Art music genre, originated in 1950s
Electroacoustic music
is a
genre
of popular and Western
art music
in which composers use technology to manipulate the
timbres
of
acoustic sounds
, sometimes by using
audio signal processing
, such as
reverb
or
harmonizing
, on acoustical instruments.
It originated around the middle of the 20th century, following the incorporation of electric sound production into
compositional practice
. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition to fixed media during the 20th century are associated with the activities of the
Groupe de recherches musicales
[
fr
]
at the
ORTF
in Paris, the home of
musique concrete
, the
Studio for Electronic Music
in Cologne, where the focus was on the composition of
elektronische Musik
,
and the
Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center
in New York City, where tape music, electronic music, and
computer music
were all explored. Practical electronic music instruments began to appear in the early 20th century.
Tape music
[
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]
Tape music is an integral part of
musique concrete
, which uses the
tape recorder
as its central musical source. The music can utilise pre-recorded sound fragments and the creation of loops, which can be altered and manipulated through techniques such as editing and playback speed manipulation.
The work of
Halim El-Dabh
is perhaps the earliest example of tape (or, in this case,
Wire recording
) music. El-Dabh's
The Expression of Zaar
, first presented in Cairo, Egypt, in 1944, was an early work using
musique concrete
?like techniques similar to those developed in Paris during the same period. El-Dabh would later become more famous for his work at the
Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center
, where in 1959 he composed the influential piece
Leiyla and the Poet
.
Composer
John Cage
's assembly of the
Williams Mix
serves as an example of the rigors of tape music. First, Cage created a 192-page score. Over the course of a year, 600 sounds were assembled and recorded. Cut tape segments for each occurrence of each sound were accumulated on the score. Then the cut segments were spliced to one of eight tapes, work finished on January 16, 1953. The premiere performance (realization) of the 4'15" work was given on March 21, 1953, at the
University of Illinois
, Urbana.
Electronic music
[
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]
In Cologne,
elektronische Musik
, pioneered in 1949?51 by the composer
Herbert Eimert
and the physicist
Werner Meyer-Eppler
, was based solely on electronically generated (synthetic) sounds, particularly
sine waves
.
The beginning of the development of
electronic music
has been traced back to "the invention of the
valve
[vacuum tube] in 1906".
The precise control afforded by the studio allowed for what Eimert considered to be the subjection of everything, "to the last element of the single note", to
serial
permutation
, "resulting in a completely new way of composing sound";
in the studio, serial operations could be applied to elements such as timbre and dynamics. The common link between the two schools is that the music is recorded and performed through loudspeakers, without a human performer. The majority of electroacoustic pieces use a combination of recorded sound and synthesized or processed sounds, and the schism between Schaeffer's and Eimert's approaches has been overcome, the first major example being
Karlheinz Stockhausen
's
Gesang der Junglinge
of 1955?56.
Circuit bending
[
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]
Circuit bending
is the creative
short-circuiting
of low
voltage
, battery-powered
electronic audio devices
such as
guitar effects
, children's
toys
and small
synthesizers
to create new musical instruments and sound generators. Emphasizing spontaneity and randomness, the techniques of circuit bending have been commonly associated with
noise music
, though many more conventional contemporary musicians and musical groups have been known to experiment with "bent" instruments.
[11]
Examples of notable works
[
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]
- Milton Babbitt
?
Philomel
(1964)
- Luciano Berio
?
Thema (Omaggio a Joyce)
(1958?59)
- Johanna Beyer
?
Music of the Spheres
(1938)
- Konrad Boehmer
?
Aspekt
(1964?66),
Apocalipsis cum figuris
(1984)
- Pierre Boulez
?
Repons
(1981?84)
- John Cage
?
Imaginary Landscape No. 1
(1939)
- Mario Davidovsky
?
Synchronisms No. 6
for Piano and Electronic Sound (1970)
- Halim El-Dabh
?
Leiyla and the Poet
(1961)
- Karel Goeyvaerts
?
Nummer 5 met zuivere tonen
(1953)
- Tim Hecker
?
Virgins
(2013)
- Jean-Michel Jarre
?
Deserted Palace
(1972)
- Phil Kline
?
Unsilent Night
(1992), for cassettes in boomboxes
- Gottfried Michael Koenig
?
Project 1
(1964),
Project 2
(1966)
- Alvin Lucier
?
I Am Sitting in a Room
(1969)
- Ivo Malec
?
Triola, ou Symphonie pour moi-meme
(1977?78)
- Luigi Nono
?
La fabbrica illuminata
(1964),
A floresta e jovem e cheia de vida
(1966),
Contrappunto dialettico alla mente
(1968),
Como una ola de fuerza y luz
(1971?72)
- Pauline Oliveros
?
Sonic Meditations, "Teach Yourself to Fly"
(1961)
- Daphne Oram
- "Still Point" (1948)
- Else Marie Pade
?
