14 Acousmatics PIERRE SCHAEFFER ‘The Relevance ofan Ancient Experience ‘Acoust te Larousse dcsonary tos she: “Name van fo the dcpoe ‘fPyagoras who, or Ovo yeas sted Toh oacings while he as ade behind curtain wiht cing hin whe soning sit encn” HSen tort br yes ony he vole of a aster reachod te dacs. eto tu ator experience tat wo af Itkng tention of acousmats, ‘ve ho Us wo wes Ia to mako thor. The Larcussedsenar corues Fheavemati, adjective: said of a rove ta! one Pears wihout seerg what ‘causes Thistorm | ark he porespeve realty of sound as sun, as Sstr- ‘hed om te medos lt producton and vansmisson. The new pheremenon rstcemmeeaton athe massive dition of massages exists ony ea. {er to and a a funcon fa fat hat has boon rooted hare exprence Fer the Beginning natura, sonorous conmuricaton This why we can, wiheut tracionam, run fe an ancentrasion which noose ner atari than con- temporary radi and record, gv back oho ear alone to ene responet- tof a porcpson tat ovina rots on other sonata winestos In arcert tes, the aparaus was a cua ody, ts the radio an the methods of aro ‘icon, slong wih he whole set electro acaurt ranslomatons, a lace vs ‘oder stoners to an ible vote undo lr conetins. Acoustic and Acousmatic Wo woul utize ths expaence enonaousy we subjected ito 4 Catasan ecogostion by dsingusting the etectv'—naisbehind he crtar—tor the stjecte” he reaction a he audtorto tec stm In sicha perspective, Ils the socal ‘tjctve element hat conta tho references ofthe cca tonto be undenaken requencies, curatons, apts... he cust punto Pay sat of acoustics Inrlasn fo hs approach, acousmaescoesperds $ revrsa of te usual procedures meregan is sya sno longer a ‘gestion of knowing how a subjective string irre ox Geforms“reay" ot Studying reachrs fe stmal 1s the Iteing tsa thal Becomes the og ote Prenomonon ibe studoa. Tho conesimont othe causes dose nets her & tbe! mpotecson, rors tan eczanonalprocass of aration #bacomes & precerdton a dlberata lacing meeniton he subject. I's oward& eh, {hat te quston tems aroun “What ar heaing? «What exact ae you aring’—-nte sansa that ona abe tho minjatto Sos ol extra ete. ‘reas oe sound « pereaves bu he perepton ssa, Nonetheless. acoustics and acousmatis ae not epposed Wo each ther tke the jective and te subjective. te fet approach, staring wih pss, must (0 as lar a be “Years ofthe sutjecr”and thereby horas i he and ie Poyetlecal elements, te sacond approach must fect be unaare of Pe ‘measures and expences that are appeal oy tothe physical bec he" ‘rao ecole, But fra al fs ivesigaos, ned toward the so. ‘cannot bandon sca oan jetty at proper fo Hwha tudes were ‘edced tothe changing impressions ofeach tetera, al communication would ‘come mposble:Pyhagores|dscpies woud have to gv uo rareng eaerb> Ing. and understanding wha! fey wee heating i common: a paru stror ald oven have to ge up understanding hms tem one moment ote ext Tre quosbr,nths cas, woulsbe how recover vough eerfoning subjee= twos, someting several expormontrs mig ape on ae tater « 77‘The Acoust ts aera ee Tere Dae eden cre ee creer eeey eee See Sete eee Se eee eee Soe aera Soe ees Deena) 2) Pure Listening Fo the rational musa afore acoustician an important aspect tthe recognition of sounds ithe ontfeaben fhe soncrous eure. When he er fe efectuatea witout the support of ven, musica condoning is usted (ten a uprie, someties uncertain, wo wil cover tat much of what we {hooght was heard wa rally ety sven, and expend, trough the Cnt Thies why conan sounds produced by ntumonts ae alent a sting nan ‘mont nding suman canbe conned 1) stoning to eects In fterng to sonorous cet (obets sonore whose nstumertal causes sare hen, wo are to forgat a ater ado aka an terest in these bias for hemselos, Te dsocaton a ating and hearing hee encourages anther ‘ay erg non oh sonar ome, thay anh hn ak bet in ero be abo deseabe tam trough an analyst ‘ho cont! fox parcaptone In fc, Pyhogoras" eran is rat enough to courage our erty about ‘aust, to whch we ae treet, mos resitiy de, Gu the rept ‘othe physical signal, which recording makes possb, aaa us here wo Ways: by exhausting ts canon, 8 