The Two Pierres: War as creator, machine as musician

Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore introduce BBC Radio 3's series exploring the pivotal 'modern' musical works of the 20th century, the groundbreaking composers who created them, and the radical cultural and artistic movements which gave rise to them.

This week, Gillian explores the role of the two Pierres - Schaeffer and Henry, and their Groupe de Recherche de Musique Concrète - in the development of electronic music. We’ll track the influence of artists like Wassily Kandinsky on this revolution in music-making; travel to Britain, Japan and Egypt to see how a German invention propelled composers all across the globe down the path of manipulating recorded sound; and enjoy the whole of Schaeffer and Henry’s mid-century masterpiece ‘Symphonie pour un homme seul’ (1949–1950).

Produced by Sam Phillips
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3

To listen on most smart speakers just say, “ask BBC Sounds to play 20th Century Radicals”