Symphonie Magnetophonique
(1958)
- Henri Pousseur
?
Scambi
(1957),
Trois Visages de Liege
(1961),
Paraboles-Mix
(1972),
Seize Paysages planetairesl
(2000)
- Steve Reich
?
Pendulum Music
(1968), for microphones, amplifiers, speakers and performers
- Pierre Schaeffer
?
Cinq etudes de bruits
(1948)
- Karlheinz Stockhausen
?
Gesang der Junglinge
(1955?56),
Kontakte
(1958?60),
Mixtur
(1964),
Mikrophonie I & II
(1964 and 1965),
Telemusik
(1966),
Hymnen
(1966?67),
Oktophonie
(1991),
Cosmic Pulses
(2006?2007)
- James Tenney
?
For Ann (rising)
(1969)
- Edgard Varese
?
Poeme electronique
(1958)
- Charles Wuorinen
?
Time's Encomium
(1969)
- Iannis Xenakis
?
Persepolis
(1971)
Electronic and electroacoustic instruments
[
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]
- Birotron
(1974), Dave Biro
- Buchla 100 and 200 serie
(1960s?70s),
Buchla Lightning I
(1991) and
Buchla Lightning II
(1995) by
Don Buchla
- Cembaphon (1951),
Harald Bode
- Chamberlin
(1946)
- Clavinet
(1964)
- Clavioline (early 1950s) and Concert Clavioline (1953),
Harald Bode
- Clavivox
, Circle Machine, Bass Line Generator, Rhythm Modulator, Bandito the Bongo Artist, and
Electronium
(1950s?60s),
Raymond Scott
- DX7
(1983), Yamaha
- Elektronium
(in German)
- EMS Synthi AKS
(1972)
- Fairlight CMI
(1978)
- Gravikord
(1986), Robert Grawi
- Kraakdoos
/ Cracklebox (1960s?70s),
Michel Waisvisz
- Mellotron
(1960s)
- Melochord (1947?49),
Harald Bode
- Melodium (1938),
Harald Bode
- Moog synthesizer
(1965),
Robert Moog
- Ondioline
(1939),
Georges Jenny
- Optigan
(1971)
- Orchestron
(1975), Vako Synthesizers
- Polychord (1950) and Polychord III (1951),
Harald Bode
- Electronic Sackbut (1945),
Hugh Le Caine
- Sampler (musical instrument)
- Synclavier
(1975),
Jon Appleton
, Sydney A. Alonso and Cameron Jones
- Telharmonium
(1897),
Thaddeus Cahill
- Theremin
(1928),
Leon Theremin
- Tuttivox (1953),
Harald Bode
- UPIC
(1977),
Iannis Xenakis
and
CEMAMu
- Warbo Formant organ (1937),
Harald Bode
Centers, associations and events for electroacoustics and related arts
[
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]
Important centers of research and composition can be found around the world, and there are numerous conferences and festivals which present electroacoustic music, notably the
International Computer Music Conference
, the international conference on
New Interfaces for Musical Expression
, the Electroacoustic Music Studies Conference, and the
Ars Electronica
Festival (Linz, Austria).
A number of national associations promote the art form, notably the
Canadian Electroacoustic Community
(CEC) in Canada, the
Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States
(SEAMUS) in the US, the
Australasian Computer Music Association
in Australia and New Zealand, and
Sound and Music
(previously the
Sonic Arts Network
) in the UK. The
Computer Music Journal
and
Organised Sound
are the two most important peer-reviewed journals dedicated to electroacoustic studies, while several national associations produce print and electronic publications.
Festivals
[
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]
There have been a number of festivals that feature electroacoustic music. Early festivals such as
Donaueschingen Festival
, founded in 1921, were some of the first to include electroacoustic instruments and pieces. This was followed by
ONCE Festival of New Music
in the 1950s, and since the 1960s there has been a growth of festivals that focus exclusively on electroacoustic music.
Conferences and symposiums
[
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]
Alongside paper presentations, workshops and seminars, many of these events also feature concert performances or sound installations created by those attending or which are related to the theme of the conference / symposium.
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
Works cited
[
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]
- Anon.a.
Avant-Garde ≫ Modern Composition ≫ Tape Music
at
AllMusic
. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- Anon.b.
Electro-Acoustic: Overview
at
AllMusic
. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- Chaudron, Andre. n.d. "
Williams Mix
" (Accessed 9 July 2011).
- Collins, Nicolas. 2006.
Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking
. New York: Routledge.
ISBN
0-415-97592-1
(pbk).
- Eimert, Herbert. 1957. "What is Electronic Music?"
Die Reihe
1 [English edition] ("Electronic Music"): 1?10.
- Holmes, Thom. 2008. "
Early Synthesizers and Experimenters
". In his
Electronic and Experimental Music: Technology, Music, and Culture
, third edition. New York: Routledge.
