Computer Music Journal, Vol. 26, Number
4, Language Inventors on the Future of Music Software
MIT Press, Berkeley, CA, 2002
128 pp., illus. b/w, $30.00.
ISSN: 0148-9267.
Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen,
Hogeschool Gent,
Jan
Delvinlaan 115, 9000 Gent, Belgium
stefaan.vanryssen@pandora.be
This issue of Computer Music Journal covers a symposium entitled "The
Future of Music Software", held in Dartmouth College in Hanover, New
Hampshire, USA in October 2001. The main idea of the conference was
that successful programs or music software languages can provide lessons
about the criteria for the development of future software. Accordingly,
some of the most illustrious names in the history of computer music
were invited and agreed to speak at the conference. They include, in
historical order, Max Mathews, the pioneer of digital sound synthesis
for music and the originator of Music V, Gareth Loy, key contributor
to the CARL software from the University of California, San Diego, Barry
Vercoe, developer of Csound, the most widely promulgated language from
the Music N family, Miller Pluckette, creator of Max, the graphical
patching environment for real-time applications, David Zicarelli, developer
of the commercial version of Max and its audio offshoot MSP, and James
McCartney, author of the OO synthesis language SuperCollider.
The six of them participated in a panel discussion on the future of
Computer Music Software, an edited transcription of which is included
in the journal. Five of them all except Max Mathews) also presented
their personal views, and these presentations are included as well.
There are some very interesting lessons about the influence of technological
advances on music and about the impact of the languages on the music
itself to be learned from their stories. Along the way, they also discuss
intellectual property and the processes involved in developing software.
This issue of CMJ comes with a CD curated by James Harley and dedicated
to the memory of Iannis Xenakis, one of the most outstanding figures
in Twentieth Century music and probably one of the most influential
composers of computer music. CMJ devoted an entire issue to Xenakis
in Spring 2002 (Vol. 26: 1) and this collection illustrates the enormous
impact he has made on several composers of later generations. There
is music by Cort Lippe (Music for Bass Clarinet and Tape here
of course performed by Harry Sparnaay), James Harley (Per Foramen Acus
Transire), Richard Barrett (The Unthinkable), Agostino Di Scipio (Natura
Allo Specchio), Gerard Pape (Le fleuve du Desir VI) and Paul Steenhuisen
(Pomme de Terre). The music and the composers are expertly introduced
by James Harley, who does a fine job in guiding the ear to some insight
(!) in what the music is all about. The pieces and the accompanying
information are worthwhile even for readers who have no access to the
original Journal.
Also on the CD are some sound examples to accompany the articles 'An
Acoustical Analysis of Col Legno Articulation in Iannis Xenakis's Nomos
Alpha' by Evan Jones (Vol. 26: 1) and 'FMOL: Toward User-Friendly, Sophisticated
New Musical Instruments' by Sergi Jordà (Vol 26: 3).
In the Review section of this issue are articles about events, publications,
recordings and products. A short review of Fred Lerdahl's Tonal Pitch
Space, by Bruce Quaglia, attracted my attention, together with a review
of Bill Alves' The Terrain of Possibilities.