Where were the first practitioners of musique concrète based?

Where were the first practitioners of musique concrète based?

• A. Paris
• B. London
• C. New York
• D. Berlin

Answer: (A)

Musique concrète began in Paris, where Pierre Schaeffer and his colleagues at the Studio d’Essai of the French national radio (RTF/ORTF) started experimenting with taped sounds as the raw material of music. They recorded everyday noises, then cut, spliced, altered speed and pitch, and rearranged these concrete sounds to create compositions, moving away from traditional instruments and notation. This Parisian studio environment and the work of Schaeffer and the early Groupe de Recherche de Musique Concrète are what anchor the movement to Paris. While other cities later hosted important experimental music, the original base for this approach is Paris.

Musique concrète began in Paris, where Pierre Schaeffer and his colleagues at the Studio d’Essai of the French national radio (RTF/ORTF) started experimenting with taped sounds as the raw material of music. They recorded everyday noises, then cut, spliced, altered speed and pitch, and rearranged these concrete sounds to create compositions, moving away from traditional instruments and notation. This Parisian studio environment and the work of Schaeffer and the early Groupe de Recherche de Musique Concrète are what anchor the movement to Paris. While other cities later hosted important experimental music, the original base for this approach is Paris.