Electronic and computer music

Peter MANNING

Oxford University Press, 2004 - Music - 474 pages

In this revised and expanded third edition of the classic text on the history and evolution of electronic and computer music, Peter Manning provides the definitive account of the medium from its birth to the present day.
After explaining the antecedents of electronic music from the turn of the century to the Second World War, Manning discusses the emergence of early "classical" studios of the 1950s. He goes on to chronicle the upsurge of creative activity during the 1960s and 70s in the analog domain, as well as with live electronic music and the early use of electronics in rock and pop music. This edition contains new information about software innovations, digital media and the essential features of digital and audio control, the MIDI synthesizer and its many derivatives, and the evolution of computer workstations and multimedia personal computers.
Manning offers a critical perspective of the medium both in terms of its musical output and the philosophical and technical features that have shaped its growth. Emphasizing the functional characteristics of emerging technologies and their influence on the creative development of the medium, Manning covers key developments in both commercial and the non-commercial sectors to provide readers with the most comprehensive resource available on this ever-evolving subject.

What people are saying

Review: Electronic and Computer Music

User Review - Goodreads

This was the first book on electro music I picked up at the Grants Pass, OR library. It is interesting but was kind of big for me at the time. I still need to read a book like this or take numerical analysis.

Contents

• The Background to 1945: 3
• Paris and Musique Concrete: 19
• Clogne and Elektronische Musik: 39
• Milan and Elsewhere in Europe: 68
• America: 74
• The VoltageControlled Synthesizer: 101
• Works for Tape: 135
• Live Electronic Music: 157
• Rock and Pop Electronic Music: 168
• The Foundations of Computer Music: 181
• From Computer Technology to Musical Creativity: 197
• The Microprocessor Revolution: 217
• The Characteristics of Digital Audio: 245
• The Development of the MIDI Communications Protocol: 263
• From Analog to Digital The Evolution of MIDI Hardware: 279
• From Microcomputer to Music Computer The MIDI Dimension: 312
• New Horizons for MIDIbased Technologies: 329
• Personal Computers and Sound Processing: 347
• Music Workstations and Related Computing Architectures: 361
• Performance Controllers: 377
• New Horizons in Synthesis and Signal Processing Software: 386
• Conclusion: 401
• Notes: 409
• Bibliography: 423
• Discography: 427
• Index: 451

About the author

Peter Manning completed a doctorate in electroacoustic music at the University of Durham, and has been the director of its Electroacoustic Music Studio since 1980. In addition to writing books and articles on the history and development of the medium, he has directed several research programs into new technologies for computer music and composed a number of widely performed electroacoustic works.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Electronic and computer music
• Author: Peter MANNING
• Edition: 3, illustrated, revised
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2004
• ISBN: 0195144848, 9780195144840
• Length: 474 pages
• Subjects: Music / Genres & Styles / Electronic