Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Musique concrete'

This thesis explores the possibilities of communication in the context of a sound composition. In RevealingReveilingReveling, a series of questions concerning communication posed by John Cage, coupled with an extension of those questions posed by myself, are set to recorded sounds-in-the-world. The intention is to create a greater awareness of that which there is to listen in our world. The first part of this essay discusses influences of philosophical thought during the process of composing RevealingReveilingReveling. Two distinct twentieth-century thinkers that have impacted the creation of this piece and their areas of thought are Martin Heidegger: language and Being; and John Cage: sound, silence, and awareness. The second part of the essay is a structural analysis of the piece, discussing the recording of Cage's questions, sounds-in-the-world, sound-manipulation techniques and thought-processes, as well as periodic mention the aesthetic decisions made.

Detta kandidatarbete undersöker Pierre Schaeffers (2012 [1952]) begrepp musique concrète samt dess metoder och tekniker. Musique concrète kan beskrivas som en samling kompositionsmetoder som utgår från inspelade ljud av omvärlden utan inblandning av musikinstrument, musikteori, eller ljud genererade från elektroniska källor. Vi använde Schaffers begrepp reduced listening, vilket är en lyssningsmetod där man bortser från ljudets källa och fokuserar på dess akustiska egenskaper, (vilket Michel Chion (1994) senare expanderade på). Jøran Rudi (2011) skriver om R. Murray Schafer’s begrepp Hi-Fi och Lo-Fi, vilket vi använde för att kategorisera ljuden som användes och platserna som spelades in. I designprocessen applicerade och experimenterade vi med metoder och tekniker från den aktuella forskningen för att utforska och dokumentera arbetsprocessen i gestaltningsprototyperna. Detta arbete resulterade i en samling kompositioner utefter Lo-Fi och Hi-Fi inom musique concrète där vi fick en bredare förståelse för de aktuella metoderna och teknikerna.
This bachelor thesis examines Pierre Schaeffer’s (2012 [1952]) term musique concrète as well as it’s methods and techniques. Musique concrète can be described as a collection of compositional methods that uses recorded sounds from the surrounding world as a startingpoint, without the use of musical instruments, music theory, or electronically produced sounds. We used Schaeffer’s term reduced listening (which Michel Chion (1994) later expanded upon). Jøran Rudi (2011) writes about R. Murray Schafer’s term Hi-Fi and Lo-Fi,and these terms were later used by us to categorise and record sounds from the environment. Investigation and experimentation with the various methods and techniques ensued in the design process in order to explore and document the work process of the prototypes. This process resulted in a collection of musique concrète compositions stemming from the Lo-Fi och Hi-Fi processes through which we gained more knowledge and understanding of themethods and techniques involved.

My recent practice-based research explores the creative potential of physical manipulation of sound in the composition of sound-based electronic music. Focusing on the poietic aspect of my music making, this commentary discusses the composition process of three musical works: Comme si la foudre pouvait durer, Igaluk - To Scare the Moon with its own Shadow and desert. It also examines the development of a software instrument, fXfD, along with its resulting musical production. Finally, it discusses the recent musical production of an improvisation duet in which I take part, Tout Croche. In the creative process of this portfolio, the appreciation for sound is the catalyst of the musical decisions. In other words, the term \musique concrete" applies to my practice, as sound is the central concern that triggers the composition act. In addition to anecdotal, typo-morphological and functional concerns, the presence of a \trace of physicality" in a sound is, more than ever, what convinces me of its musical potential. In order to compose such sounds, a back-and-forth process between theoretical knowledge and sound manipulations will be defined and developed under the concept of \sonic empiricism." In a desire to break with the cumbersome nature of studio-based composition work, approaches to sound-based electronic music playing were researched. Through the diferent musical projects, various digital instruments were conceived. In a case study, the text reviews them through their sound generation, gestural control and mapping components. I will also state personal preferences in the ways sound manipulations are performed. In the light of the observations made, the studio emerges as the central instrument upon which my research focuses. The variety of resources it provides for the production and control of sound confers the status of polymorphic instrument on the studio. The text concludes by reflecting on the possibilities of improvisation and performance that the studio offers when it is considered as an embodied polymorphic instrument. A concluding statement on the specific ear training needed for such a studio practice bridges the concepts of sound selection and digital instruments herein exposed.

In the summer of 1953, Karlheinz Stockhausen began composing his first piece of elektronische Musik at the Westdeutscher Rundfunk Studio for Electronic Music in Cologne. Up to that point, Stockhausen's only experience with electroacoustic music was his time spent at the Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française the previous year, where he assisted Pierre Schaeffer and composed a piece of musique concrète. An early case study in the marriage of serial aesthetics and electroacoustic techniques, Studie I is a rigorously organized work that reflects Stockhausen's compositional philosophy of a unified structural principle in which all musical materials and parametric values are generated by and arranged according to a single governing series. In spite of this meticulously wrought serial structure, Studie I displays features that are the consequences of the realities of electronic sound production either imposing on the sonic result, or altering the compositional plan entirely. I use a three-part approach to my analysis of Studie I by examining Stockhausen's serial system, the electroacoustic studio techniques in use in 1953, and the original recorded realization through spectrographic analysis. Using this methodology, I expose the blurring of the supposed divide between elektronische Musik and musique concrète by exploring the features that lie between the serial plan and the technical processes Stockhausen used to realize Studie I.

