Structuring Spectra in Electroacoustic Music

Abstract

This article describes the ways in which the spectra of electroacoustic music compositions can be structured coherently. It begins by describing the straightjacket that composers and listeners are constrained by when using the concept of ‘source bonding’ and how this needs to be discarded for effective listening. It then describes the concept of spectral merging and how ideas of musical timbre are formed, and finally discusses the many ways that spectra can be structured with both harmonic and inharmonic components. Examples are given from the author’s own music and other well-known works in the literature of electroacoustic music.