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Jacques Dudon

b. 1951

French experimental composer and instrument maker

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About Jacques Dudon

Born 1951. Jacques Dudon is a French luthier, composer and musical instrument maker.

Jacques Dudon is a French just intonation composer and instrument builder. He is best known for developing a series of photosonic disk instruments in the 1980s that produced sound from modulated light (a light source shines through painted glass discs; the resulting patterns of light are picked up by photo cells and converted into a voltage which can then be treated as a sound signal).

The production of synthetic sound in this manner has been used in "optosonic" instruments since the early 20th century (for example the Optophonic Piano). However Dudon's method is notable for the generation of tone which is produced by the overlapping of two or three discs, and the opportunities this design provides for timbral shifts by slowing one or more discs manually, thereby altering the waveform.

In the 1970s, he created 150 water instruments called "aquaphones" (described in his pioneering book ), including a "flutabullum", a system of transforming flute sounds by recording them underwater).

Aquavina The aquavina was an experimental musical instrument created by Jacques Dudon.

It was essentially a variant of the Appalachian dulcimer, but with a metal resonator body partially filled with water. The player would agitate the instrument while playing, resulting in a constant acoustic phasing effect within the instrument's harmonics.

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Important facts

Born
1951, Villecresnes
Birth century
Occupation
Luthier, composer, musical instrument maker
Nationality

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Jacques Dudon's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Jacques Dudon?

French experimental composer and instrument maker

When was Jacques Dudon born?

Jacques Dudon was born in 1951 in Villecresnes.

What is Jacques Dudon's occupation?

Jacques Dudon is a luthier, composer and musical instrument maker.

What nationality is Jacques Dudon?

Jacques Dudon is French.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Jacques Dudon

· Wikidata: Q3158796

· DBpedia: Jacques Dudon

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jacques Dudon. https://biography.guide/jacques-dudon/

MLA: "Jacques Dudon." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jacques-dudon/.

Chicago: "Jacques Dudon." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jacques-dudon/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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