A History of Musique Concrete and Ulysses

This thesis paper examines the compositional techniques used in the construction of my capstone project for a Masters in Music Composition from the University of Arkansas. A history of musique concrete is included to place perspective on my work and to discuss techniques and philosophical approaches to concrete music. This history examines the work by the Futurists, Pierre Schaeffer, Karlheintz Stockhausen, and Edgard Varése among others. The technological history includes significant developments in audio recording but does not discuss the development of electronic instruments. A philosophical perspective of music and noise is included to validate the techniques and materials used in my piece Ulysses. Included are discussions of a definition of music, the German WDR vs. the French RTF schools, and the exclusion/acceptance of referential sound. Supplemental material includes an mp3 file of the composition Ulysses in 5.1 track audio