Overview
Pierre Schaeffer's In Search of a Concrete Music (À la recherche d'une musique concrète) has long been considered a classic text in electroacoustic music and sound recording. Now Schaeffer's pioneering work-at once a journal of his experiments in sound composition and a treatise on the raison d'être of ""concrete music""-is available for the first time in English translation. Schaeffer's theories have had a profound influence on composers working with technology. However, they extend beyond the confines of the studio and are applicable to many areas of contemporary musical thought, such as defining an 'instrument' and classifying sounds. Schaeffer has also become increasingly relevant to DJs and hip-hop producers as well as sound-based media artists. This unique book is essential for anyone interested in contemporary musicology or media history.
Full Product Details
Author: Pierre Schaeffer ,
John Dack ,
Christine North
Publisher: University of California Press
Imprint: University of California Press
Volume: 15
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 1.80cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.272kg
ISBN: 9780520265745
ISBN 10: 0520265742
Pages: 244
Publication Date: 26 November 2012
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
Collects Schaeffer's journals and other writings about his musique concrete, which he created by manipulating recorded sounds. --Harper's One of the postwar period's most significant (and readable) grapplings with new artistic paradigms. --Frieze Completely changed how I hear the world and, after more than 30 years, I am still living with the consequences. --The Wire One striking impression that emerges from reading this book is that [Schaeffer's] work merits a perspective with greater nuance. --Times Higher Education Captures these uneven rhythms of intuition and perplexity, and his imagination and wit. --Los Angeles Review of Books
One of the most important and prophetic [books] written on music since World War II... Significant and readable. --Frieze Completely changed how I hear the world and, after more than 30 years, I am still living with the consequences. --The Wire
Collects Schaeffer's journals and other writings about his musique concrete, which he created by manipulating recorded sounds. Harper's One of the postwar period's most significant (and readable) grapplings with new artistic paradigms. -- Rob Young Frieze Completely changed how I hear the world and, after more than 30 years, I am still living with the consequences. -- John Dack The Wire One striking impression that emerges from reading this book is that [Schaeffer's] work merits a perspective with greater nuance. Times Higher Education Captures these uneven rhythms of intuition and perplexity, and his imagination and wit. Los Angeles Review Of Books Recommended. -- J. Behrens, Wolf Museum of Music and Art Choice
Author Information
Composer Pierre Schaeffer (1910-1995) was the inventor of musique concrete music created by combining and manipulating recorded sounds (rather than being played on conventional musical instruments). Translators: John Dack is Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Sonic Arts Department at Middlesex University. Christine North is retired as Lecturer in French at Middlesex University.
