Algorithmic Music Analysis: a Case Study of a Prelude from David Cope's
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A Psychological Approach to Musical Form: the Habituation–Fluency Theory of Repetition
A Psychological Approach to Musical Form: The Habituation–Fluency Theory of Repetition David Huron With the possible exception of dance and meditation, there appears to be nothing else in common human experience that is comparable to music in its repetitiveness (Kivy 1993; Ockelford 2005; Margulis 2013). Narrative arti- facts like movies, novels, cartoon strips, stories, and speeches have much less internal repetition. Even poetry is less repetitive than music. Occasionally, architecture can approach music in repeating some elements, but only some- times. There appears to be no visual analog to the sort of trance–inducing music that can engage listeners for hours. Although dance and meditation may be more repetitive than music, dance is rarely performed in the absence of music, and meditation tellingly relies on imagining a repeated sound or mantra (Huron 2006: 267). Repetition can be observed in music from all over the world (Nettl 2005). In much music, a simple “strophic” pattern is evident in which a single phrase or passage is repeated over and over. When sung, it is common for successive repetitions to employ different words, as in the case of strophic verses. However, it is also common to hear the same words used with each repetition. In the Western art–music tradition, internal patterns of repetition are commonly discussed under the rubric of form. Writing in The Oxford Companion to Music, Percy Scholes characterized musical form as “a series of strategies designed to find a successful mean between the opposite extremes of unrelieved repetition and unrelieved alteration” (1977: 289). Scholes’s characterization notwithstanding, musical form entails much more than simply the pattern of repetition. -
From Al-Khwarizmi to Algorithm (71-74)
Olympiads in Informatics, 2017, Vol. 11, Special Issue, 71–74 71 © 2017 IOI, Vilnius University DOI: 10.15388/ioi.2017.special.11 From Al-Khwarizmi to Algorithm Bahman MEHRI Sharif University of Technology, Iran e-mail: [email protected] Mohammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi (780–850), Latinized as Algoritmi, was a Persian mathematician, astronomer, and geographer during the Abbasid Caliphate, a scholar in the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. In the 12th century, Latin translations of his work on the Indian numerals introduced the decimal number system to the Western world. Al-Khwarizmi’s The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing resented the first systematic solu- tion of linear and quadratic equations in Arabic. He is often considered one of the fathers of algebra. Some words reflect the importance of al-Khwarizmi’s contributions to mathematics. “Algebra” (Fig. 1) is derived from al-jabr, one of the two operations he used to solve quadratic equations. Algorism and algorithm stem from Algoritmi, the Latin form of his name. Fig. 1. A page from al-Khwarizmi “Algebra”. 72 B. Mehri Few details of al-Khwarizmi’s life are known with certainty. He was born in a Per- sian family and Ibn al-Nadim gives his birthplace as Khwarazm in Greater Khorasan. Ibn al-Nadim’s Kitāb al-Fihrist includes a short biography on al-Khwarizmi together with a list of the books he wrote. Al-Khwārizmī accomplished most of his work in the period between 813 and 833 at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. Al-Khwarizmi contributions to mathematics, geography, astronomy, and cartogra- phy established the basis for innovation in algebra and trigonometry. -
Cognitive Processes for Infering Tonic
University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Student Research, Creative Activity, and Performance - School of Music Music, School of 8-2011 Cognitive Processes for Infering Tonic Steven J. Kaup University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/musicstudent Part of the Cognition and Perception Commons, Music Practice Commons, Music Theory Commons, and the Other Music Commons Kaup, Steven J., "Cognitive Processes for Infering Tonic" (2011). Student Research, Creative Activity, and Performance - School of Music. 46. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/musicstudent/46 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Music, School of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Research, Creative Activity, and Performance - School of Music by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. COGNITIVE PROCESSES FOR INFERRING TONIC by Steven J. Kaup A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Music Major: Music Under the Supervision of Professor Stanley V. Kleppinger Lincoln, Nebraska August, 2011 COGNITIVE PROCESSES FOR INFERRING TONIC Steven J. Kaup, M. M. University of Nebraska, 2011 Advisor: Stanley V. Kleppinger Research concerning cognitive processes for tonic inference is diverse involving approaches from several different perspectives. Outwardly, the ability to infer tonic seems fundamentally simple; yet it cannot be attributed to any single cognitive process, but is multi-faceted, engaging complex elements of the brain. This study will examine past research concerning tonic inference in light of current findings. -
