Modern music is invariably created or manipulated using
electronics, often blurring the border between reality and
synthesis. The recent combination of traditional or ethnic
forms with synthetic material has introduced new kinds of
music — such as fusion or New Age.
But at the beginning of this century virtually all music was created on traditional instruments using established forms. This traditionalism existed simply because there was no reason to change it — it was possible to express virtually any kind of human experience using these instruments and the human voice alone. These forms were considered as perfect as the Classical Orders of architecture. Such music was available to all — all, that is, who could play the humble piano.
Mechanical technology had created a wide range of automated musical gadgets — pianolas, fairground organs and much more. Such ‘consumerism’ of music and the other arts led many composers to look towards the abstract. This mirrored the early ‘modernist’ movements in design and architecture. It was a rebellion against established forms — a rebellion which proved to be highly unpopular with the majority of people.
Musique concrète used ‘real’ sounds, or musical instruments played in an unconventional manner, to create abstract compositions. But after World War II, when the tape recorder became available, it became possible to manipulate these sounds. The results rarely gained much in the way of popular acclaim, except perhaps in the work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, where such sounds were used as a vehicle for radio and TV programmes. Most concrète work was considered ‘academic’, only to be understood by those within the artistic elite. Undoubtedly this was partly due to the difficulties in producing it!
In many ways Robert Moog’s invention of the Voltage Controlled Synthesiser in 1958 did little to change things. These early machines were only monophonic (they could only play one note at a time) and required hours of work to produce anything that was presentable. Later hybrid machines, in which the synth was fronted by a microprocessor control system, provided polyphony and a live performance. And once the micro found its way into sound generation the days of Moog’s brainchild were numbered.
The arrival of the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) was far more significant. It gave the man on the street another opportunity to create music without being part of the elite. Now he could control instruments, mixers or audio patch-bays from his computer. He could build up layers of material in sequences, complemented by real-time sound recording. Music once more was where it belonged — with the people!
