Musique Concrète **ACETATE** *LISTEN ON YOUTUBE* A-RTV 1959 LIB No.CDWE1752
  £   30
  $   40

 


£ 30 Sold For
Mar 25, 2016 Sold Date
Mar 15, 2016 Start Date
1 Number Of Bids
  Great Britain Country Of Seller
eBay Sold at
 
 
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Description

Musique Concrète was fundamental in the development and influence of future musical genres, from psychedelic rock and the Beatles and George Martin’s experimentation with tape in the mid / late 60s, as well as early electronic music, from Kraftwerk to synth pop. It was, of course, the cornerstone of what would become techno / acid house in the mid 1980s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew-7J0YsCmY

During World War Two the first tape recorder was used by the Nazi propaganda machine to broadcast material edited using a dextrous razor blade. The arrival of these machines into the rest of Europe after the war allowed the enthusiastic amateur and experimenter to investigate the real potential for tape recorders as a tool to creatively change the nature of recorded sound.

Étude aux chemins de fer, by Pierre Schaeffer, is widely recognised as the first piece of Musique Concrete, and it was Schaeffer’s work, in particular, which pioneered the style. The idea is that the composer begins with a set of “concrete” sounds and arranges them into a piece of music. The BBC Radio phonic workshop, estbalished in Abbey Road studios in the 1950s was also a key part of the story, with the Dr Who theme one of the most well known outcomes.

This unique (an over-used word, but in this case certainly accurate) 10” acetate dates from 1959, the latter period in the development of Musique Concrète.

It plays at 78rpm and is in very good condition. I do not have the equipment to play it at 78rpm, but played at 45rpm on maximum +10 on the pitch control there is some background noise consistent with normal acetate quality from a 55 year-old recording. But it gives some idea of the original recording.

The fascinating aspect of record collecting is the random nature of finds, this being among a collection of classical music purchased from a car boot sale, clearly belonging to someone who had a role in the creation or production of music around this time as there are other private pressings and a couple of damaged acetates of classical recordings. There is also the awareness that the item has historical significance, and will mean as much to someone as a Miles Davis acetate would to me.

Please ask any questions and thank you for looking, thanks to various sources for background information including Sound Matters website.

NB: This is NOT vinyl but a metal acetate, it must not be cleaned with solvent or any other 'record' cleaners, item must be played on a light weight stylus and playing quality will deterioriate over time if played repeatedly, normal occasional playing is fine but I recommend burning this to CD for regular listening. Surface can also be chipped or cracked if handled roughly so do take extra care.

Item is in VG playing condition, I will not accept this as a return if damaged in any way.

 


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