The Changing Influence of Technology on Musical Composition
In 2020 music generated by computer systems has arrived - or was it here before?
The first computer ‘ENIAC’ was completed in 1946 and was the first digital computer capable of processing complex numerical problems. This opened a new opportunity to consider uncharted territory in the form of computer generated music. This new medium of composition found itself in the midst of the postmodern era where a battle for relevance and innovation was omnipresent. The music generated by computer software varies in style with each composer, however, each form follows a consistent ideology. Is it possible to replicate conventional compositional methods using a machine? The short answer is yes.
Following the breakthrough creation of the ENIAC, technology evolved steadily with latter computers capable of more complex mathematics. One of these was the IBM 7090 produced in 1959. This machine was used to create the MUSICOMP (“MUsic SImulator-Interpreter for COMpositional Procedures”), programming language for music compositions by Lejaren Hiller and Robert Baker.
The Experimental Music Studios at the University of Illinois developed the programming language MUSICOMP utilising the IMB 7090 to generate music via a multitude of programmed randomisation instructions determining tone, volume, duration and rhythmic pattern. These instructions were deployed for Lejaren Hiller and Robert Baker’s Computer Cantata (1963). The piece began as a test project for a range of functions using the MUSICOMP language. Composed of five ‘strophes’, the cantata uses a predetermined set of traditional and electronic instruments (waves, noise) to realise its composition of random probability.
The technology used for Computer Contata facilitates this ‘randomisation’ structure and presents its output for live performance. There were concurrent experiments using the CSX-1 computer to create sound synthesis which have been incorporated into ‘computer music’. However, these two systems were not yet capable of full integration, i.e using data/notation from music composition software to generate audio using synthesis. The former architect-turn-composer Iannis Xenakis is an example of one pioneer in the 1970s who achieved this using a different compositional language, embracing the ideology and capabilities of computer assisted composition.
Mycenea Alpha (1978) was developed using the UPIC (Unité Polyagogique Informatique du CEMAMu) computer system. This software for musical composition was developed by Xenakis at the Centre d’Etudes de Mathématique et Automatique Musicales (CEMAMu) in Paris and its first iteration was completed in 1977. The concept of the UPIC is to replace traditional notation with graphic representations of drawings using an electronic whiteboard typically used for CAD. The significance in this method is the UPICs ability to generate waveforms from drawings and then utilise these as ‘instruments’ for composition. Each process must be completed to effectively create a composition. For example, the ‘sound’ must be drawn before selecting the sound and drawing the ‘notation’. The UPIC had the capability for different musical parameters: typically the y axis on the graph would be pitch and the x duration. This method created a unique way for Xenakis to realise his music for Mycenea Alpha.
The structure of the piece is continually changing alongside developments in pitch, duration and timbre due to the different drawings that the system has realised. The role of the UPIC in this composition, unlike Computer Cantata, has been to create a complete piece without the need for physical players. The role of technology in Mycenea Alpha was to generate sound from images using predetermined parameters. The following evolution in technology occurs much later at the turn of the 21st century when machine learning and artificial intelligence come into play.
American composer and scientist David Cope developed the EMI (Experiments in Musical Intelligence) software which analyses composer’s compositions and creates an imitation piece in the style of the input notation. This innovative software is possible due to advance technological progression in both software and hardware. The capabilities of modern machines gave Cope the ability to program a language that recognises the structure, pitch, rhythm, dynamics and duration of a work and then creates its own piece using machine learning. The first example of this is Bach by Design (1994).
Bach by Design was realised using sound reproduction from a Yamaha Disklavier piano. This method of playback using sensors and solenoids results in a synthetic representation of the EMI’s output. Computers were now not only capable of assisting composition, but composing themselves. Following the EMI softwares achievements Cope began working on a new program to surpass all previous experiments in computer composition. This work was the Emily Howell project.
Designed as a development from the EMI software, Emily Howell’s distinguishing feature is style. While previously software was only capable of reproducing imitations, Emily has her own unique voice and creates original compositions. Cope used the pieces that the EMI had generated based on other composers work and fed these into Emily, with her in turn creating her own pieces. One feature of the process is Emily’s ability to respond to feedback on her compositions and modify them according to ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decisions from Cope. This of course impacts her compositions and also questions the originality of her work, with Cope steering the wheel.
From Darkness, Light (2010) was Howell’s first album and was realised by real instrument players. The intention was to make the album sound realistic, challenging the audience’s perception of the composer by doing so. If you listened to From Darkness, Light without knowing who/what Emily Howell is, would you know that it was composed by a machine? The role of technology in the album was to replace the composer. Under the guidance of Cope, Emily has not only assisted in composition, but generated the composition.
Since the 1960s with Lejaren Hiller and Robert Baker, the role of technology on composition has influenced many experiments that impact the changing music environment. The value of the music produced is subjective and will continue to be controversial as the authenticity of computer ‘composers’ is questioned. Authenticity aside, these alternative ideas on computer assisted composition offer an interesting comparison to traditional methods and remain significant achievements in music history.
Written by Liam Keane, Primephonic Catalog Team
