Festival celebrates history of electroacoustic music

The University of Sheffield’s Tape to Typedef symposium will explore the history of music made with electronic technology through concerts, talks and workshops.

Dr Adrian Moore, of the music department, said: “Electroacoustic music begins with recorded sounds that are then manipulated on the computer.

“You can hear examples of it in creative sound design for films and games, but not many people are aware of what it is or how it’s made.”

The festival will chart how the genre has evolved over the decades, from Erik Satie using a typewriter to create sound on stage in 1917 to post-war electronic instruments such as the Theremin, oscillators and filters – used by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to create the Dr Who theme tune –through to CDs, mp3s and mobile technology.

Dr Moore said: “We rarely get a chance to take stock of the history of music. Call me a traditionalist, but I think history is important.”

The event, from Wednesday January 30 to Saturday February 2, features some of the UK’s best known practitioners including Jonty Harrison, John Young, Pete Stollery, Andrew Lewis, Leigh Landy and Simon Emmerson.

“Tape to Typedef is partly to showcase the huge amount of creative work out there,” said Dr Moore.

Pupils from Birkdale and King Edwards VII schools in the city will also get chance to use a music laboratory and explore how to make electroacoustic music themselves as part of the event.

Dr Moore said: “Young people are making music like never before. However, they are beginning to realise it is increasingly difficult to find an original voice.

“Here’s a chance to embrace something both challenging and exciting.”

To register for events and find out more, visit www.shef.ac.uk/usss.