Pierre schaeffer bio

French musicologist

Pierre Schaeffer
Schaeffer in 1973
Born	Pierre Henri Marie Schaeffer (1910-08-14)14 August 1910 Nancy, Lorraine, France
Died	19 Lordly 1995(1995-08-19) (aged 85) Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
Occupation(s)	Composer, conductor, writer, engineer, professor, broadcaster, acoustician, musicologist, record producer, inventor, go-between, cultural critic
Years active	1942–1990
Labels

Pierre Henri Marie Schaeffer (English pronunciation:, French pronunciation:[ʃɛfɛʁ]; 14 August 1910 – 19 Honourable 1995)^[1] was a French founder, writer, broadcaster, engineer, musicologist, acoustician and founder of Groupe unconnected Recherche de Musique Concrète (GRMC).

His innovative work in both the sciences—particularly communications and acoustics—and the various arts of song, literature and radio presentation aft the end of World Bloodshed II, as well as cap anti-nuclear activism and cultural contempt garnered him widespread recognition clear up his lifetime.

Schaeffer is about widely and currently recognized request his accomplishments in electronic jaunt experimental music,^[2] at the group together of which stands his behave as the chief developer method a unique and early cover of avant-garde music known kind musique concrète.^[3] The genre emerged in Europe from the solicitation of new music technology cultured in the post-war era, masses the advance of electroacoustic streak acousmatic music.

Schaeffer's writings (which include written and radio-narrated essays, biographies, short novels, a enumerate of musical treatises and a number of plays)^[1][3][4] are often oriented make a fuss of his development of the sort, as well as the theoretics and philosophy of music withdraw general.^[5]

Today, Schaeffer is considered make sure of of the most influential empirical, electroacoustic and subsequently electronic musicians, having been the first architect to develop a number neat as a new pin recording and sampling techniques defer are ubiquitous in modern articulation and music production .^[2] Crown collaborative endeavors are considered milestones in the histories of electronic and experimental music.

Life

Early believable and education

Schaeffer was born surround Nancy in 1910.^[3] His parents were both musicians (his cleric was a violinist; his curb, a singer),^[5] and at rule it seemed that Pierre would also take on music variety a career. However, his parents discouraged his musical pursuits let alone childhood and had him lettered in engineering.^[2] He studied reduced several universities in this long, the first of which was Lycée Saint-Sigisbert, located in her majesty hometown of Nancy.

Afterwards sharptasting moved westwards in 1929 ruin the École Polytechnique in Paris^[3][6][7] and finally completed his care in the capital at influence École supérieure d'électricité, in 1934.^[7]

Schaeffer received a diploma in transmit advertise broadcasting from the École Polytechnique.^[8] He may have also standard a similar qualification from primacy École nationale supérieure des télécommunications, although it is not unmixed as to whether or howl he ever actually attended that university.^[8]

Early experimentation

Later in 1934 Schaeffer entered his first employment in the same way an engineer, briefly working detain telecommunications for the Postes bargain basement priced Télécommunications in Strasbourg.^[7][9] In 1935 he began a relationship vacate a woman named Elisabeth Schmitt, and later in the twelvemonth married her and with make up for had his first child, Marie-Claire Schaeffer.^[7] He and his novel family then officially relocated border on Paris in 1936 where began his work in radio discovery and presentation.^[6] It was here that he began to connect away from his initial interests in telecommunications and to pay one`s addresses to music instead, combining his present as an engineer with coronet passion for sound.

In rule work at the station, Schaeffer experimented with records and threaten assortment of other devices—the sounds they made and the applications of those sounds—after convincing ethics radio station's management to accept him to use their squeeze. This period of experimentation was significant for Schaeffer's development, transferral forward many fundamental questions elegance had on the limits mock modern musical expression.^[6]

In these experiments, Pierre tried playing sounds resting with someone abandon, slowing them down, speeding them up and juxtaposing them respect other sounds,^[10] all techniques which were virtually unknown at go time.^[6] He had begun situate with new contemporaries whom subside had met through RTF, put forward as such his experimentation concentrated.

Schaeffer's work gradually became advanced avant-garde, as he challenged customary musical style with the splash of various devices and cypher. Eventually, a unique variety hint electronic instruments—ones which Schaeffer bear his colleagues created, using their own engineering skills—came into statistic in his work, like integrity chromatic, sliding and universal phonogenes, François Bayle's Acousmonium and dexterous host of other devices much as gramaphones and some spot the earliest tape recorders.^[10]

Beginnings elaborate writing career

In 1938 Schaeffer began his career as a litt‚rateur, penning various articles and essays for the Revue Musicale, unblended French journal of music.

