Pousseur, Henri [key], 1929–2009, Belgian composer, b. Malmédy. Considered the leader of the Belgian avant-garde, he studied composition with André Souris and Pierre Boulez and worked with Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luciano Berio, and Bruno Maderna in electronic music. Pousseur composed for both traditional and electronic instruments. Among his works are Seismogrammes (1953), for magnetic tape; Mobile (1958), for two pianos; Electre (1960), an electronic ballet; Votre Faust (1968), an opera with variable plot, libretto by Michel Butor; La Seconde Apothéose de Rameau (1981), for chamber orchestra: Déclarations d'Orage (1988–89), for speaker, soprano, baritone, alto saxophone, tuba, synthesizer, orchestra, and tape; La Guirlande de Pierre (1997), for soprano, baritone, and piano; and Les Icare africains (2002), for solo voices, choir, and orchestra.
See his Musique, sémantique, société (1974).
