Musique Concrete And Soundscape Composition - Essay Example

?Musique Concrete and Soundscape Composition Musique Concrete History and Composers It had not been easy for researchers to point clearly, when the idea of music really began. This is because even the anthropologist have thought that even the cave dwellers might have developed music of their own by stamping their feet, hand clapping, as well as noise making as a means of singing. Dack (1994, p.3) argues that, during prehistoric times, there was no means of recording sound whatsoever. Despite the fact that it is impossible to tell when music really started, we are certain that music existed before the invention of the printing press, in which certain musical instruments such as percussion, pipes, pianos and many other stringed instruments were already in use. Even the origin of the conventional modern keyboards can be traced to the early development of traditional instrumental music. Despite the situation, things began to change in the middle 20th century just after the Second World War at around 1948 when some French musicians such as Pierre Schaefer and Pierre Henry began to play music using recoded sounds (AMG Staff 2012). As time progressed, they realized that tape-recorded was a good invention since it gave them the opportunity to do things, which they could not do without sound recording. This is because, through tape recording, they could now be able to speed up or slow down sound; make them quieter or louder; filter the sound; repeat, as well as play the sound backwards (AMG Staff 2012). As a result, they were now able to convert any real life sound such as concrete sounds, rattle of lids of saucepans, crying babies among others into music. The origin of Musique Concrete, however, can be traced back to 1940s brought about by the invention of a quality analogue tape recorder for researchers and musicians (Dack 1994, p.4). The two music pioneers, Pierre Henry and Pierre Schaefer while working for ORTF in France began to examine ways of altering the sound they tape-recorded. It is now that Schaeffer introduced the term Musique Concrete in 1948, which according to him meant that concrete, abstract sounds were used as the main ingredients of music according to Dack (1994, p.4). The whole notion behind Musique Concrete is that the composer starts with a set of “concrete” sounds, which is organized into a piece of music. As a result, theory and traditional musical instruments do not limit the composer of such a piece of music. This implies that they are at liberty to use any sound that they feel appeals to them, and the audience to achieve the final music. The Groupe de Recherche de Musique Concrete [GRMC - Musique Concrete Research Group] was the first music group to be formed and specialized mainly in the recording of Musique Concrete pieces (Battier 2007). Consequently, Etude aux chemins de fer is arguably the first piece of Musique Concrete recorded by Pierre Schaeffer at around the same time. The Etudes were produced using children’s toys, locomotive sounds, and spinning of pot lids. The first piece of Etude was broadcast in October 1948, which generated different reactions from musical circles and the press (Battier 2007). In the next concert held in March 1950, Schaeffer decided to seek for the assistance of Pierre Henry another music composer who later emerged as a famous composer of Musique Concrete genre. After coming together, the two collaborated composing the famous Symphonie pour un homme seul, as well as each composer presenting their individual composition according to Battier (2007). It is reported that the music concert attracted other French composers such as Olivier Messaien. In 1951, Schaeffer acquired the first tape recorder in his studio, which enabled him to transform original sound material according to Lange (2009, P.174). This new technique involved the use of tape loops, splicing, cutting, and change of direction. This technique later attracted the attention of many international composers including Iannis Xenakis (left), a Greek mathematician who developed Concrete PH, which involved cracking of charcoal. Edgar Varese was also influenced by Schaeffer, who later composed the orchestral piece known as Deserts, a production he did at Schaeffer’s studio (Lange 2009, P.174). The other was Pierre Boulez, who managed to build an IRCAM institute, using a computer to spun tape technique. Karlheinz Stockhausen was another composer greatly influenced by Schaeffer’s composition as noted by Lange (2009, P.174). Reydellet (1996, p.10) reveals that, at about the same time in 1950, Karheinz Stockhausen, a German composer, and his colleagues were also conducting experiments in Cologne (Reydellet 1996, p.10). In this regard, they were among the European music pioneers who started to realize that tape recording and gramophone were a great invention as far as musical composition is concerned. As a result, he created a studio devoted exclusively for the production of music electronically. This saw him team up with Herbert Eimert and composed music based on Musique Concrete. Some of the individual composition of Stockhausen includes the Telemusik and Hymnen (Reydellet 1996, p.10). It is reported that the Telemusik fused world fork songs with the Japanese temple instruments that produced electronic sound. Hymnen, on the other hand, was