gracaly binge he sonorous objet oe for a perception worthy of being Dbsewved for faa cn he cher Nand, 8 ‘osu of evr mre atone and mara reed Istonings prepress reveals Tous the rchness otis perception, © Varatersin Listening Furmemor, since hase repotiiors ar ought abou in ysl iencl condor, we become aware ct the varios or ilerung ae ber unde ‘Sand ais gover! tomed ts eject Ts does net, a oe might erhps ted ohn, oan imperfection or ain of Wzzreas fu at wou ‘rate the ayo th phy sgra bu rater parca Callao or Dracus sections tal reveal in each cas, a new aspect of the eect tnord ‘nen cur atten doiberaiy er ncorscoulyfocaed. 9) Variatons inte Sign Fal, we should manton to opociapessbites wo have fr nerve in ‘he sound he mplementation ot ahich accentuate the provost descbed ta 70 + sudo cure ‘ues ofthe acousmatistuaton Weave feeusd on he physica signaled on ‘2 dsk or magrat tape; we an at on, sot Wo can also make torent ‘tearing oa nga cones ever, appreaching he coud athe momart tts {sige do or trom various anges, ust as oe can fa scene usng oer (Sir hat (oe do woe Assuming that we nt outsaives 1 a sng recording i ca sl red the later more or less gy, moe o es uy, o even cut To places, thereby prosrting he Ise at sverl vorsons of what was op fay a uniqu event. What dos ths aapayren of verging sonorous elects from a sng mater eau rprosert, tom he poof ew othe acousmatic twperenca? iat colon can we expect between the mains thet are Imposed on what record on the tape andthe vasiaions in what we are oarog? ‘on the Sonorous Object: Whats Not ‘Wie have spoken at savral points of he sonorous object. uaing aren that fs eveay been riroiced, but nl eed Is cea, iit of the present Chapt, tat we ware abi fo propose tis naon in advance ony because we ‘wor pt retin othe acousmatestuston Pat has us!been Gasrbed. There em soncroe object's oly solar as here is a bind Ising cote) ‘Snovvs fects and contents the sonorous objec a never reveled aay ftcptin he scousmate exprence “Given spacteaton, ts easy fo uso avid eroneous responses tothe unston raced ato endothe proceingparaseph 1) Te sono cjet othe istenon at wae playe tte covous hat when we sy “Thats ae” er Tas a cag oa vw ar udng toe coun ero yt ve crag he doa. BA Bo Sincon ewes nection erator soo ‘Sjecis even moe deat someon plays tape whch reas ‘zo eagn we arena ony, wat ae we berg? Pressel What we ‘vcaings sonorous oj repute rece Wich Se Totedby haters sono sara suze ot sent Te sonorous cbt is ote magnet ape. ‘Ahoup ts mataralized by to magnate tap, he cet, as we ae dating Sezai ae ier a nw oe aye mage 8 ‘Sgr sonorove suppor or an acousteeigrat When Stone to by a 609. 8 ‘Sid, « Maran rhe zen of nator maseal cation, ths Sn fakos of ‘nother meaning oreanea The objec art anebjact excep castor. tis ‘lative tot We ean act onthe tpe phystealy.euting K modving is eoay ‘heod: Only ato! stening by a ster [sel cou gun aude can o> ‘us han acount fh poropte rest of hese arian. Coming ‘omar in wen we ae abo ners, the sonrous ejects nonetlest ‘tained entra our porceptive consciousness. lane schaator » 79©) A few contmetrs.of magnate ape can cota a mumbo tere son eects “This remark follows om the preceding one. The manipulation ust mens ‘ones o not mody a sanorou objet havng an rine eustonce. They have ‘nie ter cj rom There, a cour, a contain between te hap aon ownic one supecs a ape rs verse conse of rang he one tons of easton and he perceives abet. 1 snp cretion? Net aa I ms be expected. Suppose, fr example that wo Kstned oa sud recorded at noma! speed, then sowed down, ta) ‘gan a normal peed. The shoectcown porn, acing tka a magn Glass relate tothe torpor sractur ol he sound, wil have alowed uso cern ce tn detale—f gran or exampie—vwrichourlatening, tus lied adorn ‘il edisoverin tho soca pasage a nomal speed. We mst et outsbes be ‘uid hor by tho ovidonco, and te very way we have to formadte Our supe Boston dts the responce: te ieed he same sonreun objet. sutjecteds ‘torent mans of ebsorvaton, hat we we comparing el, cial end Wane. oted BU what makes ene aretha sare jet pres orl ocompar- Son fandaso he fac hatte eporation fo wich