Written by Luigi Russolo, the leaflet argued that traditional orchestras limited themselves to only four or five different types of sounds:
- Instruments played with the bow,
- Plucked instruments,
- Brass instruments,
- Woodwinds, and
- Percussion.
He demanded: “We must break out of this narrow circle of pure musical sounds, and conquer the infinite variety of noise-sounds.”
“Let us […] invite young musicians of genius and audacity to listen attentively to all noises, so that they may understand the varied rhythms [and tones] of which they are composed. […] Then, comparing the varied timbres of noises with those of musical tones, they will be convinced how much more [diverse and interesting are noise-sounds than traditional orchestral sounds].”
