Music and Technology: Contemporary History and Aesthetics
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this survey of how technology shaped experimental and popular music from the 19th century to today. Lectures, readings, and hands-on projects cover the history of radio, audio recording, and the recording studio, along with musique concrete and early electronic instruments built by composers like Harry Partch, John Cage, and Conlon Nancarrow. Later sessions trace electromagnetic pickups and turntablism into dub and hip-hop, the analog synthesizer from the Moog modular to the Roland TR-808, and the rise of computer music and synthesis languages. The course also examines circuit bending, live electronics, electro-acoustic music, and copyright issues facing musicians who sample or repurpose recorded sound. No prerequisites are required. Course materials include the full syllabus, readings, and project descriptions as published through MIT's OpenCourseWare initiative, free to access without enrollment.