The Use of Algorithms in Music Composition

A Case Study of my piece 'On the Edge' for Cello

By Ali Riza SARALApril 11, 2017

Creativity

• wikipedia• Creativity is a phenomenon whereby

something new and somehow valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a literary work, or a painting).

Webster -Definition of creativity

• 1: the quality of being creative• 2 : the ability to create • her artistic creativity

Definition of create-transitive verb• 1 : to bring into existence• … God created the heaven and the earth. — Genesis 1:1 (AV)• 2 a : to invest with a new form, office, or rank • She was created a lieutenant.• b : to produce or bring about by a course of action or behavior • Her arrival created a terrible fuss. create new jobs• 3 : cause, occasion Famine creates high food prices.• 4 a : to produce through imaginative skill • create a painting• b : design creates dresses

Definition of create-intransitive verb

• 1 : to make or bring into existence something new

• an artist who is good at imitating but not at creating

• 2 : to set up a scoring opportunity in basketball

• create off the dribble

dilemma

• Computer aided design

• Vs

• Human Aided Computer Creativity

consciousness

• Is consciousness a prerequisite for creativity?

Consciousness vs subconsciousness

• The role of subconscious in creativity

consciousness

• Intention• Task lists

Direction problem

• Creativity requires direction towards creating a being, a unity

• Currently available functions such as random()• Does not provide direction• Even the random function requires a seed

value to create a random number.

Possible solution

• Random values and other direction markers maybe automatically produced from other material, similar style music pieces etc.

• These have to be provided and programmed by the human, composer.

MuseScore & JFugue

• I created MIDI sequences using Jfugue.• Then I exported the outputs as MIDI files.• I imported the MIDI files to MuseScore.

JFugue phase

• This corresponds to the computer creativity phase.

• I used random functions and note lists. The computer chooses randomly which sounds to play.

• My role as a composer is to limit and direct the random behaviour of the computer.

At the Edge for Cello

At the Edge – Cello Suite (2016) by Ali R+ SARALBagatelle, Barcarolle, Rhapsody15 min. LongDedicated to Daria B. from Germany

BAGATELLE

• Analyze Jfugue codes for music generation• produceMusic() subroutines

• String note[]= {"C","C#","D","D#","G","G#","A","A#","B"};

• int seriesLength=9;

• Randomly play• noteSeq=randomInteger(1,seriesLength-1);

produceMusic2()

• if (!existsPrev(playedNotes,note[noteSeq], depthRepeat, currentPOS) || n==0){

• m+=" "+note[noteSeq]+"4s";• playedNotes[n]=note[noteSeq]+"4s";

produceMusic2()

• octave = randomInteger(spanBottom+1,spanBottom+spanDepth);

• if (!existsPrev(playedNotes,note[noteSeq], depthRepeat, currentPOS) || n==0){

• m+=" "+note[noteSeq]+octave+"i";

• m="T60 V0 I[Cello] G5h D#4h G#3h T120";

produceMusic4()

• String tempi[] ={"T126","T120","T132","T144"};

• if (n % 4==0) tempiSeq=randomInteger(1,tempiCount-1);

• if (!existsPrev(playedNotes,note[noteSeq], depthRepeat, currentPOS) || n==0){

• sheetStr+=" "+note[noteSeq]+"i "+tempi[tempiSeq];

produceMusic6()

• String note[]= {"E5", "F4", "F#3", "G5", "D#4", "G#3", "A5", "C5", "B4", "C#4", "D3", "A#2"};

• int seriesLength=12;• String note2[]= {"E2", "F2", "D#2", "C2"}; int

noteSeq2=-1;

produceMusic6()• if (!existsPrev(playedNotes,note[noteSeq], depthRepeat,

currentPOS) || n==0){• // m+=" "+note[noteSeq]+octave+"i";• // playedNotes[n]=note[noteSeq]+octave+"i";• sheetStr+=" "+note[noteSeq]+"i "+tempi[tempiSeq];• playedNotes[n]=note[noteSeq]+"i "+tempi[tempiSeq];• }• else n=n-1;• sheetStr+=" "+note2[noteSeq2]+"i ";• playedNotes[n]=note[noteSeq2]+"i ";

BARCAROLLE

• Analysis of Jfugue sketches• Analysis of their utilization in Barcarolle.

Rhapsody

• Listen Rhapsody.• Find where computer generating is used.• Human imitates computer and tries to find out

what could human assisted computer creativity sound like.