006 Log 221106 Musique Concrète_Morphology_Typology_Theorie

Beatriz Ferreyra: «identification of sound characteristics»
Symposium presentation
Q-O2 workspace
voice and words group, 27/4/2019

transcript: …form late 50ties and late 40ties
Schaeffer had an idea that we can hear in a different way
away from the notes and the instrumental music as they knew it
perceives sound in a different characteristic
he made a solfège (1) to do the hearing in a different way
ex. instead of hearing a car you hear a complex sound
notes are tonic sounds / pitch
one day workshop about –> to do those characteristics for the voice
begins of becoming aware of all characteristics of the sounds, its form, continuum, complex sound high, low, medium, the don’t have a pitch but a material, forms, variations, impulses, staccatos
Schaeffer had the intelligence to give all these different names to the qualities of the sounds, change the name of doing the sounds: instead of staccato he speaks of imperative / interativ? = lots of impulses, tonic interativ

In den 60ties nobody knew how to compose with this sound.
There were no teachers
Schaeffer was not a teacher
Parmigiani was a genius, Malic, Ferrari everybody did his one sound, we did not copy, there was nobody to copy.
It’s very, very difficult to this sound with the voice, because it is very personal
It takes hours to make the sound move…
Difficult to change the sound characteristics, ex. from complex sound to iterative
–> exercises for compositions
–> sound is given by time and energy
–> three things are going on: breathing, timing, how it’s done»

 

  • Quellen
    – EARS Publication
    The EARS site welcomes important texts and translations related to the subject of Electroacoustic Music Studies.
    – CHION, Michel (1994): Guide des Objects Sonores Paris, Bechet Chastel
    – SCHAEFFER, Pierre (1966) Traité des Objets Musicaux Paris, Éditions du Seuil.

Zum Begriff iterativ:
analytical toolbox: typo-morphology
[…] Arguably, it was not adopted within the English speaking world as a translation of Traité des Object Musicaux still does not exist. Fortunately a translation of Michel Chion’s book Guide des Objets Sonores, a book explaining Schaeffer’s theories in a slightly more manageable way, has been done by both John Dack and Christine North and can be found on the EARS website.

The Typo-Morphology framework
Chion discusses three stages in applying the typo-morphology of sound objects within the Guide Des Objets Sonores: identification (segmenting sound objects within a piece), classification (using the typology terms) and description (describing the sounds morphology in detail) (Chion 1994: 124).

Typology
Simply put, Schaeffer makes a distinction between two types of sounds: balanced sounds and unbalanced sound. Furthermore, he adds the idea of sustainment and iteration to expand the typology beyond simple impulses.

Balanced Sounds
Balanced sounds are identified because they have a «good compromise between the too structured and the too simple» and are comprehensible in short term memory (Schaeffer 1966: 435). Schaeffer makes it clear that there is a balance between both facture and mass in order to a sound to be considered balanced.

[Sounds should not be] either too elementary or too structured. If they are too elementary, they will tend to be subsumed by structures more worthy of memorization (…) If they are too structured, they will be capable of breaking down into more elementary object. (Schaeffer 1966: 435)

Schaeffer uses the letters N, X and Y to define the types of balanced sounds. N defines a tonic, or locatable pitch sound, X is used to refer to a complex sound and finally Y is used to describe a varying sound. To define whether they are a continuous, impulse or iterative sound Schaeffer uses apostrophes. A single apostrophe denotes an impulse, two apostrophes indicate an iterative sound and a letter without an apostrophe signals a continuous sound.

Unbalanced Sounds
Schaeffer once again separates unbalanced sounds into excentric sounds and redundant sounds. There are two types of excentric sounds, which are defined by their overtly complex mass, are: the large note (W) and the cell(K). Redundant sounds are described as balanced sounds that have had their duration extended «up to the point where every dynamic form disappears» (Schaeffer 1966: 448).

Typology
For reference here is the Typology table that has been translated from Guide Des Objets Sonores by John Dack and Christine North (2009):

Morphology
Schaeffer outlines seven morphological criteria, some of which cross over within the typological framework: mass, harmonic timbre, grain, allure, dynamic, melodic profile and mass profile. All these terms are brought together within the Summary diagram of the Theory of Musical Objects.

Schaeffer also makes a distinction between whether a sound consists of composed (simultaneous) or composite (successive) elements. He then outlines a notational method to denote this. Any sound object can be defined by using the typology table and then further explained (by defining is composed and composite elements) by using brackets after the type letter. Commas are used to note composite elements and fullstops for composed elements.

How can it be used?
It is not entirely clear how it can be applied to an analysis. However, Lasse Thoresen has created a notation system for Typo-Morphology, which is documented over three successive articles within Organised Sound.

 

221106
Sonntag, Regenwetter, Küche Rue Beaurepaire
– Video, Fotos, Tonbandmaschinen –> räuml.
– LecturePerf
– Journal mit QR-Code
– Activating the tympanon by the voice
– Microphone studies = Membran studies, Membran vermittelte Prozesse
– Membran vermittelte Stimme (gehört), ohne Hören keine Stimme
– Mäander

Bibliothek IRCAM
– Paul Hegarty, philosophy of noise(s)

230424
Notizheft 43 221025–221219

Hegarty: Annihilating noise, Bloomsbury, 2021
Hegarty, 2021:105

  • Warren Waver’s use
  • Philippe Decrauzaut
  • Mathieu Copland

Wie werden die Resultate der Experimente reflektiert?
(Hegarty, 2021:19)

  • Donnie Pettmen
  • Pousseur
  • Kalen
  • Smith
  • Seth Kim-Cohen
  • Marie Thomspon
  • Chris Watson
  • Timothy Morton

fieldrecording 1960
(Hegarty, 2021:27)
“…brings sound experiences into audition. This followed the musicalisation of the world ..by..Cage, Oliveros and the availability of more portable machinery for recording. As machinery became simpler, smaller
Theory of the phonograph/Photograph by Pierre-Yves Macé (Hegarty, 2021:28):
rec. material re-presents an instance of the real, inconceivable apart from the demonstrable realness [charactrère réel] of a having taken-place of its referent / musical et doment scores
(Hegarty, 2021:28)