The "Greatest European Mathematician of the Middle Ages"
Who was Fibonacci? The "greatest European mathematician of the middle ages", his full name was Leonardo of Pisa, or Leonardo Pisano in Italian since he was born in Pisa (Italy), the city with the famous Leaning Tower, about 1175 AD. Pisa was an important commercial town in its day and had links with many Mediterranean ports. Leonardo's father, Guglielmo Bonacci, was a kind of customs officer in the North African town of Bugia now called Bougie where wax candles were exported to France. They are still called "bougies" in French, but the town is a ruin today says D E Smith (see below). So Leonardo grew up with a North African education under the Moors and later travelled extensively around the Mediterranean coast. He would have met with many merchants and learned of their systems of doing arithmetic. He soon realised the many advantages of the "Hindu-Arabic" system over all the others. D E Smith points out that another famous Italian - St Francis of Assisi (a nearby Italian town) - was also alive at the same time as Fibonacci: St Francis was born about 1182 (after Fibonacci's around 1175) and died in 1226 (before Fibonacci's death commonly assumed to be around 1250). By the way, don't confuse Leonardo of Pisa with Leonardo da Vinci! Vinci was just a few miles from Pisa on the way to Florence, but Leonardo da Vinci was born in Vinci in 1452, about 200 years after the death of Leonardo of Pisa (Fibonacci). His names Fibonacci Leonardo of Pisa is now known as Fibonacci [pronounced fib-on-arch-ee] short for filius Bonacci. -
The Synthesis of Jazz and Classical Styles in Three Piano Works of Nikolai Kapustin
THE SYNTHESIS OF JAZZ AND CLASSICAL STYLES IN THREE PIANO WORKS OF NIKOLAI KAPUSTIN __________________________________________________ A monograph Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board __________________________________________________________ in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS __________________________________________________________ by Tatiana Abramova August 2014 Examining Committee Members: Dr. Charles Abramovic, Advisory Chair, Professor of Piano Harvey Wedeen, Professor of Piano Dr. Cynthia Folio, Professor of Music Studies Richard Oatts, External Member, Professor, Artistic Director of Jazz Studies ABSTRACT The Synthesis of Jazz and Classical Styles in Three Piano Works of Nikolai Kapustin Tatiana Abramova Doctor of Musical Arts Temple University, 2014 Doctoral Advisory Committee Chair: Dr. Charles Abramovic The music of the Russian-Ukrainian composer Nikolai Kapustin is a fascinating synthesis of jazz and classical idioms. Kapustin has explored many existing traditional classical forms in conjunction with jazz. Among his works are: 20 piano sonatas, Suite in the Old Style, Op.28, preludes, etudes, variations, and six piano concerti. The most significant work in this regard is a cycle of 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 82, which was completed in 1997. He has also written numerous works for different instrumental ensembles and for orchestra. Well-known artists, such as Steven Osborn and Marc-Andre Hamelin have made a great contribution by recording Kapustin's music with Hyperion, one of the major recording companies. Being a brilliant pianist himself, Nikolai Kapustin has also released numerous recordings of his own music. Nikolai Kapustin was born in 1937 in Ukraine. He started his musical career as a classical pianist. In 1961 he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, studying with the legendary pedagogue, Professor of Moscow Conservatory Alexander Goldenweiser, one of the greatest founders of the Russian piano school. -
MELT a Translated Domain Specific Language Embedded in the GCC
MELT a Translated Domain Specific Language Embedded in the GCC Compiler Basile STARYNKEVITCH CEA, LIST Software Safety Laboratory, boˆıte courrier 94, 91191 GIF/YVETTE CEDEX, France [email protected] [email protected] The GCC free compiler is a very large software, compiling source in several languages for many targets on various systems. It can be extended by plugins, which may take advantage of its power to provide extra specific functionality (warnings, optimizations, source refactoring or navigation) by processing various GCC internal representations (Gimple, Tree, ...). Writing plugins in C is a complex and time-consuming task, but customizing GCC by using an existing scripting language inside is impractical. We describe MELT, a specific Lisp-like DSL which fits well into existing GCC technology and offers high-level features (functional, object or reflexive programming, pattern matching). MELT is translated to C fitted for GCC internals and provides various features to facilitate this. This work shows that even huge, legacy, software can be a posteriori extended by specifically tailored and translated high-level DSLs. 1 Introduction GCC1 is an industrial-strength free compiler for many source languages (C, C++, Ada, Objective C, Fortran, Go, ...), targetting about 30 different machine architectures, and supported on many operating systems. Its source code size is huge (4.296MLOC2 for GCC 4.6.0), heterogenous, and still increasing by 6% annually 3. It has no single main architect and hundreds of (mostly full-time) contributors, who follow strict social rules 4. 1.1 The powerful GCC legacy The several GCC [8] front-ends (parsing C, C++, Go . -
