The Holmes Archive of Electronic Music

Chapter 14, Musique Concrète in France

Episode 153
Chapter 14, Musique Concrète in France. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music 
Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes.
This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text.
The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings.
There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast.
Playlist: MUSIQUE CONCRÈTE IN FRANCE
Time
Track Time
Start
Introduction –Thom Holmes
01:30
00:00
1.     Pierre Schaeffer, “Étude Aux Chemins De Fer ” (1948). Early musique concrète using turntables not magnetic tape. GRM studio (Paris).
02:53
01:36
2.     Pierre Schaeffer, “Étude Violette” (1948). Early musique concrète using turntables not magnetic tape. GRM studio (Paris).
03:25
04:28
3.     Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry, “Prosopopée I” from Symphonie pour un homme seul (1949– 50). Early use of magnetic tape for musique concrète GRM studio (Paris).
02:57
07:48
4.     Iannis Xenakis, “Diamorphoses” (1957). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris).
06:57
10:42
5.     Luc Ferrari, “Visage V” (1958-59). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris).
10:37
17:38
6.     Mireille Kyrou, “Etude I” (1960). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris).
05:09
28:12
7.     Philippe Carson, “Turmac” (1961). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris).
09:43
33:20
8.     Bernard Parmegiani, “Danse” (1961). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris).
04:08
43:04
9.     Henri Pousseur, “Trois Visages De Liège” (1961). Magnetic tape composition. Composed at the Centre de recherches et de formation musicales de Wallonie (CRFMW) (Belgium).
20:40
47:22
10.   Luc Ferrari, “Hétérozygote” (1963-64). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris).
26:20
01:08:00
11.   François Bayle, “Vapeur” (1964). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris).
04:44
01:34:16
12.   Beatriz Ferreyra, “Demeures aquatiques” (1967). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris).
07:20
01:39:00
                 
Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.
My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022.
See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation.
For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.
Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.

Chapter 13, Edgard Varèse and The Listener’s Experiment

Episode 152
Chapter 13, Edgard Varèse and The Listener’s Experiment. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music 
Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes.
This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text.
The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings.
There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast.
Playlist: CLASSICAL MUSIC WITH ELECTRONICS
Time
Track Time
Start
Introduction –Thom Holmes
01:28
00:00
1.     Edgard Varèse, “Déserts” (1954). Early combination of live orchestra with magnetic tape.
24:49
01:36
2.     Maurice Blackburn and Norman McClaren, “Blinkity Blank” (1955). Film score for five instrumentalists and sounds created by etching directly onto the soundtrack.
05:07
26:28
3.     Morton Subotnick, “Laminations” (1966). Live orchestra with electronic sounds on tape.
10:29
31:24
4.     Mario Davidovsky, “Synchronisms No. 5” (1969). For percussion quintet and electronic sounds on tape. 
08:39
41:50
5.     Wendy Carlos, “A Clockwork Orange” (1971). Early analog synthesis of orchestral and choir sounds.
07:03
50:36
6.     Jacob Druckman, “Animus III” (1971). For clarinet and tape.
15:44
57:34
7.     Isao Tomita, opening four tracks from The Bermuda Triangle (1979) including themes by Prokofiev and Sibelius.  Analog electronic orchestration.
12:52
01:13:18
8.     Wendy Carlos, “Genesis” from Digital Moonscapes (1984). Completely digital orchestration.
07:10
01:25:58
9.     Robert Ashley, “Superior Seven” (1988). Live instruments with MIDI instrument accompaniment.
30:15
01:33:10
10.   William Orbit, “Adagio for Strings” (2000). Electronic realization of Samuel Barber orchestral work.
09:34
02:03:26
 
 
Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.
My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022.
See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation.
For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.
Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.

Chapter 12, The History of Audio Recording Technology

Episode 151
Chapter 12, The History of Audio Recording Technology. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music 
Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes.
This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text.
The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings.
There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast.
 
