WHO IS Edgard Varèse
Edgard Varèse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse
(French pronunciation: [ɛdɡaːʁ viktɔːʁ aʃil ʃaʁl vaʁɛːz];
also spelled Edgar Varèse;[1]
December 22, 1883 – November 6, 1965)
December 22, 1883 – November 6, 1965)
in the United States was an innovative French-born
Varèse's music emphasizes timbre and rhythm.
He was the inventor of the term "organized sound",
a phrase meaning that certain timbres and rhythms
can be grouped together, sublimating
into a whole new definition of music.
He was the inventor of the term "organized sound",
a phrase meaning that certain timbres and rhythms
can be grouped together, sublimating
into a whole new definition of music.
Although his complete surviving works only last about
three hours, he has been recognised as an influence
by several major composers of the late 20th century.
His use of new instruments and electronic resources led to
three hours, he has been recognised as an influence
by several major composers of the late 20th century.
His use of new instruments and electronic resources led to
his being known as the "Father of Electronic Music"
while Henry Miller described him as "The stratospheric Colossus of Sound".
while Henry Miller described him as "The stratospheric Colossus of Sound".
Contents[hide] |
[edit]Life and career
[edit]Early life
Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse was born in Paris,
but when he was only a few weeks old, he was sent to be
raised by his great-uncle and other relations in the small town of Le Villars
in the Burgundy region of France. There he developed a very strong
attachment to his maternal grandfather, Claude Cortot. Through his mother's family
he was related to the pianist Alfred Cortot. His affection for his grandfather
outshone anything he would ever feel for his own parents.
attachment to his maternal grandfather, Claude Cortot. Through his mother's family
he was related to the pianist Alfred Cortot. His affection for his grandfather
outshone anything he would ever feel for his own parents.
Reclaimed by his parents in the late 1880s, in 1893 young Edgard was
forced to relocate with them to Turin, Italy, in part, to live amongst his paternal
relatives, since his father was of Italian descent. It was here that he had his first
real musical lessons, with the long-time director of Turin's conservatory, Giovanni Bolzoni.
forced to relocate with them to Turin, Italy, in part, to live amongst his paternal
relatives, since his father was of Italian descent. It was here that he had his first
real musical lessons, with the long-time director of Turin's conservatory, Giovanni Bolzoni.
Never comfortable with living in Italy, in great part due to his oppressive home-life,
a physical altercation with his father forced the situation and Varèse left home for Paris in 1903.
From 1904 he was a student at the Schola Cantorum (founded by pupils of César Franck),
where his teachers included Albert Roussel; afterwards he went to study composition with
Charles-Marie Widor at the Paris Conservatoire. From this period he composed a number of ambitious
orchestral works, but these were only performed by Varèse in piano transcriptions, such as his
Rhapsodie romane of about 1905, inspired by the Romanesque architecture of the cathedral of
St. Philibert in Tournus. He moved to Berlin in 1907 and in the same year married the actress
Suzanne Bing. They had one child, a daughter. They divorced in 1913.
During these years, Varèse became acquainted with Erik Satie, Richard Strauss, Claude Debussy
and Ferruccio Busoni, the last two being particular influences on him at the time.
He also gained the friendship and support ofRomain Rolland and Hugo von Hofmannsthal,
whose Œdipus und die Sphinx he began setting as an opera that was never completed. On January 5, 1911, the first performance of his symphonic poem Bourgogne in Berlin, the only one of his early orchestral works to be properly performed, caused a scandal.
After being invalided out of the French Army during World War I,
he moved to the United States in December 1915.
[edit]Early years in the United States
After he arrived in the USA Varèse commonly used the form 'Edgar' for his first name but
reverted to 'Edgard', not entirely consistently, from the 1940s.[1]
Varèse contributed a poem to the Dadaist magazine 391 after an evening of drinking
with Francis Picabia on the Brooklyn Bridge.[3] The same magazine claimed that he was orchestrating
a "Cold Faucet Dance".[4] Later that year he met Louise McCutcheon (then Norton),
who edited another Dadaist magazine, Rogue, with her then-husband.[5]
She was to become Louise Varèse and a celebrated translator of French poetry whose
versions of the work of Arthur Rimbaud for James Laughlin's New Directions imprint were particularly influential.
