sws%bfxps.uucp@Germany.EU.net (Steffen W. Schilke)
8 Jun 93 08:46:34 GMT
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Newsgroups: comp.music,rec.music.compose
From: Steffen Schilke sws%bfxps@germany.eu.net
Subject: Randomly Composed Music
Reply-To: sws%bfxps@germany.eu.net
PRERELEASE VERSION
- This is a information file about "Randomly Composed Music". I would appreciate your
comments and more information about this topic. "Randomly Composed Music"is to compose
music by using the factor of randomness (e.g., by rolling a dice). In the pre-release
version there is only a collection of answers,books,and Random Number Generators; no
recipes for composing !
Randomly Composed Music Information File
by Steffen Schilke
- 0.0 Intro :
- 1.0 Some Answers :
- 2.0 A List of Books about Randomly Composed Music :
- 3.0 Random Number Generators :
Randomly Composed Music
- 0.0 Intro :
-----------
- "Randomly Composed Music" is to compose music by using the factor of randomness
(e.g., by rolling a dice). Usually one or two dices are used. Rolling them gives you
a number between 2-12 (1-6). This number is used to look up a set of notes (one tact).
Usually then recipe comes with a description how to use the table and scores
(Kirnberger, Mozart, ...)
1.0 Some Answers :
------------------
I posted a question about "Randomly Composed Music" a couple of days ago. This are
some answers from some people (all answers are from CI$) :
From Carolyn Hanson Mayer :
There's a book (I own a copy.) called *Mozart's Melody Dicer* that describes the
dice game/method of composing that Mozart invented.
Mozart's original name for the "game" is Musikalisches Wurfelspiel (in English, Musical
Dice-Game). This inexpensive book, (c) 1983 and ISBN 0-935474-09-9, is published by
Carousel Publishing Corp., 27 Union St., Brighton, MA 02135. You might try looking
for it, or try to order it, from your local music store.
Another thought, if you're an Atari ST user, Dr. T has gone into
aleatory software a little. I have an aleatory program that goes with my KCSII called
PVG (short for Programmable Variations Generator, I believe).
From James Chandler Jr. :
> A book which has the most specific algorithms (of the ones I've seen)is "Computer
Music in C" by Phil Winsor and Gene DeLisa. Published by WindCrest, Blue Ridge Summit,
PA, 17294-0850.
The code is not helpful with MIDI programming or music theory. All
the book contains is lots of note-picking algorithms, several random
number generators, sort algorithms, lots of other composition-related algorithms.
From Blake Ragsdell :
> You might want to get Computer Composer's Toolbox, by Phil Winsor. It is/was published
by Windcrest, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17294-0850. 1-800-822-8158 (in PA and AK call
717-794-2191)
The phone number comes from the order blank for the disk that goes
with the book.
As I'm looking through here, I see the same address showing Tab Books, Inc. as the
company to contact, so you might want to try calling first. The book contains a
library of 117 music-generating subroutines written in Basic or (BASIC if you prefer).
2.0 A List of Books about Randomly Composed Music :
---------------------------------------------------
From Steffen Schilke (that's me ;-) :
I asked this question, but it looks like that I already had the most stuff which is
available (unfortunately (not for me) the most publications are in German ;-). I am
still looking out for the books marked with an '*'.I am also interested in other
books which are not listed here.
There are the following composing recipes available :
Year Author / original book title (language)
500 Anicius Manlius Torquatus Severinus Boethius
*"De Musica" (Latin)
1754 Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
*"Einfall einen doppelten Contrapunct in der Octave von sechs
Tacten zu machen ohne die Regeln davon zu wissen" (German)
1757 Johann Philipp Kirnberger
"Der allezeit fertige Polonoisen- und Menuettencomponist"
also "Tausend Billionen Musikstuecke fuer ein oder zwei
Wuerfel" (German)
1771 Piere Hoegi
"A tabular system whereby the art of composing minuets is
made so easy that any person, without the least knowledge
of music, may compose ten thousand, all different, and in
the most pleasing and correct manner" (English)
1783 Johann Philipp Kirnberger
"Methode Sonaten aus'm Ermel zu schiddeln" orginal title,
(German slang)
1788 J.C. Graf
*"Musikspiel oder Tabelle, unzaehlige Maersche fuer
Pianoforte
oder andere Instrumente mittelst Wuerfel zu erfinden"
(German)
1779 Maximilian Stadler
*"Table pour composer des menuets et des trios a l'infini
avec
deux des a jouer" (French)
1793 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
"Anleitung zum Componieren von Walzern so viele man will
vermittelst zweier Wuerfel ohne etwas von der Musik oder
Composition zu verstehen" also "Musikalisches Wuerfelspiel
Eine Anleitung Walzer oder Schleifer mit 2 Wuerfeln zu
komponieren" (Available in German, English, French, Dutch)
Koechel Verzeichnis KV Anh C 30.01 Anh 294d (German)
1798 Friedrich Gottlob Hayn
*"Anleitung mit Wuerfeln Anglaisen zu componieren" (German)
1801 C.H. Fiedler
"Musicalisches Wuerfelspiel oder der (unerschoepfliche)
Ecossaisen
Componist" (German)
1802 Antonio Calegari
*"Wie die Wuerfel fallen ! Ein Scherz der Tonkunst, um mit
drei
Wuerfeln leicht Walzer zu setzen" (German)
???? John Cage* (Aleatorik ???, Roaratotio from 1979
???)
Karlheinz Stockhausen* ???
Pierre Boulez* ???
3.0 Random Number Generators :
------------------------------
The most compiler/interpreter come with a randomize / random (rnd)
function which should give you somekind of random numbers. I found an algorythm in
an ACM journal (I can not recall in which one) which should give you an example of
a "good" Random Number Generator (Turbo Pascal source) :
integer version :
function random_i1 : extended;
const
a = 16807;
m = 2147483647;
begin
iseed := (a * iseed) mod m;
random_i1 := iseed / m;
end;
real version :
function random_r1 : extended;
const
a = 16807.0;
m = 2147483647.0;
var
temp : extended;
begin
temp := a * rseed;
rseed := temp - m * trunc(temp / m);
random_r1 := rseed / m;
end;
You have declare the variable ?seed and then you have to set an inital value for ?seed.
In the article they mentioned some other ways of implementing a "good" Random Number
Gernerators but I can not find it at the moment. Any other examples will be appreciated.
Thats all for today, I would appreciate your help to make this to a
good,
informative file (maybe a FAQ) about Randomly Composed Music (RCM). Any
corrections on grammar and language are welcome (I am not an English
native
speaker)
Send your reply (or letters, copies, disk's) to me (via e-mail) or to :
S.Schilke
PoBox 1303
Weiterstadt w6108
Germany
Fax: +49/6187/24616 (24 hours)
Internet: sws%bfxps@germany.eu.net or
100065.1760@compuserve.com
CI$ : 100065,1760
--
[standard disclaimer] In addition I would like to speak to my lawyer......
Deutsches Grundgesetz Artikel 22 : "Die Bundesflagge ist Schwarz-Rot-Gold"
German Constitution Article 22 : "The German Flag is Black-Red-Gold"
From the empty brain of : sws%bfxps.uucp@germany.eu.net