word

Spectral Music

SPEK-trul MYOO-zik

/ˈspɛktrəl ˈmjuːzɪk/

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Syllable breakdown

SPEKtrulMYOOzik

Dictionary meaning

A compositional approach developed in France in the 1970s, pioneered by Gérard Grisey and Tristan Murail, that derives musical structures — harmony, timbre, rhythm — from the acoustic properties of sound spectra, using the overtone series as the basis for pitch collections and orchestration.

Examples

In spectral music, chords are built from the natural harmonics present in a single instrumental tone.
Grisey's Partiels is a landmark work of spectral music, composed from the analyzed sound of a trombone.

Synonyms: spectralism, spectral composition

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