This thesis is an electro-acoustic composition done using the techniques of music concrète. Along with the music is a paper that details the historical context of the piece, specific techniques and procedures used by the composer, and a general overview of the compositional form. “Shattered Dreams” is a 12’30” stereo journey through a soundscape where the sounds of cinderblocks and shattered glass abound. All of the original source material for the music was recorded by the composer using a pair of Neumann km184 microphones. These source sounds were then manipulated using Sound Forge 6.0 and Cubase 4. The processes of manipulation were chosen with regard to the original music concrète techniques laid out by Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry at the Club d’Essai studio at Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française in Paris, France.
School of Music

L'histoire du GRM, fondé en 1958, au sein de la Radio Télévision Française, prend sa source à la radio, dès le début des années 1940. La première partie de cette recherche reconstruit la chronologie des événements : œuvres, publications, développements technologiques, élaborations de nouveaux concepts, évolution de l'institution. Les sept chapitres, un par décennie, prennent comme point de départ l'année 1948, date de naissance officielle de la Musique Concrète. Le premier chapitre est un peu particulier. Il s'attache à dégager les racines de la jeune musique concrète en remontant le temps, le plus loin possible, avant 1948, jusqu'aux mouvements futuristes des débuts du XXe siècle, ainsi qu'au dadaïsme, et au surréalisme. La seconde partie aborde l'histoire du GRM transversalement, suivant différentes thématiques. Un premier chapitre expose la prise d'identité de ce nouveau genre musical, et la lente évolution du Groupe de Recherche de Musique Concrète, vers un rôle d'École, à partir de 1951. Le second chapitre porte sur les concepts (écoute réduite, objet sonore, analyse typomorphologique. . . ), la pédagogie et les outils (des premiers phonogènes aux derniers logiciels GRM-Tools) développés au GRM, depuis cinquante ans. Le troisième chapitre expose la problématique de l'espace, du concert, et le lien au public. Le quatrième chapitre explore la lisière entre le musical et le visuel, à travers la question de l'écriture, une interrogation majeure qui se pose à tous les arts de support, aujourd'hui
Originating in radio at the beginning of the 1940's, the GRM was officially launched in 1958 by Radio Television Française. The first part of this research reconstructs the history, starting with the most visible manifestations: opuses, publications, technological developments. The research traces also the elaboration of new concepts and evolution of the movement. Beginning with 1948, the official birth date of the Concrete Music, the chronology is divided into seven chapters, one for each decade. The first chapter, however, moves back in time, delineating the roots of Concrete Music by recounting the events that preceded 1948 and eventually led to the dadaism and surrealism of the twentieth century. The second part of the research traces the themes of the GRM history. The first chapter identifies the emergence of this new musical genre and its slow progression from the Groupe de Recherche de Musique Concrete of the Paris Studio to its role as a musical School in 1951. The second chapter examines the concepts (reduced listening, sound object, typomorphological analysis. . . ). It traces the pedagogy and the tools (from the first phonogènes to the final software called GRM-Tools and Acousmographe) developed in the last fifty years. The third chapter studies the problems of space, concert presentation and connection with the audience. The fourth chapter explores the boundary between the Musical and the Visual, across the question of writing, a major issue in all the media arts today

L’objectif de cette thèse est de comprendre comment Luc Ferrari construit l'hétérogénéité de sa musique. Le compositeur conçoit la création comme un espace dans lequel, d'après ses mots, des idées qui n’ont pas « fatalement de liens entre elles » se rencontrent. L’œuvre devient alors un espace de cohabitation, de frottement, dans lequel d’autres composantes partagent l’espace avec « la musique », au sens étroit du terme. Avec les propositions lieu, récit et expériences, il sera question de tentatives pour caractériser ces composantes autres qui constituent l’hétérogène ferrarien. Dans la première partie, « musique et lieu », nous voyons comment les œuvres deviennent, par moments, des lieux. Des espaces réels, extérieurs, en rapport à un vécu. Á ce propos nous analyserons Hétérozygote. Dans la deuxième partie, « musique et récit », nous étudions l’importance que le compositeur donne à la narration dans ses œuvres, partant de sons anecdotiques jusqu’à l’évolution générale de scénarios. Avec l’analyse de Far-West News, nous mesurons comment Luc Ferrari construit des œuvres qui s’appuient tout autant sur une forme musicale que sur le développement des histoires. Enfin, avec la troisième partie « musique et expériences », nous voulons faire référence à une confluence de vécus : les anecdotes présentées par Luc Ferrari résonnent dans le vécu des auditeurs, qui déversent leurs expériences au sein des œuvres. Par l’expression de son vécu, Luc Ferrari appelle et travaille avec ces expériences subjectives des auditeurs, qui partagent aussi l’espace des œuvres. L’œuvre à analyser dans cette partie est Chantal, ou le portrait d’une villageoise
The objective of this thesis is to understand how Luc Ferrari builds the heterogeneity of his music. The composer conceives creation as a space in which, according to his words, ideas that do not “necessarily have links between them” meet each other. Pieces then become a space of cohabitation, of friction, in which other components share space with "music", in the narrow sense. The propositions “place, story and experiences” are attempts to characterize these others components that constitute the heterogeneous of Ferrari’s music. In the first part, "music and place," we see how pieces become, at times, places. Real spaces, externals, in relation to a lived experience. In this part we will analyse Hétérozygote. In the second part, "music and story", we study the importance that composer give to the narrative in his work, starting from the sons anecdotiques to the general evolution of scenarios. With the analysis of Far-West News, we measure how Luc Ferrari’s works rely as much on musicals forms as on the development of stories. Finally, with the third part, "music and experiences", we want to refer to a confluence of experiences: the anecdote of the composer resonates in the experience of the listeners, who dump their experiences into the pieces. Through the expression of his experience, Luc Ferrari calls and works with these subjective experiences of listeners, who will also share the spaces of works. To explain this idea, we will analyse Chantal, ou le portrait d’une villageoise

