Luc Ferrari (February 5, 1929 – August 22, 2005) was a French composer, particularly noted for his tape music. In 1954, Ferrari went to the United States to meet Edgard Varèse, whose Déserts he had heard on the radio, and had impressed him. The use of ambient recordings was to become a distinctive part of Ferrari's musical language. Ferrari's Presque rien No. 1 (1970) is regarded as a classic of its kind. In it, Ferrari takes a day-long recording of environmental sounds at a Yugoslavian beach and, through editing, makes a piece that lasts just twenty-one minutes. Ferrari continued to write purely instrumental music as well as his tape pieces. He also made a number of documentary films on contemporary composers in rehearsal, including Olivier Messiaen and Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Luc Ferrari (February 5, 1929 – August 22, 2005) was a French composer, particularly noted for his tape music. In 1954, Ferrari went to the United States to meet Edgard Varèse, whose Déserts he had heard on the radio, and had impressed him. The use of ambient recordings was to become a distinctive part of Ferrari's musical language. Ferrari's Presque rien No. 1 (1970) is regarded as a classic of its kind. In it, Ferrari takes a day-long recording of environmental sounds at a Yugoslavian beach and, through editing, makes a piece that lasts just twenty-one minutes. Ferrari continued to write purely instrumental music as well as his tape pieces. He also made a number of documentary films on contemporary composers in rehearsal, including Olivier Messiaen and Karlheinz Stockhausen.