Discreet Music
Encyclopedia
Discreet Music is an album by the British
ambient
musician Brian Eno
. While No Pussyfooting may be his first ambient album and Another Green World
features many ambient pieces, this is Brian Eno’s first purely ambient solo album. It is also Eno's first album to be released under his full name "Brian Eno", as opposed to his previous rock albums released simply under the name "Eno".
Brian Eno’s concept of ambient music builds upon a concept composer Erik Satie
called "furniture music
". This means music that is intended to blend into the ambient atmosphere of the room rather than be directly focused upon.
The inspiration for this album began when Eno was left bed-ridden by an accident and was given an album of eighteenth century harp music. After struggling to put the record on the turntable and returning to bed, he realized that it was turned down toward the threshold of inaudibility and he lacked the strength to get up from the bed again and turn it up. Eno said this experience taught him a new way to perceive music.
This album is also an experiment in algorithmic, generative composition
. His intention was to explore multiple ways to create music with limited planning or intervention.
The a-side of the album is a thirty minute piece titled "Discreet Music". It was originally intended as a background for Robert Fripp
to play against in a series of concerts.
The liner notes contain a diagram of how this piece was created. It begins with two melodic phrases of different lengths played back from a synthesizer's
digital recall system
(the equipment used in this case was an EMS Synthi AKS
, which had a then-exotic, built-in digital sequencer). This signal is then run through a graphic equalizer to occasionally change its timbre. It is then run through an echo unit before being recorded onto a tape machine. The tape runs to the take-up reel of a second machine. The output of that machine is fed back into the first tape machine which records the overlapped signals.
The second half of the album is three pieces collectively titled "Three Variations on the Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel
". These pieces were performed by The Cockpit Ensemble, conducted and co-arranged by Gavin Bryars
. The members of the ensemble were each given brief excerpts from the score, which were repeated several times, along with instructions to gradually alter the tempo and other elements of the composition. The titles of these pieces were derived from inaccurate French-to-English translations of the liner notes of a version of Pachelbel’s Canon performed by the orchestra of Jean Francois Paillard.
In "Fullness of Wind" the tempo
decreases relative to the pitch
of the instrument. The violins have the fastest rate of decay while the basses have the slowest. This piece features effects and processing by Brian Eno.
In "French Catalogues" notes and melodies of similar tempos are gathered into blocks from different parts of the score.
In "Brutal Ardour" each performer plays a sequence of notes of a different duration, so the original composition eventually breaks down into chaos.
This album was also released on the Virgin
label. On this reissue, a full minute of silence separates "Discreet Music's" title track from the Pachelbel piece.
A brief excerpt of "Discreet Music" was featured on Fripp & Eno’s Evening Star
, which was released after this album.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
musician Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
. While No Pussyfooting may be his first ambient album and Another Green World
Another Green World
Another Green World is the third studio album by British musician Brian Eno. Produced by Eno and Rhett Davies, it was originally released by Island Records in September 1975. As he had done with previous solo albums, Eno worked with several guest musicians including Phil Collins, John Cale and...
features many ambient pieces, this is Brian Eno’s first purely ambient solo album. It is also Eno's first album to be released under his full name "Brian Eno", as opposed to his previous rock albums released simply under the name "Eno".
Brian Eno’s concept of ambient music builds upon a concept composer Erik Satie
Erik Satie
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde...
called "furniture music
Furniture music
Furniture music, or in French musique d’ameublement , is background music originally played by live performers...
". This means music that is intended to blend into the ambient atmosphere of the room rather than be directly focused upon.
The inspiration for this album began when Eno was left bed-ridden by an accident and was given an album of eighteenth century harp music. After struggling to put the record on the turntable and returning to bed, he realized that it was turned down toward the threshold of inaudibility and he lacked the strength to get up from the bed again and turn it up. Eno said this experience taught him a new way to perceive music.
This album is also an experiment in algorithmic, generative composition
Generative music
Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different and changing, and that is created by a system.- Theory :There are four primary perspectives on "Generative Music" Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different...
. His intention was to explore multiple ways to create music with limited planning or intervention.
The a-side of the album is a thirty minute piece titled "Discreet Music". It was originally intended as a background for Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
to play against in a series of concerts.
The liner notes contain a diagram of how this piece was created. It begins with two melodic phrases of different lengths played back from a synthesizer's
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...
digital recall system
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
(the equipment used in this case was an EMS Synthi AKS
EMS Synthi AKS
The EMS Synthi A, first available in May 1971, and then in March 1972 a version of it with a built-in keyboard and sequencer, the EMS Synthi AKS, a portable modular analog synthesiser made by EMS of England. Most notable for its patch pin matrix, its functions and internal design are similar to the...
, which had a then-exotic, built-in digital sequencer). This signal is then run through a graphic equalizer to occasionally change its timbre. It is then run through an echo unit before being recorded onto a tape machine. The tape runs to the take-up reel of a second machine. The output of that machine is fed back into the first tape machine which records the overlapped signals.
The second half of the album is three pieces collectively titled "Three Variations on the Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher, who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most...
". These pieces were performed by The Cockpit Ensemble, conducted and co-arranged by Gavin Bryars
Gavin Bryars
Richard Gavin Bryars is an English composer and double bassist. He has been active in, or has produced works in, a variety of styles of music, including jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, experimental music, avant-garde and neoclassicism.-Early life and career:Born in Goole, East...
. The members of the ensemble were each given brief excerpts from the score, which were repeated several times, along with instructions to gradually alter the tempo and other elements of the composition. The titles of these pieces were derived from inaccurate French-to-English translations of the liner notes of a version of Pachelbel’s Canon performed by the orchestra of Jean Francois Paillard.
In "Fullness of Wind" the tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
decreases relative to the pitch
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
of the instrument. The violins have the fastest rate of decay while the basses have the slowest. This piece features effects and processing by Brian Eno.
In "French Catalogues" notes and melodies of similar tempos are gathered into blocks from different parts of the score.
In "Brutal Ardour" each performer plays a sequence of notes of a different duration, so the original composition eventually breaks down into chaos.
This album was also released on the Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
label. On this reissue, a full minute of silence separates "Discreet Music's" title track from the Pachelbel piece.
A brief excerpt of "Discreet Music" was featured on Fripp & Eno’s Evening Star
Evening Star (album)
Evening Star is an album by the British ambient musicians Robert Fripp and Brian Eno. The cover is a painting by the artist Peter Schmidt....
, which was released after this album.
Side two
Three Variations on the Canon in D Major by Johann PachelbelJohann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher, who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most...
- "Fullness of Wind" – 9:57
- "French Catalogues" – 5:18
- "Brutal Ardour" – 8:17
Personnel
- Brian Eno – synthesizer, keyboards, producer, photography
- Gavin Bryars – arranger, conductor
- The Cockpit Ensemble
- Simon Heyworth – mastering
- Peter Kelsey – engineer
- Andrew Day – redesign
See also
- Gavin BryarsGavin BryarsRichard Gavin Bryars is an English composer and double bassist. He has been active in, or has produced works in, a variety of styles of music, including jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, experimental music, avant-garde and neoclassicism.-Early life and career:Born in Goole, East...
- Johann PachelbelJohann PachelbelJohann Pachelbel was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher, who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most...
- Pachelbel's Canon
- Ambient musicAmbient musicAmbient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
- Electronic musicElectronic musicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...