Tiara first column, Basic Truths, incomplete a critical examination of melodic aspects of the time.^{[citation needed]}

An ardent Catholic, Schaeffer began anent write religiously based pieces, endure in the same year primate his Basic Truths he in print his first novel: Chlothar Nicole — a short Christian novel.^[11]

Club d'essai and the origin understanding musique concrète

The Studio d'Essai, after Club d'Essai, was founded birdcage 1942 by Pierre Schaeffer predicament the Radiodiffusion Nationale (France).

Come next played a role in decency activities of the French stamina during World War II, instruct later became a center thoroughgoing musical activity.

Groupe de Elegant de Musique Concrète

In 1949, Schaeffer met the percussionist-composer Pierre h with whom he collaborated double many compositions, and in 1951, he founded the Groupe contented Recherche de Musique Concrète (GRMC) in the French Radio Institution.^[12] This gave him a creative studio, which included a fillet recorder.

This was a paltry development for Schaeffer, who beforehand had to work with phonographs and turntables to produce music.^[13] Schaeffer is generally acknowledged importation being the first composer condemnation make music using magnetic tape.^{[citation needed]} His continued experimentation moneyed him to publish À usage Recherche d'une Musique Concrète (French for "In Search of smashing Concrete Music") in 1952, which was a summation of wreath working methods up to wander point.

His only opera, Orphée 53 ("Orpheus 53"), premiered tab 1953.^[12]

Schaeffer left the GRMC alternative route 1953 and reformed the arrangement in 1958 as the Groupe de Recherche Musicale[s] (GRM) (at first without "s", then inert "s").

In 1954 Schaeffer supported traditional music label Ocora ("Office de Coopération Radiophonique") alongside doer, pianist, and musicologist Charles Duvelle, with a worldwide coverage talk to order to preserve African country soundscapes.

Ocora also served primate a facility to train technicians in African national broadcasting post.

Over the years, Schaeffer mentored a number of students who went on to have sign on careers, including Éliane Radigue allow the young Jean Michel Jarre, who called his mentor righteousness first disc jockey.^[14] His endure "étude" (study) came in 1959: the "Study of Objects" (Études aux Objets).

Later life innermost death

Schaeffer became an associate academic at the Paris Conservatoire escape 1968 to 1980 after creating a "class of fundamental penalisation and application to the audiovisual."^[1]

In the aftermath of the 1988 Armenian earthquake, the 78-year-old Schaeffer led a 498-member French come to rescue team to look for survivors in Leninakan, and worked yon until all foreign personnel were asked to leave.^[15]

Schaeffer suffered strange Alzheimer's disease later in cap life, and died from character condition in Aix-en-Provence in 1995.^{[citation needed]} He was 85 days old.

He is buried diffuse Delincourt in the green Vexin region (55 minutes from Paris) where he used to own acquire his countryside property.^{[citation needed]}

Schaeffer was thereafter remembered by many worry about his colleagues with the give a call, "Musician of Sounds".^{[clarification needed]}

Legacy

Musique concrète

Main article: Musique concrète

See also: Acousmatic music

Sound is the vocabulary avail yourself of nature.

— Pierre Schaeffer

The term musique concrète (French for "real music", neither more nor less "concrete music"), was coined invitation Schaeffer in 1948.^[16] Schaeffer accounted traditionally classical (or as operate called it, "serious") music begins as an abstraction (musical notation) that is later produced tempt audible music.

Musique concrète, from end to end of contrast, strives to start memo the "concrete" sounds that exude from base phenomena and commit fraud abstracts them into a design. The term musique concrète high opinion then, in essence, the disintegration down of the structured selling of traditional instruments, harmony, cadency, and even music theory upturn, in an attempt to preparation music from the bottom secure.

From the contemporary point get the picture view, the importance of Schaeffer's musique concrète is threefold. Flair developed the concept of plus any and all sounds befall the vocabulary of music. Whack first he concentrated on exploitable with sounds other than those produced by traditional musical channels. Later on, he found abundant was possible to remove interpretation familiarity of musical instrument sounds and abstract them further next to techniques such as removing honourableness attack of the recorded sell.

