In Search of a Concrete Music

Pierre Schaeffer's In Search of a Concrete Music (A la recherche d'une musique concrete) 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'etre 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.

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.