Quels rapports les compositeurs entretiennent-ils avec la simulation et le traitement de la voix ? Qui veut en comprendre les enjeux artistiques doit examiner aussi bien les moyens et les modèles utilisés que leurs conséquences stylistiques. Le fil conducteur de cette recherche est donc l'étude des apports des processus artificiels à la vocalité dans les musiques électroacoustique et informatique de façon à définir, consolider et prolonger le concept de vocalité artificielle. Au-delà de la mise en évidence des conditions nécessaires à l'émergence de la vocalité artificielle et de son épanouissement, il convient de montrer l'existence de gestes musicaux propres ou influencés par l'utilisation de procédés mécaniques. Enfin, les paradigmes de la vocalité artificielle - entre rupture et continuité, entre figuration et décorporéification, entre évidence et paradoxe - nourrissent son devenir et ouvrent la perspective de son espace imaginaire
What relationship do composers have with the voice simulation and processing? To understand the artistic implications behind the techniques of voice simulation and processing, we shall examine the means and the models employed, as well as their stylistic consequences. The vital lead in this research is therefore the study of the contributions made by artificial processes in association with vocality to the electroacoustic and computer musics so as to define, consolidate and prolong the concept of artificial vocality. Beyond exposing the conditions required for the emergence of artificial vocality and its blossoming, we shall point out the existence of musical gestures that are either distinct or influenced by mechanical processes. Finally, the paradigms of artificial vocality - between rupture and continuity, figuration and disembodiment, ambiguity and paradox - nourish the future of artificial vocality and open the perspective of its imaginary space

Cette recherche de thèse vise à reconstruire des éléments de genèse de la composition électroacoustique de Pierre Boulez dans les années cinquante à travers l’étude d’esquisses et de manuscrits conservés au Paul Sacher Stiftung. Notre thèse s’est fondée sur deux approches complémentaires : la reconstitution du contexte musical, esthétique et historique et l’étude des esquisses. Dans la Partie I, nous avons tout d’abord examiné les Fonds Pierre Schaeffer afin de retracer le déroulement du premier stage de musique concrète au GRMC. La réorganisation des esquisses et la reconstitution du processus de montage sonore nous ont permis de souligner que la composition des deux études de musique concrète (1951-52) était une étape indispensable pour le développement de la pensée sérielle de Boulez dans le sérialisme intégral. Dans la Partie II, nous avons mis en relation la composition de Symphonie mécanique (1955) et Poésie pour pouvoir (1958) avec le concept de « sons organisés » dans Déserts (1954) d’Edgard Varèse en traçant la transition de la musique concrète à la musique mixte. Boulez y a développé la notion de « blocs sonores » originairement exploitée dans l’écriture instrumentale et orchestrale. Notre étude a éclairé que Boulez avait procédé par tâtonnements de façon cohérente et développée afin de réaliser l’intégration des mondes instrumentaux et électroacoustiques. En ce sens, il est raisonnable que Poésie pour pouvoir soit considérée comme l’origine de la « musique mixte » chez Pierre Boulez. Par ailleurs, cette tentative de confrontation était inévitable pour Boulez afin de réaliser la transmutation musicale de l’exorcisme corporel du poème de Henri Michaux
This research aims to reconstruct the compositional process of Pierre Boulez’s electroacoustic compositions of the fifties through the study of sketches and manuscripts preserved at the Paul Sacher Stiftung. Our thesis was based on two complementary approaches: the reconstruction of the musical, aesthetic and historical context and study of the sketches. In Part I, we first examined the Pierre Schaeffer archives in order to explore the program of the first musique concrète workshop at the GRMC. The eorganization of the sketches and the reconstruction of the process of sound synthesis allowed us to emphasize that Boulez’s composition of the two musique concrète studies (1951-52) was an indispensable stage for the development of his concept of serialism. In Part II, we related the composition of Symphonie mécanique (1955) and Poésie pour pouvoir (1958) to Edgard Varèse's concept of "Organized sound" in Déserts (1954) by tracing the transition of musique concrète to electroacoustic music. Boulez developed in his electroacoustic pieces the notion of "sound blocks" originally used in instrumental and orchestral pieces. Our study reveals that Boulez proceeded by trial and error in a coherent and developed way in order to realize the integration of the instrumental and electroacoustic sounds. In this sense, it is reasonable for Poésie pour pouvoir to be considered as the origin of mixed music in Pierre Boulez’s oeuvre. This confrontation of the instrumental and electroacoustic sounds was essential for Boulez’s realization of a musical translation of Henri Michaux's poem

