Electronic music is a term for
music created using
electronic devices. As
defined by the
IEEE standards body, electronic devices are low-power systems and use components such as transistors and integrated circuits. Working from this definition, distinction can be made between instruments that produce sound through electromechanical means as opposed to instruments that produce sound using electronic components. Examples of an electromechanical instrument are the
teleharmonium,
Hammond B3, and the
electric guitar, whereas examples of an electronic instrument are a
Theremin,
synthesizer, and a
computer.
History
Late 19th century early 20th century
Before electronic music, there was a growing desire for composers to use emerging technologies for musical purposes. Several instruments were created that employed electromechanical designs and they paved the way for the later emergence of electronic instruments. An electromechanical instrument called the
Teleharmonium (or Telharmonium) was developed by
Thaddeus Cahill in
1897. Simple inconvenience hindered the adoption of the Teleharmonium: the instrument weighed seven tons and was the size of a boxcar. Several more refined versions were also constructed a few years later (the final and most refined model arriving in 1907, weighing in at 200 tons). The first electronic instrument is often viewed to be the
Theremin, invented by Professor
Leon Theremin circa 1919 - 1920. Another early electronic instrument was the
Ondes Martenot, which was used in the
Turangalîla-Symphonie by
Olivier Messiaen and also by other, primarily French, composers such as
Andre Jolivet.
Post-war years: 1940s to 1950s
- Main articles: History of electronic art music, Musique concrète
More on
[ Electronic music ]
Adams, John@
Babbitt, Milton@
Badings, Henk@
Bengston, Peter@
Berg, Fred Jonny@
Berio, Luciano@
Boulez, Pierre@
Bryars, Gavin@
Canning, Rob@
Darreg, Ivor@
Darvas, Gábor@
Doherty, Michael A.@
Erickson, Robert@
Goddard, Philip@
Hall, Gregory@
Hillborg, Anders@
Howard, James@
Istvan, Miloslav@
Krzisnik, Borut@
Lakner, Yehoshua@
La Montaine, John@
Lebič, Lojze@
Leeuw, Ton de@
Lilburn, Douglas@
Lorentzen, Bent@
Lucier, Alvin@
Luening, Otto@
Lumsdaine, David@
Maayani, Ami@
Maderna, Bruno@
Manzoni, Giacomo@
Mariétan, Pierre@
Maros, Miklós@
Martirano, Sal@
Masaoka, Miya@
Mather, Bruce@
Mathews, Max@
Mayuzumi, Toshirô@
Méfano, Paul@
Meester, Louis de@
Mellnäs, Arne@
Ohana, Maurice@
Padding, Martijn@
Payne, Maggi@
Reich, Steve@
Reynolds, Roger@
Rossille, Frederic@
Rubin, Anna@
Stuck, Leslie@
Subotnick, Morton@
Takemitsu, Toru@
Tcherepnin, Ivan@
Tcherepnin, Serge@
Varèse, Edgard@
Victory, Gerard@
Volans, Kevin@
Electronic :: Instruments
Electronic :: E
Music and Audio :: Multimedia
CCM - Center for Contemporary Music at Mills College, in Oakland CA.
Meta Description: [ Mills College - Music, Center for Contemporary Music ]
Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics - The Stanford University CCRMA events, courses offered, and industrial affiliates program.
CNMAT - Center for New Music and Audio Technologies at UC Berkeley.
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CREAM - Center for Research in Electro-Acoustic Music at San Jose (California) State University.
Electronic Music Foundation - Information center for electronic music.
Meta Description: [ Information center for electronic music. ]
Liquid Synthetics - Experimental improv electronica guitar music.
New Intefaces for Musical Expression - Home page of the international conference on computer interfaces for musical expression. Information on NIME 2004 and earlier meetings.
NIME 02 - Pictures and video clips from the 2002 International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression
Peter Stone: Modern Composer, Instrumentalist and Sonic Warper - Composes and markets music and video.
Teomi, Eitan - Composer of electro-acoustic music, born in Israel and trained at California Institute of the Arts, working with Brazilian vocalist Monica. Offers sound samples from film scores and games, with testimonials.
Meta Description: [ Audio Production, sample libraries, and Sound design for games, Film, animation, and multimedia. Buy samples online. Listen to music demos by Eitan Teomi. ]
The LAB - Experimental electronic music center.
Meta Description: [ The alternative multidisciplinary art space in San Francisco showcasing local and international artists ]
The San Francisco Electronic Music Festival - Annual electronic music festival.
The University of Texas at Austin Electronic Music Studios - Includes information about composers who have attended or taught at the school.