full of metaphors. Other notable composers during this time include the U.S. composers Vladimir Ussachevsky and Tod Dockstader, Japanese Toru Takemitsu, Hugh LeCaine from Canada and Luciano Berio, an Italian composer. The style used by Schaeffer in his composition has confused many musicians who have thought Musique Concrete is an absolute naturally occurring sound without human input and musical instruments. Nevertheless, the truth is that the style embraces other forms of musical expressions and restructuring that is independent of the traditional use of musical features (Reydellet 1996, p.11-13). Musique Concrete was officially introduced in Britain at around 1957 by Desmond Briscoe and Daphe Oram, the studio managers of the BBC Drama department, who saw the need for BBC acquire a facility that can enable it make unfamiliar and unreal sound effects in order to transform the drama to a new level on both radio and television. This led to the formation of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1958 just a year later. The Workshop is said to have brought a new genre of music for radio and television that inspired many other people to immolate the invention (Schaeffer 1952, p.14-16). The many artists and bands that were inspired by the advancement in the musical creativity brought by Musique Concrete include the Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and Sonic Boom. The Radiophonic Workshop for musique concrete was organized for a number of programmes including the exploration of natural history by Sir David, dramatic tales set in Sahara, The Goons, school TV programmes and some of works by Doctor Who. Some of the notable composers at BBC RWS in the past are Maddelena Fagandini, Daphne Oram, Brian Hodgson, Dick Mills, David Cain, Roger Limb, and Delia Derbyshire. Others include John Baker, Paddy Kingsland, Elizabeth Parker, and Malcolm Clark as noted by Schaeffer (1952, p.17-21). Brian Hodgson and Delia Derbyshire were among the composers who were engaged in the work outside the BBC. The White Noise and The Tomorrow People are examples of the composition by David Vorhaus as noted by Bayle (1993). Despite the great, influence that Musique Concrete had on various composers and the music industry, its influence and composition began declining at around 1964 following the introduction of a modular synthesizer by Robert Moog, which rendered the splicing and altering magnetic tape outdated (Palombini 1993, P.15). The decline of Musique Concrete was also caused by the emergence of Minimalist movement that introduced the back-to-tonality technique. It is also reported that some of the Minimalist also did compose Musique Concrete based on looping of a portion of a magnetic tape. An example being Terry Riley, American composer, through his composition “Music for the Gift,” a musical piece from Ken Dewey (Bayle 1993). This was the first piece ever created from a feedback system. The double tape recorder used repetition to produce music, which is the backbone of the Minimalist genre according to Palombini (1993, P.16). Palombini (1993, P.18) noted that, around the same time, Steve Reich, American composer produced two tape works “It’s Gonna Rain” and “Come Out, where he introduced the concept of “phrasing.” However, Reich reportedly abandoned tape recorders, as well as tape loops to those involving traditional instruments. The decline in Musique Concrete based on splicing and change of magnetic tapes has been caused by technological advancements taking place in the music industry. Nonetheless, the genre remains sound innovative as its influence can still be seen in the modern music industry. Its influence is felt in genres such as rock, reggae, techno, and other electronic music. Analysis of Soundscape Music according to Barry Truax’s works Soundscape music is a type of electroacoustic music developed in the early 1960s at Simon Fraser University by R. Murray Schafer. The composition is characterized by identifiable environmental contexts and sounds. Soundscape compositions are mainly meant to invoke the memories, associations, and imagination of listeners. This style of music is said to have emerged naturally from tutorial intent of the World Soundscape Project (WSP) under the leadership of R. Murray Schafer who wanted to create awareness as to sound environment via a course of noise pollution and promoting the soundscape in society. The Vancouver Soundscape was the first study on this type of music published in 1973 (Truax 1992, P.37-39). Schafer (1969, p.6) notes that, initially, this type of composition was very simple since it involved very little selection, editing and inconspicuous cross fading. The soundscape music is based on a number of principles. Firstly, the recognizability of the source material by the listeners is expected to be maintained all the time. This means that no deviation is expected when composing soundscape music. Secondly, the composition is expected to invoke audience’s knowledge of the environment and psychology. This implies that the composition is expected to educate the listeners on what is happening around them by creating awareness as noted by Schafer (1969, p.6). Thirdly, the knowledge of the psychological and environmental context by the composer is aimed at influencing the compositions at every level. Finally, the composition is also meant to enhance