ISBN
978-0-415-95781-6
(cloth);
ISBN
978-0-415-95782-3
(pbk), (accessed 4 June 2011).
- Midgette, Anne
. 2004. "
Noises Off! Making a Boombox Cacophony
".
The New York Times
(20 December).
- Morawska-Bungeler, Marietta. 1988.
Schwingende Elektronen: Eine Dokumentation uber das Studio fur Elektronische Musik des Westdeutschen Rundfunk in Koln 1951?1986
. Cologne-Rodenkirchen: P. J. Tonger Musikverlag.
- Stockhausen, Karlheinz. 1996. "Electroacoustic Performance Practice", translated by
Jerome Kohl
.
Perspectives of New Music
34, no. 1 (Fall): 74?105.
- Ungeheuer, Elena. 1992. "Wie die elektronische Musik ?erfunden" wurde...: Quellenstudie zu Werner Meyer-Epplers musikalische Entwurf zwischen 1949 und 1953."
Kolner Schriften zur Neuen Musik 2
, edited by
Johannes Fritsch
and
Dietrich Kamper
. Mainz: B. Schott's Sohne.
ISBN
3-7957-1891-0
.
Further reading
[
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]
- Anon. 2007. "Untitled".
The Wire
275?280.
- Beecroft, Norma. 2009. "
Electronic Music in Toronto and Canada in the Analogue Era
[
permanent dead link
]
."
eContact! 11.2 ? Figures canadiennes (2) / Canadian Figures (2)
(July 2009). Montreal:
CEC
.
- Chadabe, Joel
. 1997.
Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music
. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
ISBN
0-13-303231-0
.
- Doornbusch, P. 2015. "A Chronology / History of Electronic and Computer Music and Related Events 1906 ? 2015"
http://www.doornbusch.net/chronology/
Archived
2020-08-18 at the
Wayback Machine
- Emmerson, Simon (ed.). 1986.
The Language of Electroacoustic Music
. London: Macmillan.
ISBN
0-333-39759-2
(cased);
ISBN
0-333-39760-6
(pbk).
- Emmerson, Simon (ed.). 2000.
Music, Electronic Media and Culture
. Aldershot (UK) and Burlington, Vermont (US): Ashgate Publishing.
ISBN
0-7546-0109-9
.
- Gann, Kyle
. 2000a. "
It's Sound, It's Art, and Some Call It Music
."
The New York Times
(January 9).
- Gann, Kyle. 2000. "
Music; Electronic Music, Always Current
."
The New York Times
(July 9).
- Griffiths, Paul
. 1995.
Modern Music and After: Directions Since 1945
. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
ISBN
0-19-816578-1
(cloth)
ISBN
0-19-816511-0
(pbk).
- Guerin, Francois. 1983.
Les musiques electroacoustiques
. A l'ecoute de la musique d'ici 2. Montreal: Centre de musique canadienne. [
N.B
.: Bibliographical list of Canadian electro-acoustic works.] Without ISBN.
- Heifetz, Robin Julian. 1989.
On the Wires of Our Nerves: The Art of Electroacoustic Music
. Cranbury, New Jersey: Associated University Presses.
ISBN
0-8387-5155-5
.
- Kahn, Douglas
. 2001.
Noise, Water, Meat: A History of Sound in the Arts
. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
ISBN
0-262-61172-4
.
- Licata, Thomas (ed.). 2002.
Electroacoustic Music: Analytical Perspectives
. Contributions to the Study of Music and Dance, 0193-9041; no. 63. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.
ISBN
0-313-31420-9
.
- Manning, Peter. 2004.
Electronic and Computer Music
. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.
ISBN
0-19-514484-8
(hardback)
ISBN
0-19-517085-7
(pbk).
- Normandeau, Robert. n.d. "
Robert Normandeau Interview
". Interview with
Robert Normandeau
On Outsight Radio Hours about electroacoustic compositions and if they are "music".
- Roads, Curtis. 1996.
The Computer Music Tutorial
. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
ISBN
0-262-18158-4
(cloth)
ISBN
0-262-68082-3
(pbk).
- Smalley, Denis. 1997. "Spectromorphology: Explaining Sound-Shapes."
Organised Sound
2, no. 2:107?126.
- Wishart, Trevor
. 1996.
On Sonic Art
. New and revised edition. Contemporary Music Studies 12. Amsterdam: Harwood Academic Publishers.
ISBN
3-7186-5846-1
(cloth)
ISBN
3-7186-5847-X
(pbk)
ISBN
3-7186-5848-8
(CD).
- Wright, Edward. 2010. "
Symbiosis: A Portfolio of Work Focusing on the Tensions Between Electroacoustic and Instrumental Music
". PhD diss. Bangor: Bangor University.
External links
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