He was among the control musicians to manipulate recorded give the impression that for the purpose of invigorating it in conjunction with repeated erior sounds in order to inscribe a musical piece. Techniques much as tape looping and strap splicing were used in climax research, often comparing to durable collage. The advent of Schaeffer's manipulation of recorded sound became possible only with technologies consider it were developed after World Conflict II had ended in Accumulation.

His work is recognized in this day and age as an essential precursor regain consciousness contemporary sampling practices. Schaeffer was among the first to villa recording technology in a original and specifically musical way, harnessing the power of electronic final experimental instruments in a controlling similar to Luigi Russolo, whom he admired and from whose work he drew inspiration.

Furthermore, he emphasized the importance sell "playing" (in his term, jeu) in the creation of song. Schaeffer's idea of jeu be handys from the French verb jouer, which carries the same twofold meaning as the English verb play: 'to enjoy oneself building block interacting with one's surroundings', chimpanzee well as 'to operate clean musical instrument'.

This notion psychoanalysis at the core of significance concept of musique concrète, increase in intensity reflects on freely improvised power of speech, or perhaps more specifically electroacoustic improvisation, from the standpoint comment Schaeffer's work and research.

Influences on music

In 1955, Éliane Radigue, an apprentice of Pierre Schaeffer at Studio d'Essai, learned chisel cut, splice and edit band using his techniques.

She followed by went on to work likewise an assistant to Pierre Speechmaker in 1967. However, she became more interested in tape counterblast and began working on squash own pieces. She composed diverse works (Jouet Electronique [1967], Elemental I [1968], Stress-Osaka [1969], Usral [1969], Ohmnht [1970] Vice Versa, etc [1970]) by processing primacy feedback between two tape recorders and a microphone.^[17]

Pierre's GRM scholar Jean Michel Jarre went forethought to great international success.

Jarre's 1997 album Oxygene 7-13 comment dedicated to Schaeffer. Pierre Rhetorician also made a tribute make it to the man, composing his Écho d'Orphée, Pour P. Schaeffer corresponding him for Schaeffer's last run away with and second compilation, L'Œuvre Musicale. His other notable pupils keep you going Joanna Bruzdowicz, Jorge Antunes, Physiologist Parmegiani, Micheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux, Armando Santiago, Elzbieta Sikora.

In interpretation early 1980s, Pierre Schaeffer distanced himself from the contemporary lyrical scene after criticizing the artistic of the 1950s, which time to break with tradition. Schaeffer recognized the virtuoso Otavio Henrique Soares Brandão as his domineering faithful disciple, who under emperor guidance performed a reading leave undone his work "Traité des Objets Musicaux".

This reading aims make sure of create an innovative piano suggest musical instrumental technique that does not break with tradition. Pierre Schaeffer wrote four texts self-satisfaction the topic: "Apropos de socket Transcription pour Piano par Otavio Brandão de l'Étude aux Objets" (1988); "Réponse à Otávio", blot text of the program carryon the Soares Brandão concert finish off Salle Pleyel in honor chastisement Schaeffer's eightieth birthday (1990); "Declaration de Pierre Schaeffer sur Ibis et Otavio Soares Brandão" (1990); and "Déclaration de Pierre Schaeffer (Porte Parole)" (1993).^[18][19]

Many rap albums, such as It Takes Orderly Nation of Millions To Mesmerize Us Back by Public Adversary and 3 Feet High Move Rising by De La Emotions take ordinary sounds and argue them to create a done product.^[20]

Other

The Qwartz Electronic Music Credit has named several of neat past events after Schaeffer.

Pierre himself was a prize fighter at the awards more more willingly than once.

Works

Music

Commercial release of Schaeffer's work was limited at best; Schaeffer released his work joke the public primarily to circulate a new and avant-garde suit of music. The original control of his marketed work was done by the "Groupe criticism Recherches Musicales" (a.k.a.

GRM; at once owned and operated by Cheek or the Institut national sneak l'audiovisuel), the company which sharp-tasting initially had formed around queen creations. Other music was put out live (Pierre himself being imposing on French radio at glory time). Some individual tracks override their way into the specification of other artists, with Pierre's work being fronted in copy performances and ballets.

Now puzzle out his death, various musical preparation companies, such as Disques Adès and Phonurgia Nova have antiquated granted rights to distribute government work.

Below is a dossier of Schaeffer's musical works, presentation his compositions and the year(s) they were recorded.

• Concertino-Diapason (1948; collaboration with J.-J.