Program Notes
NSEME 2018 Installations (ongoing throughout festival) Four4 (1991, arr. 2017) - room 2009 Anthony T. Marasco, Eric Sheffield, Landon Viator, Brian Elizondo ///Weave/// (2017) - room 2008 Alejandro Sosa Carrillo (1993) Virtual Reality Ambisonic Toolkit (2018) - room 2011 Michael Smith (1983) Within, Outside, and Beside Itself:The Architecture of the CFA - room 2013 Jordan Dykstra (1985) Installations Program Notes: Alejandro Carrillo “///Weave///” A generative system of both random and fixed values that cycle over a period of 6 minutes. By merging light and sound sine waves, parameters such as frequency, amplitude and spatialization have been mapped into three sound wave generators or voices (bass line, harmonies and lead) and three waveforms from a modular video synthesizer on MaxMSP aiming to audiovisual synchronicity and equivalence. Jordan Dykstra “Within, Outside, and Beside Itself: The Architecture of the CFA” A performance which plays not only with the idea of lecture-performance as a musicological extension of history, narrative, and academic performance-composition Within, Outside, and Beside Itself: The Architecture of the CFA also addresses how the presenta- tion of knowledge is linked to the production of knowledge through performance. I believe that creating space for new connections through creative presentation and alternative methodologies can both foster new arenas for discussion and coordinate existing relationships between academia and the outside world. A critique regarding how the Center for the Arts at Wesleyan University func- tions as an academic institution, as well as its physical role as the third teacher, my lecture performance playfully harmonizes texts from art historians at Wesleyan University, archaeologists, critical theorists, YouTube transcriptions, quotes from the founder of the Reggio Emilia school, and medical journal articles about mirror neurons. -
The Evolution of the Performer Composer
CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO LIVE COMPUTER MUSIC: THE EVOLUTION OF THE PERFORMER COMPOSER BY OWEN SKIPPER VALLIS A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Victoria University of Wellington 2013 Supervisory Committee Dr. Ajay Kapur (New Zealand School of Music) Supervisor Dr. Dugal McKinnon (New Zealand School of Music) Co-Supervisor © OWEN VALLIS, 2013 NEW ZEALAND SCHOOL OF MUSIC ii ABSTRACT This thesis examines contemporary approaches to live computer music, and the impact they have on the evolution of the composer performer. How do online resources and communities impact the design and creation of new musical interfaces used for live computer music? Can we use machine learning to augment and extend the expressive potential of a single live musician? How can these tools be integrated into ensembles of computer musicians? Given these tools, can we understand the computer musician within the traditional context of acoustic instrumentalists, or do we require new concepts and taxonomies? Lastly, how do audiences perceive and understand these new technologies, and what does this mean for the connection between musician and audience? The focus of the research presented in this dissertation examines the application of current computing technology towards furthering the field of live computer music. This field is diverse and rich, with individual live computer musicians developing custom instruments and unique modes of performance. This diversity leads to the development of new models of performance, and the evolution of established approaches to live instrumental music. This research was conducted in several parts. The first section examines how online communities are iteratively developing interfaces for computer music. -
The Evolution of Lisp
1 The Evolution of Lisp Guy L. Steele Jr. Richard P. Gabriel Thinking Machines Corporation Lucid, Inc. 245 First Street 707 Laurel Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142 Menlo Park, California 94025 Phone: (617) 234-2860 Phone: (415) 329-8400 FAX: (617) 243-4444 FAX: (415) 329-8480 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Lisp is the world’s greatest programming language—or so its proponents think. The structure of Lisp makes it easy to extend the language or even to implement entirely new dialects without starting from scratch. Overall, the evolution of Lisp has been guided more by institutional rivalry, one-upsmanship, and the glee born of technical cleverness that is characteristic of the “hacker culture” than by sober assessments of technical requirements. Nevertheless this process has eventually produced both an industrial- strength programming language, messy but powerful, and a technically pure dialect, small but powerful, that is suitable for use by programming-language theoreticians. We pick up where McCarthy’s paper in the first HOPL conference left off. We trace the development chronologically from the era of the PDP-6, through the heyday of Interlisp and MacLisp, past the ascension and decline of special purpose Lisp machines, to the present era of standardization activities. We then examine the technical evolution of a few representative language features, including both some notable successes and some notable failures, that illuminate design issues that distinguish Lisp from other programming languages. We also discuss the use of Lisp as a laboratory for designing other programming languages. We conclude with some reflections on the forces that have driven the evolution of Lisp. -