Playlist: THE HISTORY OF AUDIO RECORDING TECHNOLOGY
 
Time
Track Time
Start
Introduction –Thom Holmes
01:30
00:00
1.     Leon Scott “Au Clair de la Lune” (1860). Phonautograph. One of about 50 recordings made around 1860 by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville's on his invention, the Phonautograph that were digitally restored in 2008 by the First Sounds collaborative. These were created using the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's virtual stylus technology, which sought to track the wavy lines scratched on soot-covered paper as though they were standard record grooves.
00:20
01:38
2.     Alice J. Shaw, an improvised whistling performance (1888) from an Edison Records cylinder recording.
02:13
01:58
3.     George J. Gaskin, “Drill Ye Terriers Drill” (1896) from an E. Berliner's Gramophone shellac disc.
01:24
04:10
4.     Sousa's Band, “Happy Days In Dixie” (1897) from an E. Berliner's Gramophone shellac disc.
01:43
05:36
5.     Emperor Franz Joseph, short message recorded on Valdemar Poulsen’s Telegraphone (1900). Early magnetic wire recording. Recording made without microphone.
00:09
07:18
6.     Sousa's Band, “The Mosquito Parade” (1904) from Columbia Records shellac disc. Note the higher fidelity of the instruments compared to earlier recordings on disc, recorded without electrical microphones but optimizing the use of acoustic horns for sound intake.
02:54
07:28
7.     Noble Sissle (vocals) and Eubie Blake (piano), medley of popular songs (1923). Recording using onto an early sound film using the Phonofilm process invented by Lee de Forest.
06:51
10:22
8.     Paul Whiteman And His Concert Orchestra, “Rhapsody In Blue” (1924) from an RCA Victor shellac disc. This is an acoustically recorded version of this piece, without the benefit of vacuum tube amplification or electrical microphones. Compare to the 1927 version (next), also by Whiteman, produced using electrical recording.
09:06
17:12
9.     Paul Whiteman And His Concert Orchestra, “Rhapsody In Blue” (1927) from RCA Victor, His Master's Voice shellac disc. An electrical recording using vacuum tube amplification and electrical microphones.
08:59
26:30
10.   Paul Hindemith, “Trickaufnahme” (excerpt) (1930), an experiment in turntablism using turntable discs to both record, mix, and playback the result.
00:58
35:28
11.   BBC, “Pieces of Tape” excerpt of a program (1933) produced by editing together segments recorded previously using the Blattnerphonesteel tape recorded that used a magnetic process. This was the first audio recording assembled using tape editing. A dozen years prior to the available of magnetic tape, edits made to steel tape had to be made by spot welding.
05:29
36:28
12.   Sidney Bechet, “Blues of Bechet” (1941) from an RCA Victor shellac disc. An early example of overdubbing/multitracking. Bechet played every instrument on this track, including the piano, clarinet and soprano saxophone. Each instrument was recorded onto a new master disc and mixed on another disc to create the final recording.
01:57
41:56
 
Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.
My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022.
See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation.
For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.
Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.

Chapter 11 Electronic Music Performance Instruments (1920– 40).

Episode 150
Chapter 11 Electronic Music Performance Instruments (1920– 40). Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music 
Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes.
This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text.
The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings.
There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast.
 
Playlist: ELECTRONIC MUSIC PERFORMANCE INSTRUMENTS (1920– 1950)
 
Time
Track Time
Start
Introduction –Thom Holmes
01:35
00:00
1.     Luigi Russolo, “Serenata” (1924). Mechanical noise-intoners and orchestra.
02:01
01:38
2.     Leon Theremin, “Deep Night” (1930). The inventor playing his own instrument.
01:48
04:16
3.     Orchestra Raymonde, “Romantique” (1934). Song featuring the Electronde, an instrument based on the Theremin made by Martin Taubman.
02:55
06:06
4.     Edgard Varèse, “Ecuatorial” (1934). Scored for chorus, small orchestra, organ, and two Ondes Martenots. Performance under the direction of Pierre Boulez in 1983.
12:11
09:00
5.     Paul Hindemith, “Langsames Stück und Rondo für Trautonium” (1935). Oskar Sala played the Trautonium.
05:29
21:02
6.     Olivier Messaien, “Oraison” (1937) for Ondes Martenot and orchestra.
07:43
26:34
7.     John Cage, “Imaginary Landscape No. 1” (1939). Radios and turntables playing test signals.
08:37
34:14
8.     Slim Galliard Quartet, “Novachord Boogie” (1946). Featured the Hammond Novachord organ/synthesizer.
02:57
42:50
9.     Lucie Bigelow Rosen, “That Old Refrain” (1948) for Theremin and piano.
03:25
45:48
10.   Miklós Rózsa. “Subconscious” from Spellbound (1948). Musical score for the Alfred Hitchcock film featuring Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman on Theremin.
02:07
49:14
11.   Clara Rockmore, “Valse Sentimentale” (Tchaikovsky) (1977) for Theremin. Later performance of the famous Thereminist from the 1930s-1940s.
02:07
51:22
 
Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.
My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022.
See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation.
For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.
Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.

Chapter 10, Earliest Experiments in Electronic Music (Pre- 1920)

Episode 148
Chapter 10, Earliest Experiments in Electronic Music (Pre- 1920). Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music 
Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes.
This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text.
The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings.
There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast.
Let’s get started with the listening guide to Chapter 10, Earliest Experiments in Electronic Music (Pre- 1920) from my book Electronic and Experimental music.
 
Playlist: Futurist Music
 
Time
Track Time
Start
Introduction –Thom Holmes
01:34
00:00
Antonio Russolo, “Serenata” (1924). A 78 RPM recording made using original intonarumori (noise intoners).
02:38
01:36
Antonio Russolo, “Corale” (1924). A 78 RPM recording made using original intonarumori (noise intoners).
02:01
04:12
Luigi Russolo, “Risveglio Di Una Citta” (1913). This recording was made in 1977 by Mario Abate, Pietro Verardo with reproduction intonarumori (noise intoners).
03:52
06:12
 
Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.
My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022.
See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation.
For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.
Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.

