musique concrète
Tape-based sound art
Musique concrète is a form of experimental music that uses recorded sounds as raw material rather than traditional musical notes.
Developed in France in the late 1940s, it manipulates sounds from the environment—machinery, voices, natural noises—through techniques like splicing, speed alteration, and reversal.
The approach treats any recorded sound as a legitimate compositional element: The piece incorporated musique concrète passages of train whistles and breaking glass.
Grooved disc audio player
- microphoneAudio input device
- loudspeakerSound amplification device
- studioCreative professional's workspace
- multi-trackHaving multiple parallel paths
Ambient sonic environments
- abstractCondensed version of text
- textureSurface tactile quality
- timbreSound's distinctive character
- non-narrativeWithout chronological storyline
Moving in circles
- cut-upHabitual joker or clown
- montageAssembled sequence of images
- collageAssembled mixed-media artwork
- layeringForming successive strata
mixing · editing · dubbing · diffusion · time-stretching · reversal · filtering · overdubbing
Innovative cultural pioneers
- experimentalismPreference for untried approaches
- modernismFavoring contemporary approaches
- post-warAfter military conflict ends
- ParisianOf France's capital
phonograph
Grooved disc audio player
- microphoneAudio input device
- loudspeakerSound amplification device
- studioCreative professional's workspace
multi-track · oscillator · reel-to-reel · electroacoustic · transducer
soundscapes
Ambient sonic environments
looping
Moving in circles
- cut-upHabitual joker or clown
- montageAssembled sequence of images
- collageAssembled mixed-media artwork
layering · mixing · editing · dubbing · diffusion · time-stretching · reversal · filtering · overdubbing
avant-garde
Innovative cultural pioneers
- experimentalismPreference for untried approaches
- modernismFavoring contemporary approaches
- post-warAfter military conflict ends
noise
Unwanted auditory disturbance
- percussionSound through impact
musique concrèteinstrumental music
Music without vocals
acoustic music · orchestral music · chamber music · traditional music · classical music
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