Space in Music: what we call ‘space’ in music and what it really is

Abstract

This article proposes a division of the concept of space in music into four spaces, namely the internal, external, intrinsic and extrinsic spaces. Having reviewed these concepts in texts from numerous authors and composers, we aggregate a variety of concepts into these four main categories of space in music. We also present possible transgressions of the boundaries of these concepts, with the understanding that these transgressions are common practice for contemporary composers. Currently, these practices of transgression tend to be confused because of the lack of a clear definition for the spaces in question.

Keywords

• electroacoustic music
• contemporary music
• musical space
• space in music
• spatialization