Pierre Henry, feedback as sound material

Pierre Henry, an emblematic figure of musique concrète, always pushed the boundaries of sound. With his "Second Symphony - Scherzo 5" from 1972, he ventured into unexplored sonic territory by using exclusively feedback sounds. Composed for 16 tracks and 16 groups of speakers, this monumental work is a masterpiece of acoustic manipulation, where distortion becomes raw material.

Feedback, a self-sustaining sound

Feedback, often dreaded in concerts for its shrill and uncontrollable effect, here becomes a source of sonic exploration. In an anechoic chamber, where no echoes disturb the acoustic space, Henry recorded the sounds over several days, creating closed sound loops, "mirrors of sounds". The principle of feedback is simple: a microphone picks up the sound from a speaker it’s connected to, creating a loop where the sound feeds on itself. But under Pierre Henry's meticulous control, this process becomes a fertile ground for endless experimentation.

As Henry described, he would spend hours, motionless, holding a microphone just enough so that the slightest movement – a slight tremor or a subtle tilt – would alter the vibration of the sound in the room. This meticulous process gave birth to this music of gesture, where the balance between body and instrument is essential. Henry literally had to "seek" the sound, with the concentration of an acrobat, extending his microphone to capture the exact spot where the sound waves occurred.

A composition in four movements

The symphony is structured into four distinct movements:

• Andante (18’04)
• Allegro (20’13)
• Scherzo (24’10)
• Largo (13’35)

To listen to an excerpt, visit this page >

These movements vary not only in length but also in intensity, creating an organic dynamic where the pulsations of the feedback evolve, distort, and transform under Henry’s calculated manipulations.

Recording in an anechoic chamber

The recording took place from February 25 to 27, 1972 in the largest anechoic chamber in Europe, located at the Cabasse factory in Brest. This chamber provided an ideal space to isolate and manipulate feedback sounds, far from any external interference. Using magnetic tape as a medium, each sonic variation was recorded at a speed of 38 cm/s on 16 tracks, allowing for a complex layering of sound textures.

A one-of-a-kind symphony

Pierre Henry turned what is generally perceived as a disturbing sound effect into a unique musical language. The feedback sounds, far from being chaotic, are revealed here as a living, malleable material to sculpt. It is a music that questions our relationship with acoustic space, both intimate and deeply experimental.

The "Second Symphony - Scherzo 5" is much more than an electronic composition; it is an immersion into a sonic universe where the physical balance of the musician's body directly influences the creation of the music. A novel exploration of the relationship between gesture and sound.

So, does this radical use of feedback inspire you to reflect on how noise can become music?

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22/10/2024