In 1917 Varèse made his debut in America conducting the Grande messe des morts by Berlioz.
He spent the first few years in the United States, where he was a Romany Marie's café regular[6]
in Greenwich Village, meeting important contributors to American music, promoting his vision
of new electronic art musicinstruments, conducting orchestras, and founding the
New Symphony Orchestra, which was short-lived.
It was also about this time that Varèse began work on his first composition in the United States,
Amériques, which was finished in 1921 but would remain unperformed until 1926,
when it was premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Stokowski
(who had already performed Hyperprism in 1924 and would premiere Arcana in 1927).
Virtually all the works he had written in Europe were either lost or destroyed in a Berlin
warehouse fire, so in the U.S. he was starting again from scratch. The only surviving work
from his early period appears to be the song Un grand sommeil noir, a setting of Verlaine.
(He still retained Bourgogne, but destroyed the score in a fit of depression many years later.)
It was at the completion of this work that Varèse, along with Carlos Salzedo, founded the International Composers' Guild, dedicated to the performances of new compositions of both American and European composers. The ICG's manifesto in July 1921 included the statement that
- "The present day composers refuse to die. They have realised the necessity of banding together and fighting for the right of each individual to secure a fair and free presentation of his work".[7]
In 1922, Varèse visited Berlin where he founded a similar German organisation with Busoni.
Varèse composed many of his pieces for orchestral instruments and voices for performance under the auspices of the ICG during its six year existence. Specifically, during the first half of the 1920s, he composed Offrandes,Hyperprism, Octandre, and Intégrales.
He took American citizenship in October 1927.[8]
[edit]Life in Paris
In 1928, Varèse returned to Paris to alter one of the parts in Amériques to include the recently constructed ondes Martenot. Around 1930,
he composed his most famous non-electronic piece entitled Ionisation, the first to feature solely percussion instruments.
Although it was composed with pre-existing instruments, Ionisation was an exploration of new sounds and methods to create them.
he composed his most famous non-electronic piece entitled Ionisation, the first to feature solely percussion instruments.
Although it was composed with pre-existing instruments, Ionisation was an exploration of new sounds and methods to create them.
Varèse was anti-semitic, claiming in 1928 when asked about jazz that it was not representative of America but instead was,
"a negro product, exploited by the Jews. All of its composers here are Jews," meaning Gruenbergand Boulanger students
including Copland and Blitzstein.[9]
"a negro product, exploited by the Jews. All of its composers here are Jews," meaning Gruenbergand Boulanger students
including Copland and Blitzstein.[9]
In 1933, while Varèse was still in Paris, he wrote to the Guggenheim Foundation and Bell Laboratories in an attempt to receive
a grant to develop an electronic music studio. His next composition, Ecuatorial, completed in 1934, contained parts for fingerboard
theremin cellos, and Varèse, anticipating the successful receipt of one of his grants, eagerly returned to the United States to finally realize his electronic music.
a grant to develop an electronic music studio. His next composition, Ecuatorial, completed in 1934, contained parts for fingerboard
theremin cellos, and Varèse, anticipating the successful receipt of one of his grants, eagerly returned to the United States to finally realize his electronic music.
[edit]Back in the United States
Varèse wrote his Ecuatorial for two fingerboard Theremins, bass singer, winds and percussion in the early 1930s.
It was premiered on April 15, 1934, under the baton of Nicolas Slonimsky.
Then Varèse left New York City, where he had lived since 1915, and moved to Santa Fe, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In 1936 he wrote Density 21.5. By the time Varèse returned in late 1938, Leon Theremin had returned to Russia. This devastated Varèse, who had hoped to work with Theremin on a refinement of his instrument. Varèse had also promoted the theremin in his Western travels, and demonstrated one at a lecture at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque on November 12, 1936. The University of New Mexico has an RCA theremin, which may be the same instrument.
It was premiered on April 15, 1934, under the baton of Nicolas Slonimsky.
Then Varèse left New York City, where he had lived since 1915, and moved to Santa Fe, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In 1936 he wrote Density 21.5. By the time Varèse returned in late 1938, Leon Theremin had returned to Russia. This devastated Varèse, who had hoped to work with Theremin on a refinement of his instrument. Varèse had also promoted the theremin in his Western travels, and demonstrated one at a lecture at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque on November 12, 1936. The University of New Mexico has an RCA theremin, which may be the same instrument.