Chapter 09, MIDI, Noise Reduction, and Audio Compression Technologies

Episode 147
Chapter 09, MIDI, Noise Reduction, and Audio Compression Technologies. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music 
Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes.
This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text.
The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings.
There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast.
Let’s get started with the listening guide to Chapter 09, MIDI, Noise Reduction, and Audio Compression Technologies from my book Electronic and Experimental music.
 
Playlist: MIDI Controllers in Electronic Music
           
 
Time
Track Time
Start
Introduction –Thom Holmes
01:40
00:00
Robert Ashley, “Superior Seven” (1986). Used an early MIDI controller suite of instrumental sounds accompanying a live flutist.
30:15
01:42
Michel Waisvisz demonstrates The Hands and Crackle MIDI controller-synthesizers. The No Backup Concert (2004) at STEIM.
09:40
32:08
Thomas Wydler & Toby Dammit, “Ramwong” (2021). Features a treated Buchla Marimba Lumina synthesizer, a MIDI instrument and controller.
02:15
41:48
 
 
Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.
My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022.
See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation.
For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.
Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
 

Chapter 08, Tape Composition and Sound Editing

Episode 146
Chapter 08, Tape Composition and Sound Editing. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music 
Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes.
This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text.
The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings.
There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast.
Let’s get started with the listening guide to Chapter 08, Tape Composition and Sound Editing from my book Electronic and Experimental music.
 
Playlist: Classic Tape Composition Techniques
 
Time
Track Time
Start
Introduction –Thom Holmes
01:30
00:00
1 Pierre Schaeffer, “Cinq études de bruits: Étude violette (1948). Early application of backwards sounds using a turntable
03:19
01:34
2 Pierre Henry, “Le Microphone bien tempéré” (1950– 52). Used reverberation.
24:48
04:50
3 Otto Luening, “Invention in Twelve Tones” (1952). Used tape echo.
03:47
29:37
4 Morton Feldman, “Intersection” (1953). Used leader tape as a composition tool to add patches of silence.
03:30
33:18
5 György Ligeti, “Glissandi” (1957). Extensive use of tape speed variation and backwards sounds.
07:45
33:44
6 Henri Pousseur, “Scambi” (1957– 58). Explored white noise, filtering, and reverberation.
06:34
44:20
7 Herbert Brün, “Anepigraphe” (1958). Tape music with voices edited into the mix, produced in the WDR studio in Cologne.
07:46
50:56
8 Terry Riley, “Music for the Gift” part 1 (1963). One of the first uses of tape delay with multiple tape recorders.
05:45
58:42
9 Pauline Oliveros, “Beautiful Soop” (1967). Used multiple tape echo signals.
27:46
01:04:24
10 Violet Archer, “Episodes” (1973). Using two Putney synthesizers, a bank of 10 oscillators, mixer, reverb, ring modulation, and filtering. 
08:46
01:32:10
 
Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.
My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022.
See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation.
For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.
Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.

Chapter 07, Computer Music Basics

Episode 146
Chapter 07, Computer Music Basics. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music 
Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes.
This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text.
The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings.
There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast.
Let’s get started with the listening guide to Chapter 07, Computer Music Basics from my book Electronic and Experimental music.
 
Playlist: Early Computer Synthesis
 
 
Time
Track Time*
Start
Introduction –Thom Holmes
01:30
00:00
1 Max Mathews, “Numerology” (1960). Direct computer synthesis using an IBM 7090 mainframe computer and the Music III programming language
02:45
01:32
2 James Tenney, “Analog #1: Noise Study” (1961). Direct synthesis and filtering of noise bands at Bell Labs’ facilities.
04:24
04:04
3 Lejaren Hiller, “Computer Cantata” (third movement) (1963). Direct computer synthesis using an IBM 7094 mainframe computer and the Musicomp programming language.
05:41
08:28
4 Jean-Claude Risset, “Mutations I” (1969). Used frequency modulation.
10:23
14:06
5 Charles Dodge, “The Earth’s Magnetic Field” (Untitled, part 1) (1970). Used an IBM mainframe computer and the Music 4BF programming language to convert geophysical data regarding the Earth’s magnetic field into music.
14:00
24:28
6 Laurie Spiegel, “Appalachian Grove I” (1974). Used the Groove program at Bell Labs.
05:23
38:22
7 Curtis Roads, “Prototype” (1975). Used granular synthesis.
06:11
43:48
8 John Chowning, “Stria” (1977). Used the composer’s patented FM synthesis algorithms.
05:14
50:00
9 Jean-Baptiste Barriere, “Chreode” (1983). Granular synthesis using the Chant program at IRCAM; computer-controlled organization of material—a grammar of musical processes prepared with IRCAM’s Formes software.
09:24
55:10
10 Barry Truax, “Riverrun” (1986). Composed using only granulated sampled sound, using Truax’s real-time PODX system.
19:42
01:04:30
 
Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.
My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022.
See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation.
For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.
Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.