Notre thèse porte sur la relation entre la musique et la danse dans la création chorégraphique de Maurice Béjart (1927-2007). Nous nous intéressons en particulier aux spectacles pour lesquels le chorégraphe a travaillé avec ses contemporains. Le rapport que Béjart a proposé entre chorégraphie et œuvres musicales semble avoir fortement marqué le monde de la musique. Afin d’éclaircir le rôle de Béjart dans l’histoire de la création musicale contemporaine, cette recherche tente d’évaluer dans quelle mesure Béjart a influencé les créations de sept compositeurs avec qui il a collaboré : Pierre Henry (1927-2007), Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001), Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007), Pierre Boulez (1925-2016), Luciano Berio (1925-2003), Toshirô Mayuzumi (1929-1997) et Alain Louvier (1945- ). La thèse s’articule en deux parties. La première est une présentation générale du travail de Béjart, précédée d’une mise en perspective de son rapport avec la musique. Nous avons également tenté de dégager un principe esthétique qui sous-tendrait chez Béjart son utilisation de la musique contemporaine dans le cadre de ses créations chorégraphiques. La seconde est en une analyse détaillée des œuvres précises. En nous concentrant sur les sept compositeurs sélectionnés, nous avons effectué une analyse de seize collaborations, de la Symphonie pour un homme seul en 1955 avec Henry jusqu’à Casta Diva en 1980 avec Louvier. Élaborée à partir de nombreux documents consultés dans différents lieux, et en particulier, dans différents départements de la BnF et aux Archives de l’Ina, notre recherche interroge les réflexions de Béjart sur les rapports entre danse et musique
Our thesis focuses on the relationship between music and dance in the choreographic creations of Maurice Béjart (1927-2007). We are particularly interested in the pieces for which the choreographer has worked with his contemporaries. The relationship that Béjart proposed between choreography and musical works seems to have strongly affected the world of music. In order to shed light on Béjart's role in the history of contemporary musical creation, this research attempts to assess to what extent Béjart has influenced the creations of seven composers with whom he worked: Pierre Henry (1927-2007), Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001), Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007), Pierre Boulez (1925-2016), Luciano Berio (1925-2003), Toshirô Mayuzumi (1929-1997) and Alain Louvier (1945-). The thesis is divided into two parts. The first is a general presentation of Béjart's work, preceded by a perspective of his relationship with music. We also tried to find a principle that would unify Béjart's use of the contemporary music in his choreographic creations. The second part is a detailed analysis of specific works. Focusing on the seven selected composers, we analysed in detail several collaborations, from the Symphonie pour un homme seul in 1955 with Henry to Casta Diva in 1980 with Louvier. Elaborated from numerous documents consulted in many places, and in particular, in the various departments of the BnF and in the Archives of Ina, our research questions Béjart's reflections on the relationship between dance and music

I detta konstnärliga examensarbete undersöks huruvida det går att binda samman fyra låtar av olika karaktär med hjälp av övergångar bestående av olika musikaliska- och icke musikaliska element. Fyra olika metoder för övergångar har testats och utvärderats för att se vilken som fungerar bäst. Metoderna som testats är: körarrangemang, atonala övergångar, ledmotiv och narrativt tal. Tidigt i arbetet stod det klart att körarrangemang var svårt att få till estetiskt och att tiden för att få till det bra skulle bli för knapp. Att arbeta atonalt var däremot lättare då inga regler sattes upp förutom att övergången skulle börja på tonarten som varit och landa i tonarten som skulle komma. När ledmotivet skrevs tonalt var det svårt att få till men då ett vindljud fick agera återkommande ledmotiv tillförde det rymd och rum till övergångarna. För att hitta de narrativa stroferna som skulle sägas lästes de fyra låttexterna igenom för att hitta nyckelfraser som bäst beskrev känslan inför kommande låt. Som resultat visade det sig senare att kombinationen av atonala syntar, vindljudet som agerade ledmotiv samt de narrativa stroferna passade bäst när de kopplades samman och arbetade tillsammans.
This artistic degree project researches if it is possible to link four different songs of diverse genres onto one EP through the use of both musical and non-musical elements that arise as bridges between the songs. Four different methods have been tested and evaluated to see which one gives the best result. The tested methods are: arrangements for choir, atonal bridges, leitmotif and narrative phrases. Early on it became clear that the arrangements for choir were hard to complete in the limited time that existed for the project. To work with atonal bridges was easier since the only guide line used was that the bridge should start in the key last heard and end on the same key as the upcoming song. When the leitmotif was written tonally it was difficult to do but using the sound of wind as a non-musical leitmotif added a nice space to the bridges. When working with the narrative phrases the songs were analysed carefully to find the key phrases of the lyrics from the four songs to use in the narrative speech. The result of this project indicates that the best way to create these bridges is to combine the different methods, use the atonal synthesizers with the non-musical wind sounds as a leitmotif along with the narrative phrases. The only method not used was the arrangement for choir.