we have suet i, oh ery Irtarlon to compare 16 Bel, has maces waht rendering unecogha- a). ‘Suppose now ta we play Ps sowed-own sour an unwarnd sana Two case can as. Ether he stoner wi et eeognze the etunetal rg td, a he same te the mandation fox he hr wl be arora sonorous Scureothalintet ho doo ot har tao which, Hower sone ears ‘hath hearse aecvety atansposed verston Or lo he wi na deny the Fea! ogi, wil nt suspect he tanspostion, and he wil hon hear an engi Serorusebect which willbe s automaticaly. (cannot bas question of an ik ‘Sonor alack of lomaton, sine inthe acoumateathide cs poroptnscan- ‘ol et on anyting external) ners, fr those of us who have just subjected {he sonorous cj! o oe of mar anspostions, alta hee wl Be unique object nd its cterentvarsposed version. Howew" may seo Mappen {hat abandoning any tenn te eamparsen we ach ourshos excise ‘one or the che of hace vrsors, nerd 0 make seo om, or exam & composton they wil hon bocome for ue eo many egal sonore jc, omplety ngependent otek common xn. "We crud devote crest sir anlyos ol ote: pes of mangvatons (cr varatons ef he at of rcorng [arse do so) which ea uncon of Our Intnton cur nowedp, and au prot airing, wt avo athe vest the a ‘tons ofa singe amorous obec or the craton of ver sonerove bjt, ‘Wane sowegowm we have voluntary chosen a modfeaon ha! onde hat {o equvocaton Other manpuatons can Yarfor an object n euch w way tat ‘becomes impossible fo rasp any percep relatos betwen te vo versions. ‘nth case, wo wil nt speak ofthe permanenca ofa single sonoeus tec 00 + ao care he manipulations of a ingl gnal have given way to verse sonorous ccs. (thtovercurirtenton may have bon But tne sonorous abject snot eta of te mind “To noi contig I wah is physical cause ofa “sims” we seemed 0 nave pounded tne sonorous objct on ou subjeciy. But—our as remarks ready ndost histo sonorous cj i ot modified fora hat neta wih tho veraons listening from one akc! o another, nor wth the ices ‘arias in our atlenon and our eonebiy Far trom bang subjective (nthe arse of tnvidils,ncommunicable, and practealy ungraspale, sonorous ‘SSncs, as wo shal Sa, can be cleary desomed and aniyzed. Wo can gan {nevdedge ol hem. Wo can, wo Rope, transmit ths knowedige. ‘Sr rapid exameaton of he eharactonstes of the sonarus objet reveals ths ambigoy: as an ject Inkod oa subecy, tl suprise us ot Ht we Costa ist on opposing “peycologies and “external reales” as er ome Theos of knowledge drt have to wat rte sonorous object to per. Gave the conreston fat we ao dcatinghare, and wc snot reali ‘ezusate station as euch ‘The Originality f the Acousmatle Procedure ‘our approach is ths sings rm tho sportanoous instrumental practoe in lnc. everyinng is ven a orcs he insurer as te eemert and means ‘la musical canton onde cerespondng vtuosly, and fs acorn suc haan o re muse extete rm Nr do wo any ger ay aim "ho mest. ‘General nsvumont hat xt wha weave ming at nfo, nd which flows fom ne preceding ravi, the moe general musa stsaton tat ext. We ‘annow Gosero tcnpaly, Ve have al or Geposa he genaaty of sound—at teas prncple—wthout having fo pode thar al wo nave Js push Pe burton on ape recorder, Delsey frpeting ovary aferece to insurers fuses cr prowastng musical sipnicaton, we then sek to devote oursahves ‘ney and excl fo string to scorer he sinc pate at oe Kom the purely “sonorous” te purl “musal” Sach sto sogestin ol acou Irate: a ony the neuen an curl consoning, 1 putin font of vs tho ‘Sonora and te muses! poss” ‘Gre mor rmark Belo riching |. the caurse of this chap, we have sireacy begun to aa n ancthor aa The erst ef is Yomark snot ‘ato of pure for: # conta nog tate oprave ecnique ass re= ‘tedne condone cts new istenng Lat vs give auo-sulecgses what ‘todo them: we oxpect om thom utheatat sounds, new imbres, dealer Baye~ina word, nsrumorial progres. ined hey provide ll at, Dl very ‘dnb we no longer kaw wha oo wih ia hose naw incre are not ‘ded canty tothe ot ones, and tho quosions they poee singularly dript ‘ecahed noir. Tho tape recorar has the vite of Pyhapoas’ cra ce ‘Ses nen peromena fo corer, f creates above al aw eondons oF obEeNa- tony