Acousmatic music (from
Greek ἄκουσμα
akousma, "a thing heard") is a form of
electroacoustic music that is specifically composed for presentation using
speakers, as opposed to a live performance. It stems from a compositional tradition that dates back to the introduction of
musique concrète in the late 1940s. Unlike musical works that are realised using
sheet music exclusively,
compositions that are purely acousmatic (in listening terms) often exist solely as
audio recordings, also referred to as fixed media.