Musique Concrète | Electronic Music | Electroacoustic Music

The genre was created by Pierre Schaeffer (aux chemis de fer, aux tourniquets, aux casseroles) in Paris in the 1940s. He recorded natural sounds, manipulated them with various tape techniques to change their timbre, organized them and played them back in a musical context. Other types of music begin with abstract ideas that become concrete only in performance while musique concrète starts with concrete material that is made abstract during experimentation and composition - according to Schaeffer.

Tape techniques used

  • Looping the tape, causing repetitive rhythmic or metrical patterns
  • Changing the Direction of the tape
  • Changing the Speed of the tape, affecting the pitch
  • Causing an Echo or a Delay
  • Cutting and Splicing the tape
  • Changing the Attack (or envelope)

Examples of Musique Concrète

Williams Mix (John Cage, 1952; fv = 5'42"); Dripsody (Hugh le Caine, 1955; fv); Idle Chatter (Paul Lansky, 1985; fv = 9'26")



The difference between Electronic music and Musique Concrète
Electronic music uses sounds that are synthesised directly from soundwaves whereas musique concrète begins with pre-existing sound elements.

Musique concrète: Etude aux chemis de fer (Pierre Schaeffer, 1948, fv = 2'53")
Electronic music: Kontakte (Karlheinz Stockhausen, 1960, fv = 35')



Electroacoustic music
Since many compositions use elements from both musique concrète and synthesised music, the umbrella term 'electroacoustic music' is used to refer to music that uses electronics in any way to produce or manipulate sound material.

 

Some Sound Techniques:


Reversing (not the same as inverting)
The timbres of some sounds, especially the attack, can change dramatically when they are reversed. Long fades become gradual crescendi. Words become an abstract series of sounds. Different sonic qualities emerge. Although a very simple process, reversing a sound can help prepare for more effective use of other types of transformation.
(Note also that this is a stereo file - there are two channels, left and right. A mono file has only one channel. Try inverting a file that has slightly different waves in each channel)
Looping (Creating a loop )
A certain amount of unity can be attained through repetition of an idea. This can also create rhythmic and metrical patterns and even a hypnotic effect.
Seating arrangements
In a performance, do all the musicians sit on the same chair at the same time?
So, should all the sounds come from the same direction?
Panning
Create a feeling of movement by panning from left to right speakers
Look at this screen recording to see how it's done.
Reverberation
This is a sort of delay. Add a reverb to a sound to give a sense of space. Listen to a 'dry' oboe signal compared to one with reverberation added. Adjust the settings and preview each result until you are satisfied.
Echo and Delay (very useful effects)
Some sounds react more dramatically than others. Try to find out what they have in common.
How can time affects pitch?
When the speed of a sound is changed, its pitch is affected. Think of the sound of a tape when the battery is running out. Straightforward key changes can be carried out here. For example:

This is jauntyguitar. This is jauntyguitarpitchshift. As you can hear, the key has been lowered by a tone

 

Sound is made up of harmonics

These are also known as partials or overtones. They can be viewed in the spectral window. The bottom note in this overtone series is C, two octaves below middle C.

 

Filtering before | after
Filters can be applied to boost or reject certain frequencies. Examine the full range of the church organ. Then listen to it when everything is filtered out (audio) except the note A.


Noise
Composers of electronic music often use noise as a source of sound waves. They use Subtractive Synthesis to filter out some harmonics and build their own timbres by boosting or rejecting frequencies.

Attack - Decay - Sustain - Release
The sound envelope is how the intensity or strength of a sound varies with time. The start portion of a sound determines a lot of its characteristics.

Match the following sound production methods with the sounds you hear.

(a) Bowing (b) Blowing (c) Shaking (d) Plucking (e) Striking

Sound 1| Sound 2 | Sound 3 | Sound 4 | Sound 5

 

Structure

Stringing together a series of sound effects without any musical aim will produce a mish-mash of aural events that have no relationship to each other.

Try to help the listener find a meaning in the piece or recognise a plan or hear the connection between the 'gestures'. It gives that person a reason to stay listening.

