Chris Bonds writes:

>Computer music experiments date back to the 50s, with Lejaren
>Hiller's "Illiac Suite" for string quartet ... I seriously wonder if major
>strides have been made since then.

my sentiments as well.  Until we understand exactly/objectively what it
is that causes us as human beings to perceive (i.e., subjectively) a work
of art as "moving" or "meaningful" or "transcendant", we have only random
choice within a set of structural principles to guide algorithmic
composition.  And though that set of structural principles may have grown
considerably in scope and complexity over the past fifty years, our
understanding of what choices within that space make music "great"
remains primitive.

len.