Background
Risset, Jean-Claude was born on March 13, 1938 in Le Puy, Haute Loire, France. Son of Raoul and Renee (Aubry) Risset.
Risset, Jean-Claude was born on March 13, 1938 in Le Puy, Haute Loire, France. Son of Raoul and Renee (Aubry) Risset.
He made digital recordings of trumpets and studied their timbral composition using "pitch-synchronous" spectrum analysis tools, revealing that the amplitude and frequency of the harmonics (more correctly, partials) of these instruments would differ depending on frequency, duration and amplitude.
He is a former student of André Jolivet and former co-worker of Max Mathews at Bell laboratories Arriving at Bell Labs, New Jersey in 1964, he used Max Mathews" MUSIC IV software to digitally recreate the sounds of brass instruments. He is also credited with performing the first experiments on a range of synthesis techniques including FM Synthesis and waveshaping.
After the discrete Shepard scale Risset created a version of the scale where the steps between each tone are continuous, and it is appropriately called the continuous Risset scale or Shepard-Risset glissando.
He has also created a similar effect with rhythm in which tempo seems to increase or decrease endlessly.
Lieutenant French Air Force, 1965-1967. Member Acoustical Society American, SACEM, International Society for Contemporary Music.
Married Rozenn Cornic, April 1, 1964. Children: Tanguy, Solenn.