The Telharmonium (Thaddeus Cahill, 1906-1916):
The Theremin (Lev Termin [Léon Thérémin], 1919). Ran school in NYC in 1930s, kidnapped and returned to USSR 1938, allowed out in 1992, died 1994. This is chronicled in a film by Steve Martin in 1993.
Ondes (“waves”) Martenot (name of inventor, 1928). Used mainly in France, mainly by Messiaen, but also others, including Parmegiani, Boulez, Jolivet, Varèse, and others.
Varèse and the “liberation” of sound: Ionisation, the first all-percussion piece (1929-31).
Pioneered by Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry in 1948-49. Founded Groupe de Recherche de Musique Concrète in 1951 (later GRM, 1958). Spurred by invention of microphone and tape recorder, used tape techniques of tape loops, reversal of direction, changes of speed, splicing, tape delays, and mixing. Original tape recorders were monaural; stereo was introduced in the 1950s (tape delay and such techniques depended on stereo). Had original and widely influential ideas about music.
Many important composers worked there in 1950s, including Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luciano Berio, later more of a select group of Frenchmen: Luc Ferrari, Bernard Parmegiani, François-Bernard Mâche, others. Schaeffer was really a philosopher-researcher; later wrote Traité des objets musicaux (“Treatise on Musical Objects”, 1966); ultimately abandoned composition.
Pierre Henry was an important colleague and collaborator with Pierre Schaeffer in the early years, and he has composer more music.
Pioneered by Luening and Ussachevsky in New York. Ideas were similar to musique concrète, but more emphasis on sounds rather than extra-musical connotations. First concert in 1952 was very successful. Pioneered many tape techniques as well as envelope generators (built by Moog), reverberators, and other devices (klangumwandler (frequency shifter) and ring modulation). Designed and built several mixers.
Later, in conjunction with Milton Babbitt at Princeton, founded the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, which brought numerous international composers to New York, including Mario Davodivsky, Bülent Arel, Alcides Lanza, Andres Lewin-Richter, Ilhan Mimaroglu, Halim El-Dabh. Other (American) composers included Alice Shields, Pril Smiley, Ingram Marshall. Daria Semegen.
