Research on the First Musique Concrète: The Case of Xenakis’s First Electroacoustic Pieces

Xenakis’s first electroacoustic pieces (Diamorphoses, 1957; Concret PH, 1958; Analogique B, 1959; Orient-Occident, 1960; and Bohor, 1962) can be called musique concrète. Indeed, these works use the concrète musique tape techniques. But their spirit and aesthetic is very different from those set forth in Pierre Schaeffer’s theories. In fact, these works are quite particular in their whole conception. The two authors of this article are researching this period of Xenakis’s electroacoustic music. In this article, they offer a brief survey of the issues these works raised. To illustrate some of these issues, they use Diamorphoses and Bohor as examples.

À propos de Bohor (1962) de Iannis Xenakis

Bohor is the last of the five electronic works composed by Iannis Xenakis at the studio of the Groupe de Recherches Musicales at the French Radio in Paris. It is also presented as the first piece conceived for eight channels. Relying on Xenakis's writings and interviews, and on documents and sketches located in the Xenakis Archives, this paper contextualises Bohor and provides elements of analysis on the relationship between music and the composer's graphic plan of the work. It also shows the many possibilities imagined by Xenakis over the years for the sound diffusion of Bohor.