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1. Quatre Écouters – Four Ways of Listening
This is not an alien or anything like that. Of course humans only have two
ears, but they can listen with them in many different ways. Pierre Schaeffer
thought that there were four main ways of listening. He called them
“Quatre Écoutes”, which is French and means four modes of listening. Click
on the right hand side of the slide to get more information.

2. Quatre Écouters – Four Ways of Listening
1 Hearing (Ouïr)
This is the biological layer: the fact
that your ears work. It does not
matter if you pay attention to the
sounds you are hearing.
Example: You cannot stop hearing,
as you can stop seeing by closing
your eyes. Even if you close your
ears, you will continue to hear
something. Try it out!
This is not an alien or anything like that. Of course humans only have two ears, but they can listen with them in
many different ways. Pierre Schaeffer thought that there were four main ways of listening. He called them
“Quatre Écoutes”, which is French and means four modes of listening. Click on the right hand side of the slide to
get more information.

3. Quatre Écouters – Four Ways of Listening
2 (Active) listening (Entendre)
Listening is active hearing. That
means, if you pay attention to
sounds (for example by listening to
music or to environmental sounds)
you listen actively to these sounds.
Example: Listening to music, being
aware of the act of listening.
1 Hearing (Ouïr)
This is the biological layer: the fact
that your ears work. It does not
matter if you pay attention to the
sounds you are hearing.
Example: You cannot stop hearing,
as you can stop seeing by closing
your eyes. Even if you close your
ears, you will continue to hear
something. Try it out!
This is not an alien or anything like that. Of course humans only have two ears, but they can listen with them in
many different ways. Pierre Schaeffer thought that there were four main ways of listening. He called them
“Quatre Écoutes”, which is French and means four modes of listening. Click on the right hand side of the slide to
get more information.

4. Quatre Écouters – Four Ways of Listening
2 (Active) listening (Entendre) 3 Listening to something like
Listening is active hearing. That foreground sound (Ecouter).
means, if you pay attention to The way we pay attention to sounds
sounds (for example by listening to can differ. If we are listening to
music or to environmental sounds) foreground sound, this is also a
you listen actively to these sounds. listening mode. It is different to
Example: Listening to music, being “active listening” (entendre) in so far
aware of the act of listening. as you focus on one certain sound
among other sounds.
Example: following a melody in a
piece, listening to something, but
hearing another thing. Try out with
the ‘Listen to background and
foreground sounds’ game in the
1 Hearing (Ouïr)
Listening Section.
This is the biological layer: the fact
that your ears work. It does not
matter if you pay attention to the
sounds you are hearing.
Example: You cannot stop hearing,
as you can stop seeing by closing
your eyes. Even if you close your
ears, you will continue to hear
something. Try it out!
This is not an alien or anything like that. Of course humans only have two ears, but they can listen with them in
many different ways. Pierre Schaeffer thought that there were four main ways of listening. He called them
“Quatre Écoutes”, which is French and means four modes of listening. Click on the right hand side of the slide to
get more information.

5. Quatre Écouters – Four Ways of Listening
2 (Active) listening (Entendre) 3 Listening to something like
Listening is active hearing. That foreground sound (Ecouter).
means, if you pay attention to The way we pay attention to sounds
sounds (for example by listening to can differ. If we are listening to
music or to environmental sounds) foreground sound, this is also a
you listen actively to these sounds. listening mode. It is different to
Example: Listening to music, being “active listening” (entendre) in so far
aware of the act of listening. as you focus on one certain sound
among other sounds.
Example: following a melody in a
piece, listening to something, but
hearing another thing. Try out with
the ‘Listen to background and
foreground sounds’ game in the
1 Hearing (Ouïr)
Listening Section.
This is the biological layer: the fact
that your ears work. It does not
matter if you pay attention to the
sounds you are hearing.
Example: You cannot stop hearing,
as you can stop seeing by closing 4 Understanding (Comprendre)
your eyes. Even if you close your Listening to a sound is one thing. Understanding
ears, you will continue to hear the meaning of a sound is another. Our world is
something. Try it out! full of sounds. All of which can have a meaning.
One important example for this is our language. If
you speak with someone you are producing
sounds which can be understood by the other
person.
Example: Listening to spoken words, listening to
sound symbols like sirens.
This is not an alien or anything like that. Of course humans only have two ears, but they can listen with them in
many different ways. Pierre Schaeffer thought that there were four main ways of listening. He called them
“Quatre Écoutes”, which is French and means four modes of listening. Click on the right hand side of the slide to
get more information.