Acousmatic music
Encyclopedia
Acousmatic music is a form of electroacoustic music
that deals specifically with acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The practice has a historical basis in musique concrète
. It can be created using non-acoustic
technology, exists only in a recorded format (as a fixed medium), and is composed
for reception via loudspeakers. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sonorities derived from musical instruments or voice
s, nor to elements traditionally thought of as 'musical' (melody
, harmony
, rhythm
, metre
and so on), but rather admits any sound, acoustic or synthetic
. With the aid of various technologies, such as tape recorders, digital signal processing
tools and digital audio workstation
s, this material can then be combined, juxtaposed, and transformed, in any conceivable manner. In this context the compositional method can be seen as a process of sound organisation: a term first used by the French composer Edgard Varèse
; the philosopher is believed to have tutored his students from behind a screen so as not to let his presence distract them from the content of his lectures. The term acousmatique was first used by the French composer Pierre Schaeffer
. It is said to be derived from akousmatikoi, the outer circle of Pythagoras' disciples who only heard their teacher speaking from behind a veil. In a similar way, one hears acousmatic music from behind the 'veil' of loudspeakers, without seeing the source of the sound.
the term acousmatic music, or acousmatic art, has gained common usage, particularly when referring to contemporary musique concrète; however, there is some dispute as to whether acousmatic practice relates to a style of composition or a way of listening to sound. Scruton defines the experience of sound as inherently acousmatic, as Lydia Goehr (1999) paraphrases, "the sound world is not a space into which we can enter; it is a world we treat at a distance".
. We are as likely to hear the sounds of a bird, or of a factory as we are the sounds of a violin
. The technology involved transcends the mere reproduction of sounds. Techniques of synthesis and sound processing are employed which may present us with sounds that are unfamiliar and that may defy clear source attribution. Acousmatic compositions may present us with familiar musical events: chords, melodies and rhythms which are easily reconcilable with other forms of music, but may equally present us with events which cannot be classified within such a traditional taxonomy
.
using a computer
. The sound material will then be distributed spatially, via multiple loudspeakers, using a practice known as diffusion. The work is often diffused by the composer (if present) but the role of interpreter can also be assumed by another practitioner of the art. To provide a guideline for spatialisation of the work by an interpreter, many composers provide a diffusion score; in its simplest form this might be a graphic representation of the acousmatic work with indications for spatial manipulations, relative to a time-line.
Electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music originated in Western art music during its modern era following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition during the mid-20th century are associated with the activities of composers...
that deals specifically with acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The practice has a historical basis in musique concrète
Musique concrète
Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...
. It can be created using non-acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
technology, exists only in a recorded format (as a fixed medium), and is composed
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
for reception via loudspeakers. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sonorities derived from musical instruments or voice
Register (music)
In music, a register is the relative "height" or range of a note, set of pitches or pitch classes, melody, part, instrument or group of instruments...
s, nor to elements traditionally thought of as 'musical' (melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
, harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
, rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
, metre
Meter (music)
Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...
and so on), but rather admits any sound, acoustic or synthetic
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
. With the aid of various technologies, such as tape recorders, digital signal processing
Digital signal processing
Digital signal processing is concerned with the representation of discrete time signals by a sequence of numbers or symbols and the processing of these signals. Digital signal processing and analog signal processing are subfields of signal processing...
tools and digital audio workstation
Digital audio workstation
A digital audio workstation is an electronic system designed solely or primarily for recording, editing and playing back digital audio. DAWs were originally tape-less, microprocessor-based systems such as the Synclavier and Fairlight CMI...
s, this material can then be combined, juxtaposed, and transformed, in any conceivable manner. In this context the compositional method can be seen as a process of sound organisation: a term first used by the French composer Edgard Varèse
Edgard Varèse
Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse, , whose name was also spelled Edgar Varèse , was an innovative French-born composer who spent the greater part of his career in the United States....
Origins
The term acousmatic dates back to PythagorasPythagoras
Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionian Greek philosopher, mathematician, and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. Most of the information about Pythagoras was written down centuries after he lived, so very little reliable information is known about him...
; the philosopher is believed to have tutored his students from behind a screen so as not to let his presence distract them from the content of his lectures. The term acousmatique was first used by the French composer Pierre Schaeffer
Pierre Schaeffer
Pierre Henri Marie Schaeffer was a French composer, writer, broadcaster, engineer, musicologist and acoustician of the 20th century. His innovative work in both the sciences —particularly communications and acoustics— and the various arts of music, literature and radio presentation after the end...
