1968-1980
DEMOCRATIZATION OF THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION
Since the 1950s, there has been serious interest and research in computer-generated sound — mainly done “behind closed doors” — and the results and potential of this research begin to leak out and influence the work of various composers. A few names of note for their research: Max Mathews (1950s), Jean-Claude Risset (1970s and 80s), Charles Dodge, Tod Machover.
With the “progressive democratization of the means of production” there is also increasing interest in the possibilities of technologies within the pop music world. Explorations of the new possibilities that technologies offer are done by artists working in various genres: from Revolution 9 by the Beatles to Pierre Henry’s La messe pour le temps présent to experiments in live electroacoustics by Ash Ra Tempel, Faust, Tangerine Dream, Popol Vuh, etc.
In short, electroacoustics leaves its mark everywhere.
1968
USA
Wendy Carlos, Switched on Bach. 
Morton Subotnick’s Wild Bull is the second commission made specifically for a disc.
Vladimir Ussachevsky’s Compositional Piece no. 1 is a composition played in real-time. |
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1969
USA
Some of the pioneering composers using sounds transformed using the computer include J.K. Randall (Princeton), Charles Dodge (Columbia) and Otto Koening (Utrecht).
Steve Reich composes Pendulum Music and It’s Gonna Rain. The first piece uses a controlled feedback principle and the second, the possibilities of tape loops.
France / Sweden
Luc Ferrari’s Music promenade is a permanent installation using natural sounds.
France
Jean-Claude Risset’s first experiences with sonic paradoxes, such as sounds that seem to rise and descend simultaneously. |
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1970
France
François Bayle’s Jeîta ou murmure des eaux is a work that is realized using real world sounds and diffused in the lieu in which the sounds were recorded.
Second generation of sequencers.
Beginnings of “sound art”, an artistic approach that treats sounds as “objects”. This movement will have its heyday in the mid-1990s.
Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer founds the World Soundscape Project, out of which ”Acoustic Ecology” would emerge.
 Ivan Parik - Music to an Exhibition Opening II (00:10:59)
Bengt Emil Johnson - 1970/05; (lecture on...) (00:08:37)
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1971
Alcides Lanza - Ekphonesis IV (00:14:41)
Michel Pirro - Untitled (00:12:25)
Léo Küpper, Exequiel Virasoro - Automatismes Sonores (00:26:08)
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1972
MetaMusic (Kevin Austin) - 1972/05/23 RE VO (00:31:11)
MetaMusic (Kevin Austin) - 1972/08/08 As quiet as ostinado (00:19:38)
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1973
France
Luc Ferrari’s Presque rien nº 1 is the first “naturalist” work, predating much of the work of artists working in the genres of Ars Acustica or Acoustic Ecology.
Alcides Lanza - Hip’nos I (00:13:40)
Roman Berger - Epitaph for Nicolaus Copernicus (00:19:24)
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1974
Peter Kolman - E 15 (00:11:54)
Denis Lorrain - Générique (I) (∑) (R) (00:24:28)
Ted Dawson - Concerto Grosso I (00:13:21)
Barry Schrader - Basilisks (from Bestiary) (00:07:39)
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1975
The first personal studios.
John Wells - Maggies Workshop in a Curving Space... (00:21:03)
Eric Brown - Train Tape — Hudson Heights Station (00:15:55)
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1976
Denis Lorrain - P-A, version “Luminy” (00:11:27)
Morton Subotnick - Until Spring (00:14:29)
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1977
France
IRCAM is founded, the beginnings of research into music and technologies.
John Winiarz - Vortices II (00:08:40)
Bruno Deschênes - Ne riez pas (00:08:05)
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1978
The first polyphonic synthesizer and the first completely programmable synthesizer, the Prophet.
Jean-Claude Eloy - Gaku-no-Michi
(Les Voies de la Musique) : I. Tokyo (00:08:40)
Hildegard Westerkamp - Fantasie for Horns I & II (00:12:49)
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1979
Japan
Invention of the Walkman, a portable cassette player with excellent sound quality.
Yves Daoust - Quatuor (00:21:04)
Eric Nordgren - Voice op. 126 (00:06:54)
Bernard Donzel-Gargand - Le chant d’Hu/Ba/Re (00:07:31)
Sergio Barroso - Yantra VI (00:15:46)
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INTRODUCTION 
