Introduction to Gestural Similarity in Music. An Application of Category Theory to the Orchestra

Mathematics, and more generally computational sciences, intervene in several aspects of music. Mathematics describes the acoustics of the sounds giving formal tools to physics, and the matter of music itself in terms of compositional structures and strategies. Mathematics can also be applied to the entire making of music, from the score to the performance, connecting compositional structures to acoustical reality of sounds. Moreover, the precise concept of gesture has a decisive role in understanding musical performance. In this paper, we apply some concepts of category theory to compare gestures of orchestral musicians, and to investigate the relationship between orchestra and conductor, as well as between listeners and conductor/orchestra. To this aim, we will introduce the concept of gestural similarity. The mathematical tools used can be applied to gesture classification, and to interdisciplinary comparisons between music and visual arts.Comment: The final version of this paper has been published by the Journal of Mathematics and Musi

Fixed Average Spectra of Orchestral Instrument Tones

The fixed spectrum for an average orchestral instrument tone is presented based on spectral data from the Sandell Harmonic Archive (SHARC). This database contains non-time-variant spectral analyses for 1,338 recorded instrument tones from 23 Western instruments ranging from contrabassoon to piccolo. From these spectral analyses, a grand average was calculated, providing what might be considered an average non-time-variant harmonic spectrum. Each of these tones represents the average of all instruments in the SHARC database capable of producing that pitch. These latter tones better represent common spectral changes with respect to pitch register, and might be regarded as an “average instrument.” Although several caveats apply, an average harmonic tone or instrument may prove useful in analytic and modeling studies. In addition, for perceptual experiments in which non-time-variant stimuli are needed, an average harmonic spectrum may prove to be more ecologically appropriate than common technical waveforms, such as sine tones or pulse trains. Synthesized average tones are available via the web

Boston University Percussion Ensemble, November 15, 2008

This is the concert program of the Boston University Percussion Ensemble performance on Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 7:30 p.m., at the Boston University Concert Hall, 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. Works performed were In the beginning there was rhythm by Sofia Gubaidulina, Music for Pieces of Wood by Steve Reich, Midnight Mediation by Jane Stanley, ...dust into dust... by John Luther Adams, Mantra II by Ramon Humet, and Stonewave by Rolf Wallin. Digitization for Boston University Concert Programs was supported by the Boston University Center for the Humanities Library Endowed Fund

ALEA III, 1994 International Composiion Competition for Young Composers, September 9, 1994

This is the concert program of the ALEA III, 1994 International Composiion Competition for Young Composers performance on Wednesday, September 28, 1994 at 7:00 p.m., at the Tsai Performance Center, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. Works performed were Bali Suite by Thomas Reiner, Canopy by Beth Wiemann, The Blue Melody by Kui Dong, Choreographik by Paolo Minetti, Invocation by Apostolos Paraskevas, Mouvements by Carlos Grätzer, and Le città invisibili III: Zaira by Anthony Cornicello. Digitization for Boston University Concert Programs was supported by the Boston University Humanities Library Endowed Fund

Notation Sequence Generation and Sound Synthesis in Interactive Spectral Music

Notation sequence generation and sound synthesis in interactive spectral music This thesis consists of a preliminary analysis of existing spectral music paradigms and proposes a methodology to address issues that arise in real-time spectral music composition and performance scenarios. This exploration involves an overview of meaning in spectral music with a particular focus on the ‘sonic object’ as a vehicle for expression. A framework for the production of ‘interactive spectral music’ was created. This framework takes form as a group of software based compositional tools called SpectraScore developed for the Max for Live platform. Primarily, these tools allow the user to analyse incoming audio and directly apply the collected data towards the generation of synthesised sound and notation sequences. Also presented is an extension of these tools, a novel system of correlation between emotional descriptors and spectrally derived harmonic morphemes. The final component is a portfolio of works created as examples of the techniques explored in scored and recorded form. As a companion to these works, an analysis component outlines the programmatic aspects of each piece and illustrates how they are executed within the music. Each scored piece corresponds with a recording of a live performance or performances of the work included in the attached DVD, which comprises individual realisations of the interactive works. Keywords: Spectralism, Music and Emotion, Electronic Music, Spectral Music, Algorithmic Music, Real-time Notatio