He was approached by music producer Jack Skurnick resulting in EMS Recordings #401. The record was the first release of Integrales, Density 21.5, Ionization and Octandre and featured Rene le Roy, flute, the JuilliardPercussion Orchestra and the New York Wind Ensemble conducted by Frederic Waldman.
When, in the late 1950s, Varèse was approached by a publisher about making Ecuatorial available, there were very few theremins—let alone fingerboard theremins—to be found, so he rewrote/relabelled the part for ondes Martenot.[10] This new version was premiered in 1961. (Ecuatorial has been performed again with fingerboard theremins in Buffalo, NY in 2002 and at the Holland Festival, Amsterdam, in 2009.)
[edit]Unfinished projects
From the late 1920s to the end of the 1930s Varèse's principal creative energies went into two ambitious projects
which were never realized, and much of whose material was destroyed, though some elements from them seem
to have gone into smaller works. One was a large-scale stage work called by different names at different times,
but principally The One-All-Alone or Astronomer (L’Astronome). This was originally to be based on North American Indian legends;
later it became a futuristic drama of world catastrophe and instantaneous communication with the star Sirius.
This second form, on which Varèse worked in Paris in 1928–1932, had a libretto by Alejo Carpentier, Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes and
Robert Desnos. According to Carpentier, a substantial amount of this work was written but Varèse abandoned it in favour of a
new treatment in which he hoped to collaborate withAntonin Artaud. Artaud's libretto Il n’y a plus de firmament
was written for Varèse's project and sent to him after he had returned to the U.S. but by this time Varèse had turned to a second huge project.
which were never realized, and much of whose material was destroyed, though some elements from them seem
to have gone into smaller works. One was a large-scale stage work called by different names at different times,
but principally The One-All-Alone or Astronomer (L’Astronome). This was originally to be based on North American Indian legends;
later it became a futuristic drama of world catastrophe and instantaneous communication with the star Sirius.
This second form, on which Varèse worked in Paris in 1928–1932, had a libretto by Alejo Carpentier, Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes and
Robert Desnos. According to Carpentier, a substantial amount of this work was written but Varèse abandoned it in favour of a
new treatment in which he hoped to collaborate withAntonin Artaud. Artaud's libretto Il n’y a plus de firmament
was written for Varèse's project and sent to him after he had returned to the U.S. but by this time Varèse had turned to a second huge project.
This second project was to be a choral symphony entitled Espace. In its original conception the text for the chorus was to be written by André Malraux. Later Varèse settled on a multi-lingual text of hieratic phrases to be sung by choirs situated in Paris, Moscow, Peking and New York, synchronized to create a global radiophonic event. Varèse sought input on the text from Henry Miller, who suggests
in The Air-Conditioned Nightmare that this grandiose conception—also ultimately unrealized—eventually metamorphosed
into Déserts. With both these huge projects Varèse felt ultimately frustrated by the lack of electronic instruments
to realize his aural visions. Nevertheless he used some of the material from Espace in his short Étude pour espace,
virtually the only work that had appeared from his pen for over ten years when it was premiered in 1947.
According to Chou Wen-chung, Varèse made various contradictory revisions to Étude pour espace which
made it impossible to perform again, but the 2009 Holland Festival, which offered a 'complete works' of Varèse
over the weekend of 12–14 June 2009, persuaded Chou to make a new performing version (using similar brass
and woodwind forces to Déserts and making use of spatialized sound projection). This was premiered at the
Gashouder concert hall, Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam by Asko/Schönberg Ensemble and Cappella Amsterdam
on Sunday 14 June, conducted by Peter Eötvös.
in The Air-Conditioned Nightmare that this grandiose conception—also ultimately unrealized—eventually metamorphosed
into Déserts. With both these huge projects Varèse felt ultimately frustrated by the lack of electronic instruments
to realize his aural visions. Nevertheless he used some of the material from Espace in his short Étude pour espace,
virtually the only work that had appeared from his pen for over ten years when it was premiered in 1947.
