Computer-Assisted Composition with OpenMusic
OpenMusic is a graphical programming environment intended to assist the composer.
Objectives
Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to use a graphical programming environment as part of a composer's activity. Familiar with the interface and features of OpenMusic, they will be able to create patches using generation of musi-cal sequences displayed in score editors. They will also have acquired a basic understanding of musical formalization and studied models used in 20th and 21st century music.
Public
Composers, musicians, teachers and any person interested in computer-assisted composition
Prerequisites
- Knowledge of music theory, participants must be able to read notes and rhythms.
- Good knowledge of engraving software (Finale, Sibelius, Dorico, etc.).
- Basic knowledge of mathematics: arithmetic, geometry (triangles, Pythagorean and Thales theories, symmetry, airs), under-standing of powers, equations with a variable, statistics, etc.
- Mastery of the use of the main features of the Apple computer (knowledge and handling of the keyboard and mouse, creating and managing files and folders, navigating menus, starting an application).
- Basic knowledge of Zoom for online courses.
Training Period and Organization
14 hours of training, every Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. from November 6 to December 18, 2025
Online Class, In English
10 students maximum
Program
Some details of the training program are subject to modification as the software on which it is based evolves. Exercises are assigned at the end of each session, to be reviewed collectively during the following session.
Thursday, November 6: Getting Started
- Discovering and using the OpenMusic interface (Workspace, Listener, and patches).
- Creation of patches, the main data types.
- Audio and MIDI configuration. Preferences and external synthesizers.
- Editors <note> <chord>, <chord-seq>, random music sequence generation, transposition.
- Exercise: generate a random monophonic musical sequence.
Thursday, November 13: Rhythm (1)
- The different types of rhythmic notation in OM: proportional notation and metric notation (<chord>, <chord-seq>, <voice>, <multi-seq>, <poly>).
- Microtonality in OM. XML export.
- Building random sequences.
- Exercise: generate a polyphonic score sketch (in engraving software) including microtonal chords.
Thursday, November 20: Spectral Style (1)
- Harmonic material: harmonic series, distortions, interpolation.
- Iteration (1): <mapcar> and the lambda function.
- Building spectra, arpeggios.
- Exercise: generate a sequence from spectral material.
Thursday, November 27: Spectral Style (2)
- “Technomorphic” models of spectral music.
- Iteration (2): introduction to <omloop>.
- Controlling dynamic processes from curves.
- Exercise: generate a sequence with an iterative evolution of a material.
Thursday, December 4: Composing with Acoustic Model
- Spectral analysis using the external libraries pm2 and supervp.
- Recovering and processing spectral analysis results into a musical sequence.
- Exercise: generate a sequence based on acoustic analysis (f0, chord-sequence analysis, partial tracking).
Thursday, December 11: Rhythm (2)
- Complex Rhythmic Patterns
- Algorithmic generation of rhythms based on rules and models.
- Exercise: Control the rhythmic evolution of a sequence based on a harmonic progression derived from a model.
Thursday, December 18
- Audio in OpenMusic. The Sox library.
- An example of a workflow combining audio and symbolic notation in OpenMusic.
- Creating audio sequences in OM.
Final exercise: knowledge assessment MCQ, to be completed one week after the training.
Moyens pédagogiques et techniques
- This professional training class will be taught online.
- Technical requirements: Participants should download OpenMusic prior to training.
- For best results, please use two screens for this class and a good internet connection.
- Class Format: Class is taught in English. Training alternates between presentations, explanations on theory, studying exam-ples to analyze, and hands-on exercises.
- Didactic Materials: presentations. A class guide will be given at the beginning of each training session and all complementary files will be given as needed.
Supervision
- Technical session on the first day of training to check trainees' installation.
- Attendance controlled; signature of an attendance sheet required every afternoon.
- Delivery of a certificate of achievement.
.Assessment
- Knowledge will be assessed through a multiple-choice questionnaire to be completed within one week following the train-ing.