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Treatise on Musical Objects

An Essay across Disciplines
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( 35 ratings, 4 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Treatise on Musical Objects is Pierre Schaeffer's seminal work exploring the intersection of music and technology. Building on his pioneering research in musique concrète, Schaeffer formulates a methodology for engaging with sounds informed by his experience in radio and recording studios. The book synthesises insights from acoustics, physics, physiology, philosophy, and the dynamic between subject and object, presenting a comprehensive theoretical framework for music composition.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$8599
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This work is ideal for readers interested in music theory, electroacoustic music, sound studies, and the philosophy of music, including composers, researchers, and students in the arts and culture fields.

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The "Treatise on Musical Objects" by Pierre Schaeffer is regarded as his most important work on music and its relationship with technology. Drawing on acoustics, physics, and physiology, but also philosophy and the relationship between subject and object, this book summarizes his theoretical and practical work in music composition.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Treatise on Musical Objects is regarded as Pierre Schaeffer’s most important work on music and its relationship with technology. Schaeffer expands his earlier research in musique concrète to suggest a methodology of working with sounds based on his experiences in radio broadcasting and the recording studio.

Drawing on acoustics, physics, and physiology, but also on philosophy and the relationship between subject and object, Schaeffer’s essay summarises his theoretical and practical work in music composition. Translators Christine North and John Dack present an important book in the history of ideas in Europe that will resonate far beyond electroacoustic music.

Series: California Studies in 20th-Century Music

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  • In Search of a Concrete Music
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  • Treatise on Musical Objects
    Treatise on Musical Objects is regarded as Pierre Schaeffer’s most important work on music and its relationship with technology. Schaeffer expands his earlier research in musique concrète to suggest a methodology of working with sounds based on his experiences in radio broadcasting and the recording studio. Drawing on acoustics, physics, and physiology, but also on philosophy and the relationship between...
    Paperback
    $8599
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

According to the Association for Recorded Sound Collections Journal, the English translation by Christine North and John Dack is highly effective, capturing the full impact of Schaeffer’s original text for English-speaking audiences.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520294301

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 25 July 2017

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Illustration: 6 music ex, 7 b-w halftones, 5

Contributors:

  • Translated by Christine North
  • Translated by John Dack

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 38.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 907g

Pages: 624

About the Author

Composer, writer, electronic engineer, administrator Pierre Schaeffer (1910-1995) was the inventor of musique concrete created by combining and manipulating recorded sounds (rather than being played on conventional musical instruments). Christine North studied French at Oxford University and subsequently became a Senior Lecturer in French at Middlesex University before working currently as a translator of French poetry and academic texts. John Dack is Senior Lecturer in Music and Technology. He works at the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries and the Faculty of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London, UK.

Also by Pierre Schaeffer

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  • In Search of a Concrete Music
    Pierre Schaeffer's In Search of a Concrete Music (À la recherche d'une musique concrète) 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'être of "concrete music"—is available for the first time in English translation. Schaeffer's theories...
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