According to Chou Wen-chung, Varèse made various contradictory revisions to Étude pour espace which
made it impossible to perform again, but the 2009 Holland Festival, which offered a 'complete works' of Varèse
over the weekend of 12–14 June 2009, persuaded Chou to make a new performing version (using similar brass
and woodwind forces to Déserts and making use of spatialized sound projection). This was premiered at the
Gashouder concert hall, Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam by Asko/Schönberg Ensemble and Cappella Amsterdam
on Sunday 14 June, conducted by Peter Eötvös.
[edit]International recognition
By the early 1950s, Varèse was in dialogue with a new generation of composers, such as Pierre Boulez and Luigi Dallapiccola.[11]
When he returned to France to finalize the tape sections of Déserts, Pierre Schaeffer helped arrange for suitable facilities.
The first performance of the combined orchestral and tape sound composition came as part of an ORTF broadcast concert,
between pieces by Mozart and Tchaikovsky and received a hostile reaction.
When he returned to France to finalize the tape sections of Déserts, Pierre Schaeffer helped arrange for suitable facilities.
The first performance of the combined orchestral and tape sound composition came as part of an ORTF broadcast concert,
between pieces by Mozart and Tchaikovsky and received a hostile reaction.
Le Corbusier was commissioned by Philips to present a pavilion at the 1958 World Fair and insisted (against the sponsors' resistance)
on working with Varèse, who developed his Poème électronique for the venue, where it was heard by an estimated two million people.
Using 400 speakers separated throughout the interior, Varèse created a sound and space installation geared towards experiencing sound
as it moves through space. Received with mixed reviews, this piece challenged audience expectations and traditional means of composing,
breathing life into electronic synthesis and presentation.
on working with Varèse, who developed his Poème électronique for the venue, where it was heard by an estimated two million people.
Using 400 speakers separated throughout the interior, Varèse created a sound and space installation geared towards experiencing sound
as it moves through space. Received with mixed reviews, this piece challenged audience expectations and traditional means of composing,
breathing life into electronic synthesis and presentation.
In 1962 he was asked to join the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and in 1963 he received the premier Koussevitzky International Recording
Award.
Award.
[edit]Musical influences
In his formative years, Varèse was greatly impressed by Medieval and Renaissance Music (in his career he founded and conducted
several choirs devoted to this repertoire) and the music of Alexander Scriabin, Erik Satie,Claude Debussy, Hector Berlioz and Richard Strauss.
There are also clear influences or reminiscences of Stravinsky's early works, specifically Petrushka and The Rite of Spring, on Arcana.[12]
several choirs devoted to this repertoire) and the music of Alexander Scriabin, Erik Satie,Claude Debussy, Hector Berlioz and Richard Strauss.
There are also clear influences or reminiscences of Stravinsky's early works, specifically Petrushka and The Rite of Spring, on Arcana.[12]
He claimed to have been inspired by the writings on music of Józef Maria Hoene-Wroński, and especially the Polish savant's statement
that the object of music is "the corporealization of the intelligence that is in sound".[13]He was also impressed by the ideas of Busoni,
who christened him L'illustro futuro.
that the object of music is "the corporealization of the intelligence that is in sound".[13]He was also impressed by the ideas of Busoni,
who christened him L'illustro futuro.
[edit]Students and influence
According to George Perle[14] "his partitioning of the octave in the first ten bars, places Varèse along with Scriabin and
the Schoenberg circle, among the revolutionary composers whose work initiates the beginning of a new mainstream tradition
in the music of our century."
the Schoenberg circle, among the revolutionary composers whose work initiates the beginning of a new mainstream tradition
in the music of our century."
[edit]Students
Varèse's best known student was the Chinese-born composer Chou Wen-chung (b. 1923), who moved to the United States,
met Varèse in 1949 and assisted him in his later years. He became the executor of Varèse's estate following the composer's death.
He edited and completed a number of Varèse's works. Other pupils of Varèse included Colin McPhee, Lucia Dlugoszewski, James Tenney,
William Grant Still, and André Jolivet.
met Varèse in 1949 and assisted him in his later years. He became the executor of Varèse's estate following the composer's death.
He edited and completed a number of Varèse's works. Other pupils of Varèse included Colin McPhee, Lucia Dlugoszewski, James Tenney,
William Grant Still, and André Jolivet.
