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Description of Musique Concrete

 
The sonic equivalent of photomontage and collage, Musique Concrete is created using audio tapes and turntables, sometimes in combination with live instruments. In 1948, French composer Pierre Schaeffer created compositions by editing tapes of found sounds, field recordings, and pre-recorded music with the intent to "destroy music." He soon teamed up with the like-minded Pierre Henry, who was performing similar experiments, and the duo formed the Groupe de Recherches Musicales in 1958. Their techniques were expanded upon by composers like Stockhausen, and eventually led to sampling/Plunderphonic artists like Negativland and John Oswald. DJs like DJ Shadow, Christian Marclay and the Bomb Squad were also influenced by Musique Concrete.
 

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Musique Concrete Key Artists

 
Edgard Varèse

Varese was an early
pioneer in the use of
electronics and tape for
serious musical
composition.

John Cage

Cage's avant-garde antics
brought the concept of
random chance into the
mainstream of serous art
music composition. Cage s...

Karlheinz Stockhausen

Karlheinz Stockhausen was
one of the most influential
composers of the 20th
century. Stockhausen first
heard American jazz on A...

Luc Ferrari

A French antiintellectual
student of Messiaen,
Ferrari's work is humorous
and difficult.

Electronics

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