You'll find out how to organize your sounds here:

  • Finding contrasting elements
    • Variety means Contrast
      Contrast is a basic ingredient in literature, cinema, the media, art, fashion, cookery... life. Opposing or contradictory ideas in a work can become more interesting when they are presented near each other. In conventional music contrast is achieved by introducing a new tune or harmony, by changing the dynamics or the instruments or by having rhythmic variety. The challenge is to have a balance between unity and variety.
    • Unity and variety are not the same as monotony and incoherence
      You are going to compose a piece of musique concrète as part of this project. Recurrence of key elements and the use of a drone can create unity. Start listening out for elements that can provide contrast in a piece.
    • Listen to the following 41" extract by Roger Doyle and decide if the two sounds used are:
      • a) lawnmower and guitar
        (b) 'moo-ing' cattle and oboe
        (c) distorted typewriter and uilleann (Irish) pipes
        (d) thunder and bagpipes
    • Apart from the contrasting timbres how does he achieve contrast with these two very different sounds? Do they play at the same time from the very start? (C)
  • Placing events in time
    • The problem with electroacoustic music...
      In electroacoustic music there may not be a melody or rhythm or harmony or even instruments so it can be difficult to know what to listen out for. Each sound has been placed in a certain position because the composer felt that it was appropriate.
    • What do listeners have to do?
      As listeners it is our job to figure out what the relationship is between the various elements in a piece. Consider every event or 'gesture' you hear as a musical happening.
    • Listen to Silence versus Loudness (Susan Wilkinson, 2004, 59")
      • Does the composer introduce all of her sounds immediately?
      • Is there suspense? Is there a climax?
      • How far apart, in seconds, are the main events? Can you say what the events are?
      • Does the composer keep our attention?
      • Is there unity in the piece?
    • How important is repetition? How else can unity be achieved?
      Other musical elements contribute to the overall structure.
    • One of these elements is
      SILENCE
  • Using silence
    • The role(s) of silence
      Consider the use of the silent sections in music. Are they used just as brief rests during a piece? Has silence any other function?
    • Now that you've seen how repetition, position of musical elements and silence all contribute towards the structure of a piece, you may move on to the next section. You will find out about tension and release.
  • Releasing tension
    • Why is the climax important?
      Without a high point - a climax - somewhere during a piece of music the ideas would probably ramble. In an hour long television drama, for example, at what point does the crisis occur? What are the events that lead up to the climax? How do they cause the tension? What happens afterwards to resolve the tension?
  • Building texture
    • Sounds happening at the same time
      Here is a piece which is built entirely on the sound of a drop of water. Digital technology was not available for the composer, but would have made the task of exploring and using the sound a lot easier.

Check list about Structure
1. Contrast, Variety (and Unity)
2. Positioning of events in time and in relation to each other
3. Silence - more than just a 'rest'
4. Climax - focal point
5. Texture, Layers, Richness and Sparseness

 

You Can Now Compose

You know how to manipulate sound into different timbres.You are able to organize these timbres in a musical way. It is time to compare 'illustrative' and 'pure' music.

What idea are you going to convey in your piece?

Will the title of your composition mean anything to the listener?

How are you going to avoid making the result sound just like a series of sound effects?

Programmatic Music

The term 'Programmatic music' implies that a listener needs a programme note to understand the music fully. Certain dramatic elements in the music may not otherwise be apparent. This means that there is probably a story-line, plot or idea that is 'literary', for example. Usually the title of a programmatic piece gives us a clue about the composer's intentions.
Examples: Peter and the Wolf (Prokofiev); Romeo and Juliet Overture (Tchaikowsky)

A piece of music that sets out to create a specific mood could also be called programmatic.

Absolute Music
The opposite of programmatic is Absolute. The music exists in its own right i.e. it is not a narrative vehicle. The musical elements in the piece must keep the listener's attention. There are no other 'props'.

Examples: Fugue in G (Bach); Symphony No 40 (Mozart)

Be careful! If the sounds are used to illustrate a story, the resulting work may sound like a soundtrack for a cartoon. How can it then be called 'music'?

 

Check list for composing
timbres
variety
unity
placing of events
relationship of events to each other
build-up to a climax
climax
resolution of the climax
layers
role of dissonance and
use of silence as a rhythmical device

 

Some points to listen out for
1. What is the overall duration of the piece?
2. How many different ideas can you hear?
3. What are those ideas?
4. How do the ideas relate to one other?
5. How does the composer achieve unity in the piece?
6. How does the composer achieve variety?
7. Are there any surprises? Where?
8. Does the piece have a climax? If so, how is it made and when does it occur?
9. Can you hear any ‘classic’ structural techniques?
10. Is there a beat?
11. Is there a tune?
12. Do you recognise any of the timbres?
13. Are there any silences between the ideas?
14. Where has the composer placed changes in (a) texture? (b) dynamics? (c) timbre?
15. Is the piece programmatic or absolute?
16. How relevant is the title, in your opinion?
17. What mood is conjured up, if any?

 

Further Reading