About This Issue

About This Issue Composer Annette Vande Gorne, Belfast’s Sonic Arts Research Centre, a microtonal “button lattice” of the a leading figure in the European asks the question, “How might dif- sort that was described by Andrew acousmatic music scene, founded the ferent performers develop individual Milne, William Sethares, and James institute Musiques & Recherches and styles when asked to learn a highly Plamondon in CMJ 31:4. Indeed, the studio Metamorphoses´ d’Orphee´ constrained musical instrument?” Milne is also a co-author of the Prechtl in Ohain, Belgium, in 1982, and has The question arises from previous et al. article, the most recent in a trained many musicians there in research suggesting that constraints line of publications about what the the decades since. She also initiated in human–computer interfaces actu- authors call Dynamic Tonality. This the annual international acousmatic ally facilitate personally expressive article is not merely a description festival “L’Espace du Son,” the spa- actions and interactions. In CMJ 34:4, of a software implementation: it tialization competition of the same for example, Thor Magnusson ar- makes several contributions to tuning name, the musical aesthetics review gued that musical virtuosity consists theory, specifically regarding the two- Lien, and the composition competi- in exploration of the instrument’s dimensional visual representation of tion “Metamorphoses.”´ In addition constraints, as opposed to its “affor- pitch. to these activities, she taught elec- dances.” Taking this to its extreme, Also drawing upon music theory— troacoustic composition (initially in the authors of the article in the cur- in this case, Fred Lerdahl’s theories the Liege` and Brussels Royal Conser- rent issue conceived of a study in of tonal pitch space and his formulas vatories, and later at the Mons Royal which musicians were given a mini- for analysis of musical tension—the Conservatory, where she founded a mal electronic musical instrument—a article by Ryan Nikolaidis, Bruce department of electroacoustic music), wooden box comprising a speaker and Walker, and Gil Weinberg demon- all while producing a good number of a single push button that sounded strates how a concrete implemen- highly regarded compositions herself. a fixed-frequency beep—and were tation can help refine theory. Their This issue’s first article consists of the asked to create a two-minute perfor- algorithm uses melodic attraction, initial half of an interview with Vande mance after a week’s practice. The harmonic expectancy, and rhythmic Gorne, the conclusion of which will researchers found that participants stability as aspects of musical ten- appear in the next issue (Summer adopted three distinct approaches sion. Through empirical validation 2012). The composer discusses how to the instrument’s constraints: (1) the authors extended the mathemat- she was influenced by her teachers operating within the constraints, (2) a ics that Lerdahl had used to describe Pierre Schaeffer and Guy Reibel, as problem-solving approach, and (3) an voice-leading stability. Specifically, well as by Franc¸ois Bayle. From Scha- exploratory approach. The people in Nikolaidis and colleagues employed effer came his system of classifying the last group created performances a tension equation to drive a gen- sounds; from Reibel, an emphasis whose styles were the most dis- erative music algorithm, and asked on gesture and improvisation with a tinct. The authors offer a number listeners in a user study to assess sounding body; and from Bayle, many of other observations and interpre- the tension. The study’s results show concepts, such as the notion that the tations, concluding that for some high correlation between generative artwork creates itself, with the artist performers, style emerged as a result tension coefficients and perceived being only a resonator or sounding of constraints, and for some others, it tension. Additionally, the authors’ board. This half of the interview emerged in spite of constraints. work demonstrates real-time soni- explores Vande Gorne’s attraction to The article by Anthony Prechtl fication of visual information: The nature, archetypes, and poetry, and et al. presents Hex, a novel MIDI movements of fish in an aquarium it also conveys some of her ideas on sequencer designed for exploration are detected, visual parameters are space as a musical parameter. of microtonal music. In place of extracted (including higher-level ones The second article, by researchers a traditional sequencer’s piano-roll such as tension), and the parameters currently or recently affiliated with representation of pitch, Hex displays are mapped to harmonic, melodic, Front cover: Annette Vande Gorne Back cover: Screenshots from one at the controls during a concert at of the items from this issue’s Products Vienna’s Technische Universitat,¨ 28 of Interest section: IanniX, an open- November 2010. (Photo by Thomas source graphical sequencer based on Gorbach.) the work of Iannis Xenakis. About This Issue 1 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/COMJ_e_00100 by guest on 01 October 2021 and rhythmic features of music that York University (NYU). Outfitted Ingram Marshall, Charlemagne Pales- the algorithm generates on the fly to with a Buchla Series 100 modular tine, Eliane Radigue, David Rosen- “accompany” the fish. synthesizer, this significant but boom, Laurie Spiegel, Robert Starer, The final article, by Bob Gluck, comparatively short-lived studio Serge Tcherepnin, Woody and Steina relates historical information he gave birth to a number of electronic Vasulka, and Bea Witkin. uncovered through interviews with compositions, including Subotnick’s In this issue’s Reviews section, numerous individuals who were Silver Apples of the Moon (1967) and Elainie Lillios reports on a retrospec- active in electronic music in New The Wild Bull (1968). When Subot- tive concert of Larry Austin’s works; York City in the late 1960s. Gluck’s nick returned to California in 1969, Michael Gogins lauds Dmitri Ty- article in CMJ 31:2 detailed part of the the studio moved from its original moczko’s book A Geometry of Music history of the well-known Columbia- location on Bleecker Street to NYU’s as a groundbreaking contribution to Princeton Electronic Music Center in Film School, where it was disbanded music theory, with especial import uptown New York. His present article in late 1970. Others who worked for algorithmic composition; and brings to light a little-known down- at the studio, in one location or the Ross Feller offers his impressions of town counterpart: a studio founded other, included Maryanne Amacher, a CD of compositions by Christopher by composer Morton Subotnick in William Bolcom, Rhys Chatham, Bailey for various combinations of 1966 and loosely affiliated with New Michael Czajkowski, Brian Fennelly, instruments, voice, and electronics. 2 Computer Music Journal Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/COMJ_e_00100 by guest on 01 October 2021.

Load more