Jag bifogar en mp3-fil med övergångarna mellan låtarna samt de 4 låtarna jag arbetat med. 

Musiker, låtskrivare, producent och mixare: Frida Holmgren Övriga musiker:Martin Axelsson, Oscar Treitler, Emma Beskow, Jonna Inge, Caroline Waldemarsson, Olle Roberg, Karolin Engman

Dès la fin des années vingt, certains cinéastes et compositeurs, proches des milieux d'avant-garde, s'emparent des possibilités offertes par l'apparition de la piste optique et des nombreuses manipulations du son qui en découlent. Variations de la vitesse de défilement du son, inversion, partition rétrograde, nouvelle lutherie électronique, synthèse optique, transformation et montage ds bruits, autant de techniques qui se déploient aprés la révolution du cinéma sonore. Loin de concerner l'ensemble de la production cinématographique, ces dispositifs n'en constituent pas moins une nouvelle manière de concevoir et de penser le son et ce, dans tous les genres cinématographiques, du cinéma de fiction, aux films documentaires , du cinéma d'animation aux films expérimentaux, etc. Après 1950, ces procédés électroacoustiques ne cessent de prendre de l'importance en particulier dans le cadre du Service de la Recherche de l'ORTF (Office de Radio Télévison Française) dirigé par Pierre Schaeffer, ainsi que dans les principaux courants artistiques comme la mouvance synesthésique, les films d'auteurs, le cinéma structurel, les films de Found Footage, le déconstructivisme. Cette étude révèle non seulement une nouvelle lecture historique en ce qui concerne l'apparition puis le développement des procédés électroacoustiques au cinéma, mais aussi la question de leur fonction signifiante
With the end of the twenties, some avant-garde cineasts and composers began to use the potentialities of the newly invented opiticaltrack, wich permitted many sound manipulations. Changes of speed in sound reading, reversion, "retrograde score", new electronic instruments, optical synthesis, transformations and edition of noise, so many techniques that spread out along with the revolution of sounded cinema. These devices, although not always used by the whole cinematographic production, are no less a new way of composing sound, regardles of cinematographic categories: fiction, documentaries, animation, experimental movies. After 1950, this electroacoustic processes become more and more common, particulary in the "Service de la Recherche de l'ORTF" (French Radio Television Office) under the direction of Pierre Schaeffer. There are also used by the most prominent artistic scholls such as synesthesist movement, author films, structural cinema, Found Footage, and deconstructivism. This study unfolds a new historic vision of the birth and developpement of electroacoustic medias in cinema, along with an examination of their signifying function

L'objet d'étude de ce travail de recherche est la dimension sonore de l'espace urbain. Nous nous sommes fixés les objectifs suivants : proposer une réflexion sur Ie traitement des sons de la ville, évaluer l'opportunité d'intégrer les normes qui reglementent Ie niveau de bruit, définir, si possible, des critères d'intervention pour un projet de l'environnement construit sensible aux données sonores. La méthodologie que nous avons engagé a été de considérer des points de vue différents, dans I'intention d'ordonner des expérimentations heterogenes tirées des domaines de la musique, de I'architecture, de l'urbanisme et de I'art public, et d'établir des liens entre les différentes disciplines. La thèse est divisée en trois parties: la première concerne les sons urbains ; la deuxième les étudie par rapport à l'environnement, la troisième examine les méthodes utilisées dans Ie projet d'architecture

Orphée de Pierre Henry et Pierre Schaeffer, passe surtout pour être connu comme le premier opéra de musique concrète, faisant intervenir dès 1951, une chanteuse seule sur scène, face à une partie musicale fixée sur bande magnétique (Orphée 51 ou Toute la lyre). Souvent évoquée, mais rarement analysée, la portée de ce geste créateur s'éclipse fréquemment face au scandale retentissant que la seconde version de cette oeuvre provoque, deux ans plus tard, au festival de musique contemporaine de Donaueschingen, en Allemagne (Orphée 53). En outre, la consultation de nombreuses pièces d'archives privées nous apprend qu'au delà de ces deux incunables, les deux compositeurs, en dépit de leurs divergences méthodologiques et esthétiques, declinent indépendamment Orphée en une multitude de versions corollaires : palimpseste jusqu'alors inexploré et traversant pourtant la deuxième moitié du XXème siècle. Par circonvolution, il sera démontré que la figure du palimpseste peut être étendue à un corpus d'oeuvres plus large que celui pressenti initialement ; puisque certains des sons les plus emblématiques d'Orphée entretiennent des relations d'équivalences avec d'autres, puisés pourtant dans des opus a priori isolés de Pierre Henry et espacés pour certains de plusieurs dizaines d'années. Cette démarche, éclairée du point de vue méthodologique à travers le prisme connexionniste, vise finalement à révéler les premiers jalons d'un processus de composition extrêmement complexe, propre à ce compositeur : fondée sur un système d'indexation par taxums de l'ensemble de ses sons, cette approche engendre et favorise, de fait, une écriture profondément autogénérationnelle
Pierre Henry and Pierre Schaeffer wrote Orphée, a masterpiece primarily known as the first opera of concrete music. In 1951, it already brought into play a singer alone on stage, with a musical backing recorded on a magnetic tape (Orphée 51 or Toute la lyre). Often mentioned but rarely analyzed, this act of creativity is often eclipsed by the scandal that the second version of this work caused two years later, at the Contemporary Music Festival of Donaueschingen in Germany (Orphée 53). Despite their methodological and aesthetic differences, the two composers declined Orphée in many corollary versions that can be found in private archives : palimpsest that remained inexplored during the second half of the twentieth century. By circumvolution, it show that the concept of palimpsest can be extended to a larger than originally anticipated ensemble of works, since some of the most iconic sounds of Orphée show equivalence relationships with sounds from other Pierre Henry's isolated works, which are sometimes separated by tens of years. We use the connectionist approach to reveal the first steps of an extremely complex process of composition, which is unique to Pierre Henry. It is based on an indexing system of all of its sounds, and supports a self-generational writing

