Chris Bonds wrote:

>Computer music experiments date back to the 50s, with Lejaren
>Hiller's "Illiac Suite" for string quartet, which is AFAIK the first
>computer-generated musical score.  I have heard this work but it has been
>a long time.  My impression of it then was that it was quite mechanical.
>Certain contrapuntal and formal techniques had been programmed, and I think
>a theme was inputted (is that a word?) for the computer to work on.  I
>seriously wonder if major strides have been made since then.

As computer generated CM will no doubt, indeed hopefully, become a genre
of its on, that genre will have "defining characteristics".  Perhaps a
mechanical sound will be one of them.  But as art relectes the times, that
would be as it should be since we live in mechanical times.  (Write me
privately and I will point you to some for you to judge for yourself as
to the strides that may or may not have been made).

Other defining characteristics of CGCM might be melodies that no human
would think to write, exciting passagework that even Liszt would have
trouble playing, unique sounds like one oboe playing chromatic thirds,
orchestration that trancends traditional rules for orchestration, and
inventive rhythmic accompaniment.  The questions are

1) would  the overwhelming majority of committee of 100 musicologists,
agree that it is, in fact, CM?
2) are there enough people who like it well enough to hear it again?
3) would it pass the music "Turing Test"  i.e. most people can't tell if it
was written by a computer or a person?

Why don't we think of CGCM as at least an "idea generator" for composers
since it does have its moments.  This technology could be a big boost for
modern CM which might be an improvement over 1) writting a melody that uses
all the notes in the chromatic scale before repeating one, 2) demonstrating
that Eb can be the tonal center for a composition written in E maj.  3)
demonstrating that there need not be a tonal center at all, 4) proving that
a formal structure in not nevessary, 5) dispensing with the cadence, 6)
writing a composition with no discernable themes at all, 7) using a tempo
of 13/4, et.al.:-):-):-)

I'll apoligize in advance to those who like experimental and/or modern
music.

Bill Pirkle
[log in to unmask]