[edit]Influence in classical music
Composers who have claimed, or can be demonstrated to have been influenced by Varèse, include
Milton Babbitt,[15] Harrison Birtwistle, Pierre Boulez, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Roberto Gerhard, Olivier Messiaen,
Luigi Nono, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wolfgang Rihm, Alfred Schnittke, William Grant Still, Karlheinz Stockhausen,
Iannis Xenakis, and Frank Zappa.
Milton Babbitt,[15] Harrison Birtwistle, Pierre Boulez, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Roberto Gerhard, Olivier Messiaen,
Luigi Nono, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wolfgang Rihm, Alfred Schnittke, William Grant Still, Karlheinz Stockhausen,
Iannis Xenakis, and Frank Zappa.
On July 19 and 20, 2010, Lincoln Center in New York City dedicated two evenings to a nearly complete retrospective of his music,
involving leading contemporary musicians directed by Steven Schick in the music for ensembles and the New York Philharmonic
directed by Alan Gilbert in the orchestral works.
involving leading contemporary musicians directed by Steven Schick in the music for ensembles and the New York Philharmonic
directed by Alan Gilbert in the orchestral works.
[edit]Influence in popular music
Varèse's emphasis on timbre, rhythm, and new technologies inspired a generation of musicians who came of age during the 1960s and 1970s.
One of Varèse's biggest fans was the American guitarist and composer Frank Zappa, who, upon hearing a copy of The Complete Works of
Edgard Varèse, Vol. 1, which included Intégrales, Density 21.5, Ionisation, and Octandre, became obsessed with the composer's music.[16]
On his 15th birthday, December 21, 1955, Zappa's mother, Rosemarie, allowed him a call to Varèse as a present. At the time Varèse was
in Brussels, Belgium, so Zappa spoke to Varèse's wife Louise instead. Eventually Zappa and Varèse spoke on the phone, and they discussed
the possibility of meeting each other. Although this meeting never took place, Zappa did receive a letter from Varèse. Varèse's spirit of
experimentation with which he redefined the bounds of what was possible in music lived on in Zappa's long and prolific career.[17]
Zappa's final project was The Rage and the Fury, a recording of the works of Varèse. In the linernotes of his early albums, he quoted
the ICG manifesto, "The present day composer refuses to die." In 1981, Zappa produced and hosted "A Tribute to Edgard Varèse"
at the Palladium in New York City, an event at which Louise was an honored guest.
One of Varèse's biggest fans was the American guitarist and composer Frank Zappa, who, upon hearing a copy of The Complete Works of
Edgard Varèse, Vol. 1, which included Intégrales, Density 21.5, Ionisation, and Octandre, became obsessed with the composer's music.[16]
On his 15th birthday, December 21, 1955, Zappa's mother, Rosemarie, allowed him a call to Varèse as a present. At the time Varèse was
in Brussels, Belgium, so Zappa spoke to Varèse's wife Louise instead. Eventually Zappa and Varèse spoke on the phone, and they discussed
the possibility of meeting each other. Although this meeting never took place, Zappa did receive a letter from Varèse. Varèse's spirit of
experimentation with which he redefined the bounds of what was possible in music lived on in Zappa's long and prolific career.[17]
Zappa's final project was The Rage and the Fury, a recording of the works of Varèse. In the linernotes of his early albums, he quoted
the ICG manifesto, "The present day composer refuses to die." In 1981, Zappa produced and hosted "A Tribute to Edgard Varèse"
at the Palladium in New York City, an event at which Louise was an honored guest.
Another admirer was the rock/jazz group Chicago, whose pianist/keyboardist Robert Lamm credited Varèse as a strong influence in
his songwriting. In tribute, one of Lamm's songs was called "A Hit By Varèse".
his songwriting. In tribute, one of Lamm's songs was called "A Hit By Varèse".
[edit]Tributes
- The record label Varèse Sarabande Records is named after him.
- The rock band Chicago recorded the track A Hit By Varèse on their album Chicago V (1972).
[edit]Idée fixe
Some of Edgard Varèse's works, particularly Arcana[18] make use of the 'idée fixe', a fixed theme, repeated certain times in a work. The 'idée fixe' was most famously used by Hector Berlioz in his Symphonie fantastique; it is generally not transposed, differentiating it from the leitmotiv, used by Richard Wagner.