From Neumes to Notation: a Thousand Years of Passing on the Music by Charric Van Der Vliet
From Neumes to Notation: A Thousand Years of Passing On the Music by Charric Van der Vliet Classical musicians, in the terminology of the 17th and 18th century musical historians, like to sneer at earlier music as "primitive", "rough", or "uncouth". The fact of the matter is that during the thousand years from 450 AD to about 1450 AD, Western Civilization went from no recording of music at all to a fully formed method of passing on the most intricate polyphony. That is no small achievement. It's attractive, I suppose, to assume the unthinking and barbaric nature of our ancestors, since it implies a certain smugness about "how far we've come." I've always thought that painting your ancestors as stupid was insulting both to them and to yourself. The barest outline of a thousand year journey only hints at the difficulties our medieval ancestors had to face to be musical. This is an attempt at sketching that outline. Each of the sub-headings of this lecture contains material for lifetimes of musical study. It is hoped that outlining this territory may help shape where your own interests will ultimately lie. Neumes: In the beginning, choristers needed reminders as to which way notes went. "That fifth note goes DOWN, George!" This situation was remedied by noting when the movement happened and what direction, above the text, with wavy lines. "Neume" was the adopted term for this. It's a Middle English corruption of the Greek word for breath, "pneuma." Then, to specify note's exact pitch was the next innovation. -
The Trumpet As a Voice of Americana in the Americanist Music of Gershwin, Copland, and Bernstein
THE TRUMPET AS A VOICE OF AMERICANA IN THE AMERICANIST MUSIC OF GERSHWIN, COPLAND, AND BERNSTEIN DOCUMENT Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Musical Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Amanda Kriska Bekeny, M.M. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2005 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Timothy Leasure, Adviser Professor Charles Waddell _________________________ Dr. Margarita Ophee-Mazo Adviser School of Music ABSTRACT The turn of the century in American music was marked by a surge of composers writing music depicting an “American” character, via illustration of American scenes and reflections on Americans’ activities. In an effort to set American music apart from the mature and established European styles, American composers of the twentieth century wrote distinctive music reflecting the unique culture of their country. In particular, the trumpet is a prominent voice in this music. The purpose of this study is to identify the significance of the trumpet in the music of three renowned twentieth-century American composers. This document examines the “compositional” and “conceptual” Americanisms present in the music of George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, and Leonard Bernstein, focusing on the use of the trumpet as a voice depicting the compositional Americanisms of each composer. The versatility of its timbre allows the trumpet to stand out in a variety of contexts: it is heroic during lyrical, expressive passages; brilliant during festive, celebratory sections; and rhythmic during percussive statements. In addition, it is a lead jazz voice in much of this music. As a dominant voice in a variety of instances, the trumpet expresses the American character of each composer’s music. -
Numerisch-Klassifikatorische Interpretationsanalyse Mit Dem Bösendorfer Computerflügel
Universität Wien Institut für Musikwissenschaft Numerisch-klassifikatorische Interpretationsanalyse mit dem Bösendorfer Computerflügel Band I (mit beiliegender Audio-CD) Diplomarbeit zur Erlangung des Magister der Philosophie eingereicht an der Geisteswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Wien von Werner Goebl Wien, am 31. Oktober 1999 -2- Inhalt 1. Vorwort .................................................................................................... 5 Dank.........................................................................................................................................7 ALLGEMEINER TEIL.............................................................................. 8 2. Performance-Forschung.......................................................................... 8 Historische Forschung ................................................................................................ 8 Deutschland ............................................................................................................................... 8 Die Seashore-Gruppe in Iowa ...................................................................................................10 Moderne Forschung ...................................................................................................13 Zeitgestaltung, timing ............................................................................................................... 13 Das Thema von Mozarts A-Dur Sonate, KV 331 ..................................................................13