the listeners understanding of the entire world. Several soundscape compositions can nowadays be heard on the double CD of Soundscape Vancouver. They include the CD Islands such as La Sera di Benevento, Dominion, Island, and Pendlerdrom. Barry Truax is one of the most prominent composers of the soundscape music. Truax is a Canadian composer born in 1947 and specialized in the composition of real time granular synthesis such as the soundscapes and sampled sounds. He was one of the lecturers at Simon Fraser University where he taught electroacoustic music. He was also one among the original founders of the WSP. Some of the students he taught at the university included Paul Dolden, Jean Piche, John Oswald, and Michael Vincent (Schafer 1969, p.9-11). Apart from being a teacher, he also composed a number of soundscapes, which include Pacific, Temple, Basilica, Prospero's Voyage, The Blind Man, Chalice Well, and Songs of Songs. The Blind Man (1979) is one the first soundscape compositions by Truax (Truax 1992, P.37-39). The song is based on Norbert Ruebsaat’s realization poem employing invention and reading on text by the composer at its principal source. In addition, the environmental sound material derived from WSP is also used. These sounds are mainly metallic in nature as it involves the use of bells and a number of locks and heavy doors (Truax 1992, P.37-39). This poem is composed on three levels with the first coming from the original reading followed by rhythmic variations determined by the author’s invention with the text. Lastly, an abstract sound is produced through speech variations such as the use of consonants, sibilants, and vowels. The poem is meant to teach the listeners to be careful and not to keep a blind eye on things around them, as they may prove disastrous, just as the wind destroys everything around like a blind man. Songs of Songs (1992) is another piece of work by Truax, which was purely based on the Songs of Solomon as narrated in the Old Testament (Voorvelt 1997, p.51). The lyrics used in this song is purely imagery divided into four subtitles namely Morning, afternoon, Evening, and Evening & day. The sonic material in this composition involves stretching, and harmonization of sounds in a bid to reveal the inner colors and voices the result of which is a Mediterranean soundscape incorporating all voices singing together but with a blurred boundary being created between the environment and the self (Voorvelt 1997, p.51). In this case, the environment sings using its own voice, whereas the voice becomes the environment. This song also like the other soundscapes is meant to invoke the listener’s knowledge of the psychological and environmental context. In addition, it enhances the listener’s understanding of the world around, a common principle held by soundscapes. Chalice Well (2009) is one of the most recent soundscape composition by Truax according to Voorvelt (1997, p.51). The song is based on the Chalice well located down the slopes of Glastonbury Tor in England. The well has for a long time been taken to symbolize famine aspect of a holy being, while the waters found in it symbolizes healing attributes to the people of England. This soundscape music by Truax takes the audience down the well. However, before the listener can reach the well, they have to pass through several cavernous chambers filled with flowing waters trickling down the cliffs (Truax 2003, p.117). This song also like the others earlier composed by Truax is meant to remind the audience of the importance of Chalice Well as far as the famine is concerned. In addition, it creates an awareness of the nature and the natural wells found in the country, which is very important for the people of England and beyond as noted by Truax (2003, p.119). References AMG Staff (2012), Musique Concrete: Its Place in the History of Electronic Music. http://blog.allmusic.com/2012/01/23/musique-concrete-its-place-in-the-history-of-electronic-music/ (Accessed 30 Dec. 2012). Battier, M. (2007). "What the GRM Brought to Music: From Musique Concrete to Acousmatic Music". Organised Sound 12, no. 3 (December: Musique Concrete's 60th and GRM's 50th birthday—A Celebration): 189–02. Bayle, F. (1993). Musique acousmatique, propositions ... positions. Paris: INA-GRM Buche/Chastel. Dack, J. (1994). "Pierre Schaeffer and the Significance of Radiophonic Art." Contemporary Music Review 10, no. 2:3-11. Lange, A. (2009). Musique concrete & Early Electronic Music in Young, Rob (ed.) The Wire Primers: A Guide To Modern Music. London: Verso, pp. 173–180. Palombini, C. (1993). "Machine Songs V: Pierre Schaeffer: From Research into Noises to Experimental Music". Computer Music Journal 17, no. 3 (Autumn): 14-19. Reydellet, J. (1996). "Pierre Schaeffer, 1910-1995: The Founder of 'Musique Concrete'". Computer Music Journal 20, no. 2 (Summer): 10-11. Schafer, R. M. (1969), The New Soundscape. Vienna: Universal Edition. Schaeffer, P. (1952), A la recherche d’une musique concrete. Editions du Seuil, Paris. Truax, B. (2003),”Homoeroticism and Electroacoustic Music: Absence and Personal Voice," Organised Sound, 8(1), 117-124, Truax, B. (1992), "Composing with Time-Shifted Environmental Sound," Leonardo Music Journal, 2(1), 37-40. Voorvelt, M. (1997), "The Environmental Element in Barry Truax's Compositions," Journal of New Music Research, 26, pp. 48-69. Read More