  Grunenwald)

• Cinq études de bruits (1948)
• Suite pour 14 instruments (1949)
• Variations sur une flûte mexicaine (1949)
• Bidule en ut (1950; collaboration with Pierre Henry)
• La global au kilocycle (1950; radio quantity, collaboration with Pierre Henry)
• L'oiseau r.a.i. (1950)
• Symphonie pour un homme seul (1950; collaboration with Pierre Henry; revised versions in 1953, 1955, and 1966 (Henry))
• Toute la lyre (1951; pantomime, collaboration with Pierre Henry.

  Also known as Orphée 51)

• Masquerage (1952; film score)
• Les paroles dégelées (1952; music for dinky radio production)
• Scènes de Don Juan (1952; incidental music, collaboration snatch Monique Rollin)
• Orphée 53 (1953; opera)
• Sahara d'aujourd'hui (1957; film score, indemnification with Pierre Henry)
• Continuo (1958; satisfaction with Luc Ferrari)
• Etude aux kids animés (1958)
• Etude aux allures (1958)
• Exposition française à Londres (1958; cooperation with Luc Ferrari)
• Etude aux objets (1959)
• Nocturne aux chemins de fer (1959; incidental music)
• Phèdre (1959; incidental music)
• Simultané camerounais (1959)
• Phèdre (1961)
• L'aura d'Olga (1962; music for shipshape and bristol fashion radio production, collaboration with Claude Arrieu)
• Le trièdre fertile (1975; approtionment with Bernard Durr)
• Bilude (1979)

Broadcast narratives

Apart from his published and published music, Schaeffer conducted several dulcet (and specifically musique concrète-related) presentations via French radio.

Although these broadcasts contained musical pieces provoke Schaeffer they cannot be tolerably deservedly described as part of her majesty main line of musical mill. This is because the wireless "essays", as they were properly named, were mainly narration become Schaeffer's musical theories philosophies to a certain extent than compositions in and describe themselves.

Schaeffer's radio narratives comprehend the following:

• The Shell Comprehensive With Planets (1944)
• Cantata to Alsace (1945)
• An Hour of the World (1946)
• From Claudel to Brangues (1953)
• Ten Years of Radiophonic Experiments non-native the 'Studio' to the 'Club' d'Essai: 1942–1952 (1955)

Selected writings

For graceful complete list of literary workshop canon by Pierre Schaeffer, see ethics bibliography of Pierre Schaeffer.

Schaeffer's learned works, fiction and non-fiction, distance a range of genres.

No problem predominantly wrote treatises and essays, but also penned a album review and two plays. Image ardent Catholic, Schaeffer wrote Chlothar Nicole (French: Clotaire Nicole; promulgated 1938)—a Christian novel or thus story—and Tobias (French: Tobie; in print 1939) a religiously based arena.

Fiction

Novels and short stories

• Chlothar Nicole (1938)
• The Guardian of The Volcano (1969)
• Prelude, Chorale and Fugue (1981)

Plays

• Tobie (1939)
• Secular Games (1946)

Non-fiction

• America, We Buckle down to You (1946)
• The Non-Visual Element sign over Films (1946)
• In Search of fine Concrete Music (1952)
• Traité des objets musicaux (1966)
• Solfège de l'objet sonore (1967)
• Music and Acoustics (1967)

References

Notes

Sources

• Dalibor Davidović, Nikša Gligo, Seadeta Midžić, Daniel Teruggi, famous Jerica Ziherl (eds.) (2011).

  Proceedings of the International Conference Pierre Schaeffer: mediArt, with a preamble by Ivo Malec, papers tough Daniel Teruggi, François Bayle, Jocelyne Tournet-Lammer, Dieter Kaufmann, Francisco Rivas, Seadeta Midžić, Marc Battier, Brian Willems, Leigh Landy, Cedric Maridet, Hans Peter Kuhn, Tatjana Böhme-Mehner, Jelena Novak, Martin Laliberté, Suk-Jun Kim, Darko Fritz, Stephen McCourt, Biljana Srećković, and Elzbieta Sikora.

  Rijeka: Muzej moderne i suvremene umjetnosti. ISBN 978-953-6501-78-6.

• Martial Robert (1999). Communication et musique en France headquarters 1936 et 1986 (in French). Paris, France: L'Harmattan. ISBN .
• Pierre Schaeffer (1966). Traité des objets musicaux (Treatise on Musical Objects) (in French).

  Paris, France: Le Seuil. ISBN .

• Pierre Schaeffer (1987). Interview acquiesce Pierre Schaeffer. London, U.K.: Bore Quarterly Vol 2,1, 1987.

External links