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🎸Music History – 1850 to Present

🎸music history – 1850 to present review

6.2 Varèse and the Liberation of Sound

4 min readLast Updated on August 13, 2024

Edgard Varèse revolutionized 20th-century music by rejecting traditional tonality and focusing on timbre, texture, and spatial effects. His "organized sound" approach emphasized manipulating sound itself, using unconventional instruments and electronic elements to create unique sonic landscapes.

Varèse's innovative compositions, like "Ionisation" and "Poème électronique," expanded the sonic palette available to composers. His work influenced avant-garde and experimental music, laying the groundwork for electronic and electroacoustic genres and inspiring future generations of musicians across various styles.

Varèse's Innovative Composition

Rejection of Traditional Tonality and Emphasis on Timbre and Texture

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  • Varèse rejected traditional tonality and instead focused on creating unique timbres, textures, and spatial effects in his compositions
  • He termed this approach "organized sound," which emphasized the manipulation and organization of sound itself rather than traditional musical elements like melody and harmony
  • Varèse's compositions often featured dense, dissonant harmonies and complex rhythmic structures that challenged conventional musical forms and structures
  • His innovative compositional techniques included the use of sound masses, glissandi, and microtonal intervals to create highly expressive and evocative musical textures

Spatial Distribution of Sound Sources

  • Varèse's approach to orchestration emphasized the spatial distribution of sound sources
  • He used the placement of instruments and speakers to create immersive and dynamic sonic environments
  • This concept allowed Varèse to break free from the constraints of traditional musical forms and structures, enabling him to create highly expressive and evocative works that explored the full potential of sound as an artistic medium

Unconventional Instruments and Sounds

Use of Non-Musical Objects and Percussion

  • Varèse frequently employed unconventional instruments, such as sirens, anvils, and electronic devices, to create new and unusual sounds in his orchestrations
  • His composition "Ionisation" (1929-1931) is considered the first concert hall work to feature an entirely percussion-based ensemble, including sirens, anvils, and other non-musical objects
  • Varèse's composition "Arcana" (1925-1927) employed a large orchestra with added percussion instruments, such as anvils, tamtams, and sleigh bells, to create a wide range of unique timbres and textures

Integration of Electronic Sounds

  • In his work "Déserts" (1950-1954), Varèse incorporated pre-recorded electronic sounds alongside a live orchestra, marking an early example of the integration of electronic music with acoustic instruments
  • Varèse's "Poème électronique" (1958) was an entirely electronic composition created for the Philips Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, featuring a complex spatial distribution of sound through hundreds of speakers
  • His use of unconventional instruments and electronic sounds expanded the sonic palette available to composers and paved the way for the development of electronic and electroacoustic music

Varèse's Impact on 20th-Century Music

Influence on Avant-Garde and Experimental Music

  • Varèse's innovative approach to composition and orchestration had a significant influence on the development of avant-garde and experimental music in the 20th century
  • His emphasis on timbre, texture, and spatial effects inspired future generations of composers, such as Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Iannis Xenakis, who further explored these elements in their own works
  • Varèse's rejection of traditional tonality and embrace of dissonance and complex rhythms contributed to the development of new musical languages and aesthetics, such as serialism and post-serialism

Impact on Electronic and Electroacoustic Music

  • Varèse's integration of electronic sounds with acoustic instruments laid the groundwork for the emergence of electronic and electroacoustic music as distinct genres
  • His compositions and ideas influenced not only classical music but also had an impact on the development of avant-garde jazz, rock, and electronic music, with artists such as Frank Zappa, Pierre Schaeffer, and Aphex Twin citing him as an inspiration

Organized Sound in Varèse's Philosophy

Definition and Significance

  • Varèse coined the term "organized sound" to describe his approach to composition, which focused on the manipulation and organization of sound itself rather than traditional musical elements like melody and harmony
  • In Varèse's view, "organized sound" meant that the composer should have complete control over all aspects of a composition, including pitch, duration, timbre, intensity, and spatial distribution
  • This concept allowed Varèse to break free from the constraints of traditional musical forms and structures, enabling him to create highly expressive and evocative works that explored the full potential of sound as an artistic medium

Impact on Compositional Techniques and Instrumentation

  • Varèse's emphasis on "organized sound" led him to incorporate unconventional instruments, electronic devices, and new technologies into his compositions, expanding the range of timbres and textures available to him
  • The concept of "organized sound" had a lasting impact on the development of 20th-century music, influencing composers who sought to explore new sonic possibilities and challenge traditional musical boundaries
  • Varèse's innovative approach to composition and orchestration, guided by the principle of "organized sound," paved the way for future generations of composers to explore the full potential of sound as an artistic medium


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© 2025 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.