the acoustic environment in which we live. Schafer has worked toward this goal in various ways. Firstly, his compositions are placed within what he calls “environmental theatre”, where the music must be performed in a natural environment, thus participating in the soundscape. Schafer believed that the greatest and most important changes in art were achieved through context rather than stylistic changes, and this led him to decide that these environmental compositions would be the most salient means of creating awareness for the natural soundscape. Secondly, Schafer has established himself as a leading figure in soundscape studies and is regarded as the middle ground between environmentalism and the arts. As the founder of the World Soundscape Project, he has created significant awareness about noise pollution by presenting various solutions to the academic community and the public. Through his compositions, he aims for a transformative experience that explores the relationship between nature and the arts and how crucial the soundscape is to human culture. In his foresight, he also focuses on pedagogy in order to influence and inspire the future to take initiatives to preserve and improve the conditions of the world's soundscape. R. Murray Schafer not only asserts his place in the world as a leading figure for environmental preservation, but also advocates for progress in the soundscape, through collaboration of all disciplines to create a healthier soundscape for the future.