Generative techniques in composition

In this project, I used generative and algorithmic processes to produce raw material for further development, acting as both composer and curator, and eventually producing a series of compositions that combine random elements with human embellishment. Building on techniques and approaches pioneered by indeterministic composers such as John Cage and his contemporaries (as well as the later generative artists, beginning with Brian Eno), I applied the perspective of indeterminate music in the context of more mainstream or dance-oriented music.

The first piece I produced was stylistically rooted in modern electronic music but consists of note events whose timings derived from mathematical games. Following this, using a polysynth made with Max/MSP, I pastiched the use of short, timbrally contrasting samples in electronic music, without using existing sound sources, resulting in a piece that uses randomly selected timbres and pitch content.

The process and presentation of these pieces considered altogether positions the role of the creator as an entity beside the work, rather than preceding it, and posits that the role of the listener is inherently creative.

The final submission of this project is a collection of audio pieces, a collection of Max/MSP patches, and this written commentary. The audio pieces are numbered according to their status, with the whole numbers 1 and 2 being the two main pieces, each unique in concept, and pieces with decimal numbers being compositions that explore related concepts to those, either as a tangent, an alternate take on the idea, or just a demonstration of the processes involved.