The principal objective of this dissertation is to discuss music for unaccompanied trumpet and trumpet and tape composed after 1965. The discussion of these works will emphasize a method of preparation for each work. New techniques and effects that modern-day trumpet players will need to master will be pursued with relationship to each composition under consideration. Each chapter is dedicated to one composition. The introductory chapter discusses the execution of difficult leaps which is one of the most common challenges in the majority of modern trumpet music. Technique books and general suggestions in the improvement of this technique are emphasized. Chapter II features comments on Malcolm Arnold's Fantasy for Flat Trumpet which is the most "traditional" composition of the five works being surveyed. In Chapter III, Robert Henderson's Variation Movements, 1967 is discussed. The work has components of serialism which give way to tonally motivic material. The piece lends itself to a detailed analysis, although, for this purpose, a rather general discussion with some detail will make the musical decisions clearer. The fourth chapter discusses Stan Friedman's Solus. This composition features the use of pedal tones, aleatoric events, the open-tubing technique, tremolos, and slide glissandi. Some analysis as well as practice and performance suggestions are included in this chapter. Chapter V focuses on a work by John Elmsly entitled Triptych for trumpet and tape. In addition to some analysis of the work there are performance suggestions to enable synchronization between trumpet and tape. Chapter VI features Lucia Dlugoszewski's Space is a Diamond, the most experimental composition of the five being discussed. Innovative techniques utilized in the work include percussive bubble, glissando, flutter-tonguing, ricochet glissando, flap-tonguing, and whistle tone. New notational indications are also discussed. The examination of these compositions demonstrates increased technical demands and analytical skills that will be required by trumpet players
Arts, Faculty of
Music, School of
Graduate

Pierre Jodlowski's Works Based on Colour consist of three pieces: Série Noire (2005), Série Blanche (2007), and Série Rose (2012) pour piano et dispositif électroacoustique. According to the composer, "each colour provides an opportunity to investigate a particular link of music with imagery." The pieces serve as a musical representation of cinematic elements through the synchronization of music and sound effects. The musical language of the cycle draws influences from various sources including the music of expressionism, musique concrète, as well as standard soundtrack scoring. The intermingling of various melodies, harmonies, and rhythms creates a synthesis between the piano and the electroacoustic soundtrack (tape).In Pierre Jodlowski's Works Based on Colour, he seeks to form an interdisciplinary collaboration between music and visual multimedia. The composer's interest in cinematography and mental processes is evident through his selective mixing of audio effects, sounds (real sounds versus synthesized sounds), and piano. According to Jodlowski the visual aspects, or mise-en-scène, of cinema should surface in the minds of the listener after hearing each of the works. Jodlowski's method of mixing involves several techniques: the insertion of fragments of dialogue from various films, tinkering with inanimate objects, pre-recorded sounds of nature, and the distortion of sonic effects and instrumentation. Aside from the use of color as a symbol, Jodlowski's cycle contains extra-musical ideas that cover a wide range of cinematic themes, including atmospheric elements of film noir, the gradual shifts and changes in our mental processes, as well as love discourse and sex from erotic cinema and pornography. Jodlowski's Works Based on Colour stirs the listener's imagination through the clear delineation of contrasting sections, the dialogue-like interaction between the tape and the piano, and the inclusion of dialogue and sound effects from various films. A performer should have knowledge of cinematic elements, understand the purpose of cinematic concepts and their significance for a cinematic viewer, and recognize their function in Jodlowski's works before performing the Works Based on Colour.

For most, the spoken word holds no more, and no less, an interest other than the implied meaning of the word, while for others, the interest lies in the inherent wealth of sonic substance in that sound. This study is focused on the composers Paul Lansky and Trevor Wishart, their compositions and the compositional processes whereby which they utilise the wealth of sonic possibilities inherent in the human voice in general and in particular the sound of the spoken word in everyday speech and conversations. Focusing in particular on Lansky’s Smalltalk (1988) and Wishart’s Vox 5 (1986), the majority of the content is concentrated on exploring issues of inspiration and origin, contexts of use and compositional aims, and the technology, procedures and techniques related to the electroacoustic compositions of Lansky and Wishart, as well as on the technological developments directly and indirectly brought about by both composers in their efforts to achieve the results that they desired.

