ABSTRACT
The opening up to sound in its generality is synonymous with a new way of apprehending music, i.e., listening. Some continue to assert that advanced music of the 20th century is 'difficult' (for the public) but, in truth, that is valid only if the listener hopes to again find in it what characterises music of the past or types of music described as 'easier': melody, harmony, standard forms, etc. The refocussing on sound went hand in hand with a profound change in listening, which, precisely, allows for appreciating the morphological sound inventiveness of music that is sometimes complex in its elaboration but can be easy and pleasant to listen to if we hone our ear to appreciate these morphologies. This chapter first proposes a particular development on two contemporary figures: Cage, whose amusing witticism 'happy new ears' opened the path of free listening; then Schaeffer who, by his phenomenological approach, aimed at reinventing what civilisation has buried. The chapter goes on to examine several strategies developing listening in recent forms of music: acousmatic, composition starting from what is perceived, minimalism, 'authentic' listening, amplified listening or equipped listening.
