Spectralism and Research in Psychoacoustics and Music Perception

Abstract Although work in the sciences of musical perception did not wait until the 1970s to reach composers, those in the spectral movement were particularly attentive and used some aspects to fertilize their theoretical thought and their compositional practice. This chapter examines the different ways in which these composers appropriated the knowledge of sound and auditory perception. The chapter will first examine the paradigm shift that has led from note to sound culture and to an awareness of the role of perception in composition. It will then discuss the question of the appropriation of concepts from acoustics and psychoacoustics by spectral composers. Finally, it will focus on some scientific-inspired techniques of composition.