An Oral History of Musical Acoustics and Musical Research in France – RAMHO

In the second half of the twentieth century, musical practices were totally transformed by the emergence and democratization of techniques in sound analyzing, synthesizing and processing , and by scientific knowledge on sound phenomenon. Musical acoustics, computer music and what is called, more generally, musical research - in link with the integration of new technologies into music - have led scientists and musicians to collaborate within new kinds of institutions and to develop new tools, knowledge and expertise. The RAMHO project (An Oral History of Musical Research and Musical Acoustics in France) is based on both archival research and the collection of oral testimonies. It focuses on the origins of these research centres – many of which were created in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s – and the way in which the links between science and arts were developed. This oral history project combines history of science and technology and history of cultural policies with musicology, acoustics, psychoacoustics and computer science.