This chapter focuses on the use of spatial technique in key works that span a great deal of Pierre Boulez’s career: Poésie pour pouvoir (1958) for orchestra and tape, Domaines (1968) for clarinet and ensemble, Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna (1974–5) for orchestra in eight groups and Répons (1981) for six soloists, live electronics and ensemble. These works are then compared with spatialised instrumental music by his contemporaries, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Karel Goeyvaerts, Iannis Xenakis and Luigi Nono, which will shed light on Boulez’s specific approach to this artistic practice. Boulez’s unique contribution to the history of spatialisation lies in the strong articulatory function he ascribed to this performance practice. He created a typology of sonic movements that clarify the structural relationships of his spatialised works.

The chapter starts with an account of the rather hesitant and belated reception of twelve-tone technique in Western Europe, as exemplified by the situation in Italy, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. This is followed by an overview of the origins of European multiple serialism extending beyond Webern and Messiaen. The chapter shows above all that European serialism should not be restricted to its main protagonists such as Boulez, Nono, or Stockhausen. The music historical narrative of this important development in the period 1950–75 is in want of a more diverse view. Consequently, this chapter focuses on lesser-known composers of serial music such as Jean Barraqué, Michel Fano, Gilbert Amy, Karel Goeyvaerts, Herman Van San, Henri Pousseur, Bruno Maderna, Gottfried Michael Koenig, Bill Hopkins, and Bo Nilsson. The perspective is not merely broadened by introducing other composers who wrote aesthetically appealing works, but more importantly, presented other interpretations of what constitutes multiple serialism.