Les recherches entreprises sur Olivier Messiaen présentent encore de nombreuses lacunes bien que cet artiste figure parmi les compositeurs les plus connus et les plus influents du XXe siècle. Puisant à des sources primaires négligées dans les Archives nationales, la Médiathèque du CNSMDP, la fondation Sacher et des collections privées, cette thèse se penche sur trois aspects mal connus de cette figure phare de la modernité : la formation musicale de Messiaen au Conservatoire national de Paris pendant les années 1920 et les liens de sa musique avec les traditions pédagogiques de cet établissement, le développement de sa technique d’emprunt, de transformation et de juxtaposition des musiques préexistantes dans son œuvre pendant les années 1930 et 1940 et, enfin, ses expériences dans les domaines de la musique microtonale et de la musique concrète. Ce travail met en évidence plusieurs œuvres oubliées du compositeur et reconsidère notre compréhension de sa manière de composer
Despite his place of privilege among the best-known and most influential composers of the twentieth century, the state of current research on Olivier Messiaen leaves much room for development. This study focuses on three understudied aspects of this major modern figure drawing from neglected primary sources in the French National Archives, the Mediathèque of the Paris Conservatory, the Sacher Stiftung, and private collections, notably 1º Messiaen’s eductation at the Paris Conservatory during the 1920s and the relationship of his music to the institutions pedagogical traditions, 2º the development of Messiaen’s technique of borrowing, transforming and juxtaposing pre-existing music in his compositions during the 1930s and 1940s, and finally, 3º Messiaen’s experimentation in the domains of microtonal music and musique concrète. The current study brings to light many of the composer’s forgotten or lesser-known works and reconsiders our understanding of how he composed

Cette version de la thèse a été tronquée des certains éléments protégés par le droit d’auteur. Une version plus complète est disponible en ligne pour les membres de la communauté de l’Université de Montréal et peut aussi être consultée dans une des bibliothèques UdeM.
Si Norman McLaren (1914-1987) œuvre principalement dans le domaine onirique de l’animation, David Cronenberg (1943-), parfois surnommé « The Baron of Blood », réalise des films de fiction appartenant à un genre singulier qu’il a lui-même développé, celui de « l’horreur intérieure ». Que peuvent donc partager ces deux cinéastes aux univers a priori si distincts ? Chacun a construit une relation à long terme avec un compositeur : Maurice Blackburn (1914-1988) pour le premier, Howard Shore (1946-) pour le second. Mais si les univers des deux réalisateurs ont été maintes fois investigués, l’apport de leurs compositeurs respectifs demeure peu examiné. Or, d’un univers à l’autre, la musique semble jouer un rôle de toute première importance, chacun des compositeurs étant impliqué très tôt dans le processus cinématographique. Cette implication précoce dans la création collective est indicatrice de la place et du rôle centraux qu’occupent Blackburn et Shore et leur musique au sein de l’œuvre de McLaren, d’une part, et de Cronenberg, de l’autre. De la sorte, les partitions semblent ne pouvoir être considérées comme une simple illustration sonore des films, mais comme une composante tout à fait fondamentale, relançant dès lors la question du rôle de la musique au cinéma : comment le définir ? En outre, au fil de la rencontre continue sur plusieurs films, musique et cinéma en sont venus à un entrelacement tel qu’un style singulier de musicalisation des images se serait développé : quels sont les traits qui définissent ce style ? D’une collaboration à l’autre, cette thèse cherche à établir une poïétique de la création musico-filmique ; elle cherche à décrire et à comprendre les processus créateurs filmique et musical qui déterminent la composition d’une musique de film et, plus encore, une musicalité de tout le complexe audio-visuel. À travers des portraits examinant la pratique et le discours des créateurs et quatre analyses de bandes sonores (A Phantasy de Norman McLaren, Jour après jour de Clément Perron, Crash et A Dangerous Method de David Cronenberg), des liens se tissent peu à peu entre les pensées et les pratiques des deux compositeurs qui développent des stratégies similaires et originales face aux problèmes que leur posent les œuvres de McLaren (l’indissociabilité de la musique et de l’image) et de Cronenberg (la « transformation de l’esthétique humaine »). D’un binôme à l’autre, le cinéma se transforme en un laboratoire musico-filmique où chacun élabore une « méthode dangereuse » qui force l’analyste à explorer de nouvelles avenues méthodologiques.
Norman McLaren’s (1914-1987) animation work evokes a primarily dream-like world. David Cronenberg (1943-), also sometimes known as the “Baron of Blood,” makes fiction films that belong to a singular genre he developed: the “inner horror.” So what can these two filmmakers possibly have in common? They both built a long-term relationship with composers: Maurice Blackburn (1914-1988) for the former and Howard Shore (1946-) for the latter. Though the distinct approaches of these two directors have been widely studied, the weight of the contributions of their respective composers remains largely unmeasured. And this, despite the fact that music seems to play a primary role in these two directors’ process since, in each instance, the composer is involved very early on. This unusually early involvement of the composer, and the ongoing collaboration it entails, are indicative of the central place and role held by Blackburn and Shore’s music in McLaren’s work on the one hand, and Cronenberg’s on the other. This considered, their scores must no longer be seen as direct sound illustration of the films, but rather as essential components of the films, even though such a stance forces us to rethink how we define the role of music in film. Furthermore, from film to film, music and cinema become so intertwined that a singular style of musicalization of the image develops, begging the question: what are the characteristics of this style? From one collaboration to the other, this thesis seeks to establish a poietic of film-music creation; it looks to describe the cinematic and musical creative processes that determine the composition of film music and, beyond that, the musicality of the entire audio-visual complex. Through portraits that investigate the practice and discourse of creators and through the analysis of four soundtracks (A Phantasy by Norman McLaren, Day After Day by Clément Perron, Crash and A Dangerous Method by David Cronenberg), the thoughts and practices of the two composers, who develop similar innovative strategies to solve the problems posed by the works of McLaren (the inseparability of music and image) and Cronenberg (the “transformation of human aesthetics”), are gradually connected. From one duo to another, cinema becomes a musical and cinematic laboratory where each develops a “dangerous method” which forces the analyst to explore new methodological avenues.

