具象音樂是由法國作曲家皮耶謝弗（Pierre Schaeffer）於1948年所提出。音樂在此前都是以抽象的符號寫在樂譜上，再由演奏者奏樂來傳達訊息。而具象音樂則是將錄製的聲音化為音樂素材，然後直接在聲音上進行創作。不單人聲和樂器，連自然界或周圍環境的聲音都可以成為素材。這是現今電子音樂的前身。 

Musique Concrete is coined by Pierre Schaeffer, a French composer, in 1948. Different from traditional music genres where the message of the piece is conveyed by musicians playing instruments with abstract symbols written in score, Musique Concrete features recorded sounds as main materials. Then composers will edit them to create music pieces. Not only vocals and instruments but sounds from surroundings could also be the materials. This is the start of all Electronic Music.