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MUS41240

Academic Year 2026/2027

A History of Electronic Music (MUS41240)

Subject:
Music
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Music
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Sean L Clancy
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

Electronic music is inextractable from the experience of modern life. From academic composition studios in universities and radio stations to highly polished commercial pop music to DIY house & electronica, electronic music radiates into most aspects of contemporary society crossing political, gender, and racial boundaries. This six week module examines the history of three key techniques of electronic music: musique concrète/field recording, synthesis, and sampling, exploring and contextualising the work of composers/producers in a historical continuum that is often anchored to place. Through seminar styled classes, students are equipped with the tools to both discuss and create electronic music, whilst contextualising it amongst work from the mid-twentieth century onwards. Students are assessed on their choice of a musicological essay exploring one or more of the topics covered in class, or a creative response in a composition/song/track that utilises one or more of the techniques surveyed in class.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:
- demonstrate a contextual knowledge of electronic music from the mid-twentieth century to the present day in a variety of different genres.
- explain and evaluate the importance of place on the formation of different electronic musical styles.
- Observe the contribution that electronic music composers and producers have made to music & society more broadly.
- deploy with precision the creative techniques and characteristics of electronic music in multiple styles, notably musique concrète, synthesis, and sampling.
- have an improved knowledge of electronic music repertoire and improved listening skills.
- have an improved knowledge of conducting research and improved communication skills both creatively and academically.

Indicative Module Content:

Weeks 1: Synthesis - Subtractive Synthesis, Raymond Scott; Additive Synthesis, Autechre; Sequencing,
Laurie Spiegel.
[Practical Activity - Using Arp 2600, Korg Opsix, sequencers]

Week 2: Synthesis & Spectacle - Iannis Xenakis - La Légende d'Eer; Khyam Allami - Decolonising electronic music, Leimma & Apotome.
[Practical Activity - Using Leimma & Apotome with digital & hardware synthesizers]

Week 3: Musique Concrète - Pierre Schaeffer; Pierre Henry; Leila Arab; Granular Synthesis - Barry Truax; Leafcutter John; Tim Hecker; Digital Reverb
[Practical Activity - Using Adobe Audition and related Musique Concrète plug-ins]

Week 4: Musique Concrète & field recording - Luc Ferrari; Marja Ahti.
[Practical Activity - Field Recording Trip around UCD Campus]

Week 5: Sampling - Mobb Deep; Björk; DJ Shadow; Madvillain; J Dilla.
[Practical Activity - Using a Roland SP404 MKII]

Week 6: Sampling & Modelling - Art of Noise; Boards of Canada; Ramin Djawadi, Anna Meredith; Carla Scaletti;
[Practical Activity - Logic Sampler; Native Instruments Kontakt]

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Expert

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Expert

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Expert

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Expert

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Expert

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Expert

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Expert

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Expert

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

100
Lectures

12
Project Supervision

12
Total

124

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
In-person seminars 2 hours per week
office hours with module coordinator
self-directed research, study, composition and/or academic writing.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Create a piece of electronic music of c5 minutes using one or more of the techniques discussed in class OR Write a research paper of c5000 words discussing one or more of the topics explored. Week 14 Graded No
100
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback will be given individually to students, post-assessment by written and annotated remarks through the VLE.

ALLAMI, Khyam, Échos-monde: Towards a hybrid repertoire of contemporary and experimental acoustic, electroacoustic and electronic Arabic music (PhD, Birmingham City University, 2022). [Thesis]

BERGER, John, Ways of Seeing (London: Penguin, 2008).

BURROWS, Jonathan, A Choreographer’s Handbook. (Abingdon: Routledge, 2010).

CAGE, John, Silence (London: Marion Boyars, 1968).

CHARNAS, Dan, Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, The Hop-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm, (London, Swift Press, 2023).

COLLINS, Nick & D'ESCRIVAN, Julio, The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music, Second Edition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017).

FELDMAN, Morton, Give my Regards to Eighth Street (Cambridge MA: Exact Change, 2000).

FERGUSON, Jordan, J Dilla's Donuts (33 1/3) (London: Bloomsbury, 2014).

FERNANDO, Skiz, The Chronicles of DOOM: Unravelling Rap's Masked Iconoclast (London: Faber, 2024).

FERRARI, Brunhild, Luc Ferrari: Complete Works (New York: Ecstatic Peace Library, 2019).

FERRARI, Luc, Je me pose (aussi) des questions (Marseille: Maison ONA, 2022).

FERRARI, Luc, Préface à... et réflexion sur... (Marseille: Maison ONA, (2021).

FRIEDL, Reinhold, Towards a Philology of Electroacoustic Music - Xenakis’s Tape Music as Paradigm. (PhD, Goldsmiths, University of London, 2019). [Thesis]

GLOVER, Richard & HARRISON, Bryn, Overcoming Form: Reflections on Immersive Listening (Huddersfield, Huddersfield University Press, 2013).

GOTTSCHALK, Jennie, Experimental Music Since 1970 (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016).

GRIFFITHS, Paul, Modern Music and After 3rd edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010).

HAGLE, Will, Madvillain's Madvillainy (33 1/3) (London: Bloomsbury, 2023).

KRAUSE, Bernie: The Great Animal Orchestra (London: Profile books, 2012).

LANE, Cathy & CARLYLE, Angus, In the Field: The Art of Field Recording (Devon: Univform Books, 2011).

LUCIER, Alvin, Music 109: Notes on Experimental Music (Middletown CT, Wesleyan University Press, 2012).

LUCIER, Alvin, Eight lectures on experimental music (Middletown CT, Wesleyan University Press, 2018).

NYMAN, Michael, Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1974).

OLIVEROS, Pauline, Deep Listening: A Composer's Sound Practice (iUniverse, 2005).

ORAM, Daphne, An Individual Note of Music, Sound and Electronics (Havertown, PA: Anomie Academic, 2016).

PUCKETT, Miller, The Theory and Techniques of Electronic Music (San Diego, CA: UCSD Press, 2007).

ROADS, Curtis, Composing Electronic Music: A New Aesthetic (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2015).

RODGERS, Tara, Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2010).

RUTHERFORD-JOHNSON, Tim, Music after the Fall, (Oakland, University of California Press, 2017).

THE RZA, The Tao of Wu (New York, Riverhead Books, 2010).

SCHAFER, R Murray, The Soundscape, Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World (New York: Knopf, 1977).

STRANGE, Allen, Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, Controls (Dubuque, Iowa: W. C. Brown Co, 1972).
WRIGHT, Mark Peter, Listening After Nature, Field Recording, Ecology, Critical Practice (London: Bloomsbury, 2022).

XENAKIS, Iannis, Formalized Music: Thought and Mathematics in Music (Bloomington, Indiana, Indiana University Press, 1971).

It's also useful to read articles in periodicals such as Journal of Music, Tempo, Perspectives of New Music, MusikTexte, Leonardo Music Journal, and the Wire.

Name Role
Mr Dunk Murphy Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 13:00 - 14:50
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