Notation Sequence Generation and Sound Synthesis in Interactive Spectral Music

Notation sequence generation and sound synthesis in interactive spectral music This thesis consists of a preliminary analysis of existing spectral music paradigms and proposes a methodology to address issues that arise in real-time spectral music composition and performance scenarios. This exploration involves an overview of meaning in spectral music with a particular focus on the ‘sonic object’ as a vehicle for expression. A framework for the production of ‘interactive spectral music’ was created. This framework takes form as a group of software based compositional tools called SpectraScore developed for the Max for Live platform. Primarily, these tools allow the user to analyse incoming audio and directly apply the collected data towards the generation of synthesised sound and notation sequences. Also presented is an extension of these tools, a novel system of correlation between emotional descriptors and spectrally derived harmonic morphemes. The final component is a portfolio of works created as examples of the techniques explored in scored and recorded form. As a companion to these works, an analysis component outlines the programmatic aspects of each piece and illustrates how they are executed within the music. Each scored piece corresponds with a recording of a live performance or performances of the work included in the attached DVD, which comprises individual realisations of the interactive works. Keywords: Spectralism, Music and Emotion, Electronic Music, Spectral Music, Algorithmic Music, Real-time Notatio

An exploration of four songs for soprano, horn, and piano (1990) by David Irving

The purpose of this study is to bring attention to the life and music of David Gerow Irving, in particular, his Four Songs for Soprano, Horn, and Piano, composed in 1990. As no previous academic writing has been committed to this subject matter, the study includes an introduction to the life and career of David Irving as well as an overview of his compositional techniques. Chapter 2 includes biographical information about his life in general, his career as a horn player, and his journey to composition. Chapter 3 gives a detailed description of his progression from student to composer. Chapter 4 provides an overview of some of his characteristic compositional tendencies found in a number of his compositions with examples. Chapter 5 focuses on the history and process in composition of the Four Songs for Soprano, Horn, and Piano, including a detailed analysis of each of the songs with comments from the composer. The appendices include a full score of the Four Songs for Soprano, Horn, and Piano, full list of works by David Irving, a written interview with the author, and permissions granted for the use of his correspondence with the author as well as the inclusion of his self-published work

An investigation into the spectral music idiom and its association with visual imagery, particularly that of film and video

The exploration of timbre became increasingly significant throughout the 20th century, with some composers making it the essence of their music. This artistic development occurred in conjunction with a technological advancement that together would contribute to the birth of what is now called `spectral music\u27 . Using computers, composers have been able to discover the spectra of frequencies that exist at different strengths for various sounds. The information realised then became the spectral musician\u27 s primary ingredients for composing some extraordinary works. Despite its innovative quality, spectral music is yet to gain widespread interest amongst ensembles, orchestras and ultimately the public. The first two chapters of this thesis are dedicated to the emergence of this largely unknown compositional discipline, its principal composers and the direction spectral music has taken since its inception

From heuristics-based to data-driven audio melody extraction

The identification of the melody from a music recording is a relatively easy task for humans, but very challenging for computational systems. This task is known as "audio melody extraction", more formally defined as the automatic estimation of the pitch sequence of the melody directly from the audio signal of a polyphonic music recording. This thesis investigates the benefits of exploiting knowledge automatically derived from data for audio melody extraction, by combining digital signal processing and machine learning methods. We extend the scope of melody extraction research by working with a varied dataset and multiple definitions of melody. We first present an overview of the state of the art, and perform an evaluation focused on a novel symphonic music dataset. We then propose melody extraction methods based on a source-filter model and pitch contour characterisation and evaluate them on a wide range of music genres. Finally, we explore novel timbre, tonal and spatial features for contour characterisation, and propose a method for estimating multiple melodic lines. The combination of supervised and unsupervised approaches leads to advancements on melody extraction and shows a promising path for future research and applications