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2001. Graduate Programme in Music.
Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-66). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ66393.

This research project explores a direction in the formation of sound and image. In the creation of a series of 'moving paintings' I bring together pieces of moving image and sound using techniques derived from musique concr??te. I have coined the term 'moving painting' to describe these sound/image objects that have grown out of an attention to the form, activity, rhythm and texture of sound and image. This project develops from an understanding that sound and image can be constructed on their own terms as opposed to being organised by specific plot devices. This text offers a context for the formation of these moving paintings and outlines the systems of construction that bring them forth from noise. Firstly, I identify sound and its emergence from noise. Secondly, I address the formation of sound into music within a community. And lastly, I use these ideas to form systems for organising visual imagery. In doing this, I present a series of audiovisual works in which sound and image are woven together to form moving paintings.

abstract: Throughout history composers and artists have been inspired by the natural world. Nature's influence on music is extraordinary, though water in particular, has had a unique magnetic pull. The large number of compositions dealing with water, from Handel's Water Music (1717) to Ros Bandt's and Leah Barclay's Rivers Talk (2012), reflects this continuous fascination. Since the late 1940s, composers have ventured further and brought actual sounds from the environment, including water recorded on tape, into the musical arena. Moreover, since the 1960s, some composers have nudged their listeners to become more ecologically aware. Much skepticism exists, as with any unconventional idea in history, and as a result compositions belonging to this realm of musique concrète are not as widely recognized and examined as they should be. In this thesis, I consider works of three composers: Annea Lockwood, Eve Beglarian, and Leah Barclay, who not only draw inspiration from nature, but also use their creativity to call attention to pristine environments. All three composers embrace the idea that music can be broadly defined and use technology as a tool to communicate their artistic visions. These artists are from three different countries and represent three generations of composers who set precedents for a new way of composing, listening to, performing, and thinking about music and the environment. This thesis presents case studies of Lockwood's A Sound Map of the Danube River, Beglarian's Mississippi River Project, and Barclay's Sound Mirrors. This thesis draws on unpublished correspondence with the composers, analytical theories of R. Murray Schafer, Barry Truax, and Martijn Voorvelt, among others, musicological publications, eco-critical and environmental studies by Al Gore, Bill McKibben, and Vandana Shiva, as well as research by feminist scholars. As there is little written on music and nature from an eco-critical and eco-feminist standpoint, this thesis will contribute to the recognition of significant figures in contemporary music that might otherwise be overlooked. In this study I maintain that composers and sound artists engage with sounds in ways that reveal aspects of particular places, and their attitudes toward these places to lead listeners toward a greater ecological awareness.
Dissertation/Thesis
M.A. Music 2012

Time for Bee consists of a series of ten original musical/theatrical compositions created between September 1992 and January 1994, first performed on the evening of January 28, 1994 in the Recital Hall of the University of British Columbia. While each of the works can be performed individually, it was the composer’s intent to create a recital which is logical in its progression. This should suggest that in some way the pieces belong together as a larger whole. The concept of “waiting” circulates throughout all the works, in the sense that the actual material is either minimalist (and so one is forced to “wait” for changes), or the philosophy behind a given piece is similarly based, but may not be evident in the sounding music. The studies in the music machine, for example, try to incorporate necessary stage changes between pieces (and the waiting the audience goes through) into musical events about such waiting. A secondary interest concerns the concept of contradiction. The majority of the works are, for example, based upon high-sounding textures (flute, violin, clarinet, high piano and mallets, etc). The studies in the music machine attempt to introduce low-sounding textures as a contrast, however, and throughout the recital a timpani and a bass drum sit off to the side of the stage, unplayed. These ideas, and others, are meant to serve as a contradiction to the unified high-sounding textures of the majority of the recital. Individual pieces are similarly based upon concepts of contradiction and waiting. Memory, as a concept, plays a prominent role in several pieces as well.