ANALYSES – Musical analyses of IRCAM works

Initially named REPERTOIRE, the ANALYSES database is a collection of musical analyses of mixed-media works created at IRCAM and considered representative of the institute’s culture in terms of both artistic sensibility and technology. It is managed by IRCAM’s Resource Center and the Department of Education headed by Philippe Langlois, with support from the web team headed by Salah Eddine Chaouch.

The project was begun by Andrew Gerzso in 2006-2008, and the first analyses were published online at the end of 2010. Editorial direction was subsequently entrusted to Nicolas Donin (2011-2014) and then Alain Bonardi (2014-2019). Since 2019, the database has been jointly managed by Alain Bonardi and François-Xavier Féron. Over the years, ANALYSES has been adapted to meet the standards of a peer-reviewed online journal. The entries are now commissioned from various authors and evaluated by the editors and two members of the scientific committee.

Each analysis begins with a general description of the work and the technology it incorporates, followed by a more detailed study of excerpts from the work and the relationship between the electronics and the musical concepts. Each analysis is accompanied by figures, excerpts from the score, and audio or video recordings. The entries created since 2021 contain interactive features that users can manipulate directly from their browser. Each entry also contains a list of resources consulted by the authors for their analysis, organized into four categories: texts (bibliographic resources), archives (documents in private or public archives), scores, and commercial audio and video recordings.

The project has several objectives:

  • to make the works produced at IRCAM known to a wider public,
  • to highlight connections between each piece’s musical ideas and technologies,
  • to offer supporting information to performers, and
  • to contribute to the conservation and re-creation of the works.

Editorial direction
Alain Bonardi (University of Paris 8, STMS-IRCAM)
François-Xavier Féron (CNRS, STMS-IRCAM)

Scientific committee
Bruno Bossis (University of Rennes 2)
Guillaume Boutard (University of Montreal)
Frédéric Dufeu (University of Huddersfield)
Vincent Tiffon (Aix-Marseille University)
Julie Delisle
Eric Maestri
Laurent Pottier (Jean Monnet University of Saint-Etienne - University of Lyon)
João Svidzinski
Laura Zattra

Editorial and technical team
Aurore Baudin (IRCAM – Resource Center)
Jérôme Boutinot (IRCAM - Resource Center)
Salah Eddine Chaouch (IRCAM - Web Development Team)

Translation
Meagan Mason
Paul Clift