[edit]Works
- Un grand sommeil noir, song to a text by Paul Verlaine for voice and piano (1906)
- Amériques for large orchestra (1918–1921; revised 1927)
- Offrandes for soprano and chamber orchestra (poems by Vicente Huidobro and José Juan Tablada)(1921)
- Hyperprism for wind and percussion (1922–1923)
- Octandre for seven wind instruments and double bass (1923)
- Intégrales for wind and percussion (1924–1925)
- Arcana for large orchestra (1925–1927)
- Ionisation for 13 percussion players (1929–1931)
- Ecuatorial for bass voice (or unison male chorus), brass, organ, percussion and theremins (revised for ondes-martenots in 1961) (text by Francisco Ximénez) (1932–1934)
- Density 21.5 for solo flute (1936)
- Tuning Up for orchestra (sketched 1946; completed by Chou Wen-chung, 1998)
- Étude pour espace for soprano solo, chorus, 2 pianos and percussion (1947; orchestrated and arranged by Chou Wen-chung for wind instruments and percussion for spatialized live performance, 2009) (texts by Kenneth Patchen, José Juan Tablada and St. John of the Cross)
- Dance for Burgess for chamber ensemble (1949)
- Déserts for wind, percussion and electronic tape (1950–1954)
- La procession de verges for electronic tape (soundtrack for Around and About Joan Mirò, directed by Thomas Bouchard) (1955)
- Poème électronique for electronic tape (1957–1958)
- Nocturnal for soprano, male chorus and orchestra, text adapted from The House of Incest by Anaïs Nin (1961), revised and completed posthumously by Chou Wen-chung (1968)[19]
[edit]Notes
- ^ a b Malcolm MacDonald, Varèse, Astronomer in Sound (London, 2003), ISBN 1-871082-79-X p. xi.
- ^ Opera Glass
- ^ Ouellette, Fernand (1973). Edgard Varèse. Calder and Boyars. p. 50.ISBN 074502081.
- ^ Ouellette, p71
- ^ Ouellette, p51
- ^ Robert Schulman. Romany Marie: The Queen of Greenwich Village(pp. 64-65). Louisville: Butler Books, 2006. ISBN 1-884532-74-8.
- ^ Ouellette, p66
- ^ Ouellette, p95
- ^ Robert Morse Crunden (2000). Body & Soul: The Making of American Modernism, p.42-3. ISBN 978-0-465-01484-2.
- ^ Griffiths, Paul (1979). A Guide to Electronic Music. Thames & Hudson. p. 10. ISBN 0-500-27203-4.
- ^ Ouellette, p166
- ^ MacDonald, pp. 200-205.
- ^ MacDonald, pp.52-53.
- ^ Perle, George (1990). The Listening Composer, p.12. ISBN 0-520-06991-9.
- ^ Milton Babbit interview
- ^ Zappa, Frank (1971-06-02). "Edgard Varese: The Idol of My Youth". Retrieved 2009-03-01.
- ^ Russo, Greg. Cosmik Debris: The Collected History and Improvisations of Frank Zappa. New York: Antique Trader Publications, Crossfire Publications, Chris Sansom, 1998, pp. 9-11
- ^ Downes, Edward, sleevenotes to CBS Masterworks 76520
- ^ http://www.artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/piece.pl?pid=83
[edit]References
- Bernard, Jonathan W. (1987). The Music of Edgard Varèse. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-03515-2.
- Ouellette, Fernand (1973). Edgard Varèse. Calder and Boyars. ISBN 074502081.
- Clayson, Alan Edgard Varese (2002). Sanctuary.ISBN 978-1-86074-398-6
- Entretiens avec Edgar Varèse par Georges Charbonnier (1954-55), 2CD INA coll. Mémoire Vive (2007)
[edit]External links
 | Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Edgard Varèse |
- Edgard Varèse at Allmusic
- BBC.co.uk: Music Profiles: Edgard Varèse
- Edgard Varèse:Composer, Sound Sculptor, Visionary edited by Felix Meyer and Heidy Zimmermann
- (Boydell Press in association with the Sacher Foundation 2006). This large format and profusely illustrated book of essays on the composer was published to coincide with an exhibition at the Museum Tinguely in Basel.
- Thereminvox.com
- OHM- The Early Gurus of Electronic Music: Varese
- SoNHoRS : Edgard Varèse
- (French) A biography of Edgard Varèse, from IRCAM's website.
- Excerpts from sound archives of Varèse's works
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