. It is said to be derived from akousmatikoi, the outer circle of Pythagoras' disciples who only heard their teacher speaking from behind a veil. In a similar way, one hears acousmatic music from behind the 'veil' of loudspeakers, without seeing the source of the sound.
Developments
Within academiaAcademia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
the term acousmatic music, or acousmatic art, has gained common usage, particularly when referring to contemporary musique concrète; however, there is some dispute as to whether acousmatic practice relates to a style of composition or a way of listening to sound. Scruton defines the experience of sound as inherently acousmatic, as Lydia Goehr (1999) paraphrases, "the sound world is not a space into which we can enter; it is a world we treat at a distance".
Style
Acousmatic music may contain sounds that have recognizably musical sources, but may equally present recognizable sources that are beyond the bounds of traditional vocal and instrumental technologyTechnology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. We are as likely to hear the sounds of a bird, or of a factory as we are the sounds of a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
. The technology involved transcends the mere reproduction of sounds. Techniques of synthesis and sound processing are employed which may present us with sounds that are unfamiliar and that may defy clear source attribution. Acousmatic compositions may present us with familiar musical events: chords, melodies and rhythms which are easily reconcilable with other forms of music, but may equally present us with events which cannot be classified within such a traditional taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
.
Performance practice
Acousmatic compositions are sometimes presented to audiences in concert settings that are often indistinguishable from acoustic recitals, albeit without performers. In an acousmatic concert the sound component is produced using pre-recorded media, or generated in real-timeReal-time computing
In computer science, real-time computing , or reactive computing, is the study of hardware and software systems that are subject to a "real-time constraint"— e.g. operational deadlines from event to system response. Real-time programs must guarantee response within strict time constraints...
using a computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
. The sound material will then be distributed spatially, via multiple loudspeakers, using a practice known as diffusion. The work is often diffused by the composer (if present) but the role of interpreter can also be assumed by another practitioner of the art. To provide a guideline for spatialisation of the work by an interpreter, many composers provide a diffusion score; in its simplest form this might be a graphic representation of the acousmatic work with indications for spatial manipulations, relative to a time-line.
Further reading
- Austin, Larry and Denis Smalley. “Sound Diffusion in Composition and Performance: An Interview with Denis Smalley.” Computer Music Journal 24/2 (Summer 2000), pp. 10–21. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.
- Chion, Michel. (1983) Guide des objets sonores, Pierre Schaeffer et la recherche musicale. Ina-GRM/Buchet-Chastel, Paris.
- Destantos, S. “Acousmatic Morphology: An Interview with François Bayle.” Computer Music Journal 21/3 (Fall 1997), pp. 11–19. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.
- Dhomont, Francis. “Rappel acousmatique / Acousmatic Update.” Contact! 8.2 (Spring 1995). Montréal: CECCanadian Electroacoustic CommunityFounded in 1986, La Communauté électroacoustique canadienne / The Canadian Electroacoustic Community is Canada’s national electroacoustic / computer music / sonic arts organization and as such is dedicated to promoting this progressive art form in its broadest definition: from “pure” acousmatic...
. - McFarlane, Matthew. “The Development of Electroacoustics in Montréal.” eContact! 6.2 — Activités électroacoustiques au Québec / Electroacoustic Activities in Quebec (Fall 2003). Montréal: CECCanadian Electroacoustic CommunityFounded in 1986, La Communauté électroacoustique canadienne / The Canadian Electroacoustic Community is Canada’s national electroacoustic / computer music / sonic arts organization and as such is dedicated to promoting this progressive art form in its broadest definition: from “pure” acousmatic...
. - Smalley, Denis. “Space-form and the acousmatic image.” Organised Sound 12/1 (April 2007) “Practice, process and æsthetic reflection in electroacoustic music,” pp. 35–58. Cambridge University Press.
- Smalley, Denis. “Spectromorphology: Explaining Sound-Shapes.” Organised Sound 2/2 (August 1997) “Frequency Domain,” pp. 107–26. Cambridge University Press.
- Truax, Barry. “Composition and diffusion: space in sound in space.” Organised Sound 3/2 (August 1998) “Sound in Space,” pp. 141–146. Cambridge University Press.
- Windsor, W.L. “A Perceptual Approach to the Description and Analysis of Acousmatic Music.” Unpublished doctoral thesis. London: City University, 2005.
- Wishart, Trevor. On Sonic Art. Routledge, 1997.