Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!dkuug!uts!reccmo
From: reccmo@uts.uni-c.dk (Christian Mondrup)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Music and AI
Keywords: MUSIC, CONNECTIONISM, NEURALNETS
Message-ID: <1991Jun14.102410.18774@uts.uni-c.dk>
Date: 14 Jun 91 10:24:10 GMT
References: <14344@ur-cc.UUCP> <6983@gara.une.oz.au>
Organization: UNI-C, Danish Computing Centre for Research and Education
Lines: 33

In <6983@gara.une.oz.au> cmunday@gara.une.oz.au (Craig Munday) writes:

>ka2cs220@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Steve Berkley) writes:

>>If anyone has any suggestions concerning applications of
>>learning systems in a specialized domain of "automatic
>>composition" of music, I would appreciate it.  I am researching
>>the feasability of a real-time (NN?) automatic composition program
>>in C, fed with MIDI data.

>    Can any one fill me in on the definition of a real-time composition 
>program?  Is the term suggesting that a computer is being used to actually 
>compose and play music.  I myself can not accept the fact that computers can 
>compose music.  Music is suppose to be an expression of ones inner feelings,
>and because it comes from within it has a great power to move people into
>different spheres.  The feeling that is present in music of the past has 
>induced greated pride in ones country, I doubt that a machine can come close 
>to providing this attribute of music.
>    Convince me that a computer can provide the necessary feeling that music 
>needs.  Somethings may better be left alone.

I have just been reading Douglas Hofstaedter's book 'Goedel, Escher, Bach',
where he insists that it is possible and desirable too to model a human mind
complete with feelings etc. into a machine. As Hofstaedter is much interested
in music he specifically deals with the problem of a 'machine composer' and
says that you may very well imagine such a thing.

I am not convinced that your statement 'music is suppose to be an expression 
of ones inner feelings' is always true. Sometimes I think it's just playing
with aesthetic matherials, for which purpose you may very well use a computer
as a helping tool for composing (Xenakis etc.) - both beautiful and great 
music may come out of that. But whether music is expressing feelings or just 
playing I too can't see the point in developing ai for automatic composing.