Computer Music, The Heart of Creativity

A Part of the Series Dialogues: The Keys to Understanding

As early as 1939 John Cage explored mixed music creation tracks, bringing together musical instruments and electronic systems. Imaginary Landscape n°1 marks an important landmark in the history of music as it was the first time that piano and cymbals were combined with sound recordings that were manipulated live. Today, computer music, a discipline that brings together artists and scientists, associates a transfer of scientific knowledge with musical expertise. The apparition of the computer as a tool for composition and musical-instrument making as well as an instrument and performer has completely changed the concept of the score. The possibilities of sounds and musical forms as well as the absence of a human musician have made the possibilities of the conventional score obsolete. The unique role of the computer and the digital score make it possible to imagine new orchestral forms based on novel methods of instrumental performances.

Can we give a machine musical intelligence? Having a musician and a computer perform on stage is a double challenge, both artistic and scientific. Certain software programs know not only how to recognize the notes played, but are also able to follow the performance's tempo in real-time and adapt to the musicians’ performance. Endowed with the ability to listen and to synchronize, the computer includes an "intelligent metronome" capable of following musical time, a notion both complex and subjective, and not simply physical time, precise and fixed. We can now use this technology for automatic accompaniment by a solo performer or for true interactive multimedia programs with sound effects, control of lighting or elements of the décor.

With Arshia Cont, head of research, team-project MuSynch (CNRS, Inria), director of the department of Research/Creation Interfaces, IRCAM and Myriam Desainte-Catherine, professor at ENSEIRB-matmeca (IPB), the Bordeaux laboratory for computer science research LaBRI (CNRS, IPB, UB1, UB2), team for sound and music modeling, scientific director of the SCRIME.