Introduction to the Special Issue on Transatlantic Encounters in Twentieth-Century Sound and Music

This special issue of Twentieth Century Music explores how music and sound were created, performed, perceived, discussed and/or understood throughout different kinds of transatlantic encounters, occurring all along the twentieth century. In order to reflect on the interactions within and across the Atlantic Ocean, the issue focuses on various human and non-human actors and practices that originated from these encounters. In this perspective, the polysemic term encounter is meant to designate a wide range of phenomena, from fruitful intercultural exchanges to downward cultural domination, including different forms of incomprehension, opportunistic behaviour, and conflict. Thus, this issue tries to understand how certain moments of encounter (limited in time and space) might have shaped ways of making and understanding music and sound. The authors propose emphasizing moments of encounter as a rich source for transversal and intersectional analysis, allowing for a multiscale account of musical and sonic encounters.