ZD_11 Electrophones

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Michal Cáb, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. PhDr. Martin Flašar, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Martin Flašar, Ph.D.
Department of Musicology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Ing. Alena Albíniová
Supplier department: Department of Musicology – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
ZD_07 Acoustics
It is assumed knowledge of musical sound acoustics, including principles of synthesis of musical signal and principles of digital synthesis of musical signal, knowledge of the basics of electroacoustics focusing on the field of reproduction technology, recording techniques and techniques for sound modification (effects) and knowledge of digital signal processing basics in the music and sound sphere in general.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to provide a comprehensive knowledge of the problems of electrophones and individual types of syntheses. The revelation of instrument groups or selected instruments is put in the context of the new types of musical thinking that have profiled the interaction between artist and technology since the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Thus, the music historical perspective and the perspective of systematic musicology are represented. The choice of representatives of instrument groups takes into account the popularity and spread of individual instruments and thus the possibility of encountering the instrument in the practice of technical-artistic operation.
Learning outcomes
Graduates of the course will gain a comprehensive knowledge of electrophones and the implementation of basic types of synthesis (AM, FM, SUB, WAVETABLE...). They will be introduced to selected basic organological concepts and the systematics of electrophones. They will learn about the principles of signal formation that characterize the different instrument groups and at the same time they will get a general overview of their history. For selected representatives of the groups, they will learn about the developmental types and specifics of playing and control. They will be able to relate the appearance of instrument groups or individual electrophones to characteristic types of musical thinking and related tendencies in music from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries onwards.
Syllabus
  • 1. PHENOMEN ELECTROFON, motivation and consequences
  • 2. ORGANOLOGIC MINIMUM, musical instrument and hardware, electrophonic system
  • 2.1. the system of electrophones using the M. Guštar subdivision
  • 3. ELECTROMECHANICAL INSTRUMENTS, sound production tools
  • 3.1. category Electrically operated tools
  • 3.2. category Tools with electromagnetic generators
  • 3.3. category Power tools
  • 3.4. category Tools with rotary generators
  • 3.5. Category Tools with mechanical oscillators and electrical sensors
  • 3.6. Category Optophonic instruments
  • 4. ELECTROMECHANICAL INSTRUMENTS, tools for sound recording, reproduction and editing
  • 4.1. category Gramophonic Instruments
  • 4.2. category Magnetic Instruments
  • 4.3. iconic implementation for new tools and devices
  • 5. ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS - ANALOG DEVICES, FIRST HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY
  • 5.1. category Analog Electronic Tools
  • 5.2. iconic implementation for new tools and devices
  • 6. ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS - ANALOGUE INSTRUMENTS, DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT
  • 6.1. analog electronic instruments not intended for audio
  • 6.2. analog electronic synthesizers, synthesis as a new type
  • 6.3. category Automatic Electronic Analog Tools and Pattern Thinking and Looping
  • 7. COMBINED INSTRUMENTS, tools with the exclusion of binary digits
  • 8. ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS - DIGITALLY CONTROLLED ANALOG AND HYBRID INSTRUMENTS, first microprocessors and an analog signal
  • 8.1. category Digitally Controlled Analog Electronic Tools
  • 8.2. category Hybrid Electronic Tools and Automatic Hybrid Electronic Tools
  • 8.3. retro instruments after 1990
  • 9. ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS - DIGITAL HARDWARE INSTRUMENTS, Democratization of Technology
  • 9.1. category Digital Electronic Tools
  • 9.2. category Automatic Electronic Electronic Tools
Literature
    required literature
  • GUŠTAR, Milan. Elektrofony : historie, principy, souvislosti. Vyd. 1. Praha: Uvnitř, 2007, 397 s. ISBN 9788023984460. info
  • GUŠTAR, Milan. Elektrofony : historie, principy, souvislosti. Vyd. 1. Praha: Uvnitř, 2008, 518 s. ISBN 9788023984477. info
  • KURFÜRST, Pavel. Hudební nástroje. Vyd. 1. Praha: Togga, 2002, 1168 s. ISBN 809029121X. info
    recommended literature
  • KOPECKÝ, Pavel. Základy elektronického zvuku a jeho kreativní zpracování. 1. vyd. V Praze: Akademie múzických umění, 2008, 151 s. ISBN 9788073311216. info
  • ROADS, Curtis. The Computer Music Tutorial. Cambridge MA: MIT Press 1996.
  • SYROVÝ, Václav. Digitální syntéza zvukového signálu. Hudební nástroje, 1988, roč. 25, č. 1, s. 11-12.
  • SYROVÝ, Václav. Hudební signál a jeho syntéza. Živá hudba, 1986, online [cit 1.11.2018]. < http://www.ziva-hudba.info/list.php?issue=11 >.
  • FLAŠAR, Martin. Elektroakustická hudba (Electroacoustic Music). 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2015. Elportál. ISBN 978-80-210-7945-8. epub url info
  • SCHAEFFER, Pierre. Konkrétní hudba. Přeložil František Tvrdý. Praha: Editio Supraphon, 1971. info
  • KOHOUTEK, Ctirad. Novodobé skladebné směry v hudbě. 2. rozš. a opr. vyd. Praha: Státní hudební vydavatelství, 1965, 270 s. URL info
Teaching methods
Lectures, discussions, homeworks
Assessment methods
A condition for successful completion of the course is a successfully passed knowledge test and practical implementation of the software synthesizer.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: in blocks.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/ZD_11