The Language of Electroacoustic Music d academic publishers 8‘we wn moments of exteme srs it tent fect more Hk the sen the Ti however, we take sound-abjects whose intnnsc morphology is very complex orunsabl how can werelateto thse? Ae they merely formes oF {anon I would propone that there ares number of archarypes ubich allow sto asi hese complex sounds perepaaly, sacha Turbulence, Wave- break, Open'Cloe, Sren/Wind, Creak’Crach, UnsableSeing, Shae, Explosion, Bubble And lhough there i ot space inthis aril to alae tomthes eas woul suggest that itmay even Be possible o extend his kind tt analysis phenomena wheremany individual sound sours are aman, for example the Alarm when a clon of animal or bind is dsurbed he resulting mae ofindvidal sound has avery characteristic morpbology, oF Streaming ets certainchanges occurring contindous streams of sounds ‘may pethapa be late wo model developed in catastrophe theo) Tr conctson sens ea that the various apt of sound landscape we have dieu offerabroad and acting ea ors explostion and developmen The sophisticated contol of thi dimension of ur sone ‘prince has only Become posible with the development of sound. ‘evordng and sybei and he control of vial sonst pace i und [roiecton from loudspeaker. would ceaialy be fol to dismiss his ‘now world posits on some «prio assumption tha they are not of ‘musica cancer. In fat, any deinion of mc actvky which does not taketh to acount mast, om hee o, be regarded as inadequate 4 ‘Spectro-morphology and Structuring Processes! Denis Smalley Introduction he development of Western masiin the went century dominated by an historic bration in maical language: tonality wih ke metaly “heaizel harmonic ard clic tlationshipr has continued to be the Cermacla langage, absorbed unconsciouly fom it, whe the other Tonkin its moat recent ue represented by specteo-morpholog?-Spetr™ tnorpoogy san approach to sound materi nd mal structures which “Snntiteson the spestum of seaiableatces ad thei saping ime. In ‘mbracingthetoalfameworko pitch andtime implies that he vernacuae Linguage confine roa all ate ofthe msi universe. Developments tach a atonal, tal seria, the expacon of ercusion inerument, inthe advent of eleczoacountc meal oni the recognition of ‘he inherent mail nal sounds, But it sound recording, lcroni ‘echoogy and most eet the computer which haveopened upa musical “rloration ot previously osu, Spectro mompbology ha way of perce: inp and conceiving these ew vals resting from 3 chain of illaenes hich has acelerated since herr ofthe century. As such ts a i C0 ‘Wesern nial radio whch ashe sometime changes musical ceria and demands now perceptionsSper momphoogy find its rc ome in elestoacoatc mic uti is not imprisoned there. Although istraments may also be moulded in 2 spestromorpholopcal manar, eadional wind abd sting isumens Iemoni im thi apectal makeup, were conceived and developed for an Irmoni musi Evenif moder performing eiqoescem tokave enabled Ueto escape omharmoni cones, is temporary and ilasory redo ‘sabre the aon nature ofistruments, The far of ive prom nce most ie with new isan "The ois, bean of tsinsimate han inks can neve fade om musical sage. Through language thas bon inf imo over a shousand year of ‘Western msi inclading pry instrumental mas Wistherefore incite thatthe vice and ange continu oe athe eat of vernacular music, tile along the oer fork their influence has weakened as spectro ‘morphology bas seped ito modem musical thinking. Ar sound sources, weve langage and vocal sounds hare dscvered new igoficance a rev of their conac with etroaeousti media, Even ifthe actual sound of sucttes base on a ypestro-morpbologi approach often appears to leave vice and esruments fat behinds thet formative inane nevertheless pests hough este the spetal shapes tndshape-sesuences crete by the nergy of physical and vocal auton Though the nema spect behaviour of tounds may no anger miro overly he npn of instrament and vos tangible inks wth hum ity demand tobe peeved through etre ‘Recently the sounds of coviromertal plenorens have been scinrdcd sual atu with voice and instrament The acepance of eiconmental ‘Suns completes the sounding model for musical composton: the sounds fof Lngusge and human uterance in general ates phenomena, sounds Imentonally refed by human agency fot only those of musi insta ‘ment and unintended sounds of human orgn The musical exploration of {hese wares and thir imaginatv extensions through gna procesing and "ye are the bonnes ofthe lesroacoti a. Listeners san onl apprehend mai hey dscovera percept wit ite materials and stractre Such an afity depends om the partnership beeween commoner an lstene maiated by aural percption. Today we only need easer the primacy of aur experience im mi. The heritage of twentcbsentury formal an he conti propensity of composersto sek supportin non musical modes have proce the unde the sidesflet of seni concep athe expense of petept Borrowing Ices rom no muscles is common ad canbe ep, bat Unk concept comes oe mitigated bythe cart alwatspossible "hat th later wl be otraced, Aural perceptions rage le epi “sland sha resents threat to dose muscans and researchers who have “icy in coming totems with the necity of shee subject. The rimacy of perp i unasale since wthouttmusicalexperince does ‘We need to concentrate ur atetion on musical perception and yurticlrthe mow extensive pool of elecroscostic seat our disposal. ny experience through caching, tending and pogeamming concen taling to elecroacontic mui performers and composers that there 3 ‘eoarkable consensus abou the eficacy of failure of parclar musical ‘cos, this indicating an fstinctive evaluation of the newer spett- ‘ronpboogial ales. The practic of lenin, and the perceive obser “ht of the listering proces must thecfore form the Foundation fay ‘noncl investigation which seks 20 explain the workings of spectro” lo. the lsk of shared terminology 2 serous problem confronting cletro fc music becuse a description of sound materials andthe ration “hips preeguiste for evaluative dicoson In searching for appropiate trons we af obliged o borrow non-msial terms Because the ccm “Shed vocabulary vented for purl scl explication i100 limited for “pesto morphological purposes, Sich semantic borrowings smeediatly Ine that manic vones mimesis: moc materi ad tracts find ‘eecmblancs and echoes nthe non-maial word. These inks with human “perience may be obvions, tangible and const or cover chive ad {conscioa Howescr, 0 Bind out what happens in theif of a sound ot ‘ua stractre, or what tacts about sound quality or shape, we ms ‘eoyporaiy ignore how th sound was made or what ated i nd concer {eat omcrtng ts pectr-mshologcal progres For example, ine {orth the ound an approachingeae weshould have forgethat itis ‘car and ignore everything sociated with“arnes, confining oa aur “hoevation to dsconering ow he spectrum of the sound changes ie Ths snventgative proves known a ede stenng* ede ech