MUS2054 Spring 2007
Pre-WWII Electroacoustic Music

Persistent interest in music, technology, and sound
o Acoustics
 Ling Lun (2700 B.C.) Chinese pentatonic and chromatic scales
 Pythagoras (600 B.C.) numerical frequency ratios to pitch intervals
 Ptolemy (2nd c.) Ptolematic Sequence (diatonic scale)
 Vitruvius (Rome) curved back-shell of the stage
 Francesco de Salinas (16th c.) Italy developed meantone tuning
 Marin Mersenne (17th c.) speed of sound
 Arp Schnitger (17th c.) equal temperament
o Instruments
 Don Nicola Vincentino 16th c. Arcicembalo (31 tones per octave)
 Jean-Baptiste de La Borde 1759 Clavecin Electrique (carillon)
 Luigi Russolo 1913 Intonarumori
 Nikolay Obhukov 1918 inaudible instrument Ether
 Harry Partch 1950’s Marimba Eroica
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOHBqFevy0k
o Extending timbre of the existing instruments/ensembles
 Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School (Sprechstimme)
 Stravinsky 1913 Rite of Spring
 Erik Satie 1917 Parade controversial noise-filled work 1031
 Kurt Schwitters 1922-32 Ursonate
 Respighi 1924 Pines of Rome use of recorded nightingale sounds
 Henry Cowell 1925 Banshee 1306
 George Antheil 1926 Ballet Mechanique use of airplane jet
 Varese 1929 Ionisation 2120
 Alexandr Scriabin 1908 Prometheus (color organ), Mysterium (never
finished; colors, scents)
o Recontextualizing silence
 Cage 1952 4’33”
Technology in Music
 Elisha Gray 1874 Musical Telegraph
 Thaddeus Cahill 1897 Telharmonium (200 Tons)
 William Duddell 1899 Singing Arc
 Lee De Forest 1915 Audion
 Leon Theremin 1920 Theremin, Rhythmicon
o Clara Rockmore 345
o Beach Boys (Brian Wilson) Good Vibrations
 Jörg Mager 1926 Sphärophon
 Frederich Trautwein 1928 Ondes Martenot and Trautonium (Hindemith)
Recording/cataloguing of music
 Thomas Edison 1877 Tinfoil cylinder phonograph first recording (Mary Had a Little
Lamb)
 Charles Tainter 1881 first lateral-cut records
o 1885 Wax cylinder
 Bela Bartok
 1888 first gramophone
 1925 first electrically-recorded discs
 1928 first magnetic tape (Dr. Fritz Pfleumer)
o 1932 first plastic tape
 1935 magnetophone (arrives to US in 1945)
What follows is “emancipation of timbre.”
Factors for proliferation of Electroacoustic Music:
 Advent of new technology
 Affordability
 Ability to record/catalog music
 Recontextualization of sound
 Breakdown of tonality
Supporting playback materials:
 Schwitters Ursonate
o http://www.ubu.com/historical/schwitters/ursonate.html
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSLMjx29TAs
 CD 1306 Cowell Banshee
 CD 2120 Varese Ionisation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9mg4KHqRPw
 CD 345 Rockmore Theremin
 CD 1031 Satie Parade
 Video 5079 (Theremin lessons)