The "Treatise on Musical Objects" by Pierre Schaeffer is regarded as his most important work on music and its relationship with technology. Drawing on acoustics, physics, and physiology, but also philosophy and the relationship between subject and object, this book summarizes his theoretical and practical work in music composition.

The Treatise on Musical Objects and the GRM, by Daniel TeruggiTranslators’ Introduction, by Christine NorthPierre Schaeffer’s Treatise on Musical Objects and Music Theory, by John Dack Acknowledgments Preface Introductory Remarks: The Historical Situation of Music Book One. Making Music 1. The Instrumental Prerequisite 2. Playing an Instrument 3. Capturing Sounds 4. Acousmatics Book Two. Hearing 5. "What Can Be Heard" 6. The Four Listening Modes 7. Scientific Prejudice 8. The Hearing Intention Book Three. Correlations Between the Physical Signal and the Musical Object 9. Ambiguities in Musical Acoustics 10. Correlation between Spectra and Pitches 11. Threshold and Transients 12. Temporal Anamorphoses I: Timbres and Dynamics 13. Temporal Anamorphoses II: Timbre and Instrument 14. Time and Duration Book Four. Objects and Structures 15. Reduction to the Object 16. Perceptual Structures 17. Comparative Structures: Music and Language 18. The Conventional Musical System: Musicality and Sonority 19. Natural Sound Structures: Musicianly Listening 20. The Reduced Listening System: Musical Dualism 21. Musical Research Book Five. Morphology and Typology of Sound Objects 22. Morphology of Sound Objects 23. The Laboratory 24. Typology of Musical Objects (I): Classification Criteria 25. Typology of Musical Objects (II): Balanced and Redundant Objects 26. Typology of Musical Objects (III): Eccentric Sounds 27. Working at Our Instrument Book Six. Theory of Musical Objects 28. Musical Experience 29. Generalizing Music Theory 30. Theory of Homogenous Sounds: Criterion of Mass 31. Theory of Fixed Masses: Dynamic Criterion 32. Theory of Sustainment 33. Theory of Variations 34. Analysis of the Musical Object as It Generally Appears Book Seven. Music as a Discipline 35. Implementation 36. The Meaning of Music Penultimate Chapter: In the Search of Music Itself Postscript Index

"Pierre Schaeffer's text in a definitive form in English is invaluable to a wide range of communities of scholars, practitioners, and general readers. It will have the effect of ‘rewriting history’ as well as stimulating and informing current discussions on the state of sound, music, and media in the age of smart technology."—Simon Emmerson, Professor of Music, Technology, and Innovation, De Montfort University "Schaeffer’s Treatise on Musical Objects is a landmark text, not for one but for several disciplines: electroacoustic composition, sound studies, media theory, music theory, to name but a few. To have an English translation of this volume at long last is a cause for celebration. Christine North and John Dack have shown tremendous skill, patience, and care in rendering Schaeffer’s often challenging style into English, doing justice to both the content of his ideas and the style in which they are expressed."—Eric Drott, Associate Professor of Music Theory, University of Texas at Austin "Almost seventy years after the invention of musique concrète, this seminal text is still absolutely crucial for those curious about music, sound, composing, and the experience of listening. Schaeffer’s astonishing book is at last available in English thanks to the wonderful work of John Dack and Christine North."—Robert Worby, composer, BBC Radio 3 and the Langham Research Centre "The Treatise on Musical Objects is Pierre Schaeffer’s magnum opus, a prescient work of sound studies before there was 'sound studies.' Its purview touches on nearly every aspect of sound and auditory culture. Beyond 'modes of listening,' 'sound objects,' or 'acousmatics,' there is so much more for readers to discover."—Brian Kane, author of Sound Unseen: Acousmatic Sound in Theory and Practice "Schaeffer’s treatise is a monumental, groundbreaking investigation into listening, considering in depth not only the sounds of music, but the whole sound world. At last English-speaking readers can discover the seminal research of this unique personality, which remains a classic fifty years after its initial publication. A translation triumph."—Denis Smalley, Professor Emeritus, City, University of London