Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!bartok.Eng.Sun.COM!daemon From: daemon@bartok.Eng.Sun.COM Newsgroups: comp.music Subject: Research Digest Vol. 5, #07 Message-ID: <9002030359.AA02395@bartok.sun.com> Date: 3 Feb 90 03:59:18 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: music-research@bartok.Eng.Sun.COM Distribution: inet Organization: The Internet Lines: 403 Music-Research Digest Fri, 2 Feb 90 Volume 5 : Issue 7 Today's Topics: cognitive musicology SISEA Call for Papers & Participation *** Send contributions to Music-Research@uk.ac.oxford.prg *** Send administrative requests to Music-Research-Request *** Overseas users should reverse UK addresses and give gateway if necessary *** e.g. Music-Research@prg.oxford.ac.uk *** or Music-Research%prg.oxford.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 25 Jan 90 20:49:54 PST From: Stephen Smoliar Subject: cognitive musicology To: Music-Research@uk.ac.oxford.prg Otto Laske has invited comment on his remarks on the subject of cognitive musicology, Since I have read the version of his article which appeared in the JOURNAL OF MUSICOLOGICAL RESEARCH and since I have recently revived my personal interest in mind and music (and the ways in which computers may assist our understanding both of them), I feel I am in a position to respond. As is often the case with Laske's articles, the polemic content is high, mitigated only by circumlocution and frequent digression into footnotes. However, I have come to feel that polemic is a good thing. We are too willing to be lulled into the false security of platitudes offered by writers to go through those motions which are known to please referees and/or contract monitors. Laske never fails to offer a refreshing change from this drivel. Unfortunately, just as his provocative philosophy seems to build up a good head of steam, he seems to run afoul of his technical details. In this case, his problems arise in his attempts to deal with issues of knowledge representation. He begins with the assumption "that musical competence can be formulated in terms of some propositional representation encodable in a programming language such as Prolog." Anyone who remembers Tony Hoare's almost classic monograph on data structures will realize that this is a very poor way to begin an undertaking. For those who need some reminding, Hoare advocated the following three stages when one is concerned with building computer models: 1. Abstraction: identifying those objects you are interested in and the particular properties you wish to examine and ultimately make predication about 2. Representation: identifying those primitive symbols and rules of structuring which you will use to correspond to those objects and their properties 3. Manipulation: identifying the operators by which you can create new symbol structures from existing ones Beginning one's argument by choosing a programming language (ANY programming language) is to make a commitment to matters of manipulation before you have established that you have a representation which is consistent with your abstraction. Ultimately, the objects you select will have more to do with your choice of programming language than with your appreciation of the knowledge you wish to model. The consequence of Laske's premature commitment to Prolog is a set of examples of near trivial (and possibly incorrect) Prolog code which gives no indication of satisfying those critical needs of cognitive musicology which Laske raises in his polemic. At this point, he just gets too vague to hold the attention. He talks about "pursuing a task involving" a musical motive but totally evades the question of how one might characterize such a task, i.e. what are the objects in one's abstraction which delimit a task and what are their implications with regard to symbolic representation? Ultimately, Laske may be in danger of chasing after the wrong technology. His admiration for Prolog is apparently related to that of rule-based systems. Towards the end of the paper, he makes the following observation: As the existence of fields such as music theory, counterpoint, and theory of harmony shows, the awareness that musicians formulated and use rules is an old one. Rules are pieces of explicit knowledge. What has been lacking is a medium for representing the subject matter to which rules apply in a formal and explicit way, and a control structure linking the medium to bodies of rules. Knowledge-based systems, providing both a medium and a control structure for heuristic theory formation, revolutionize the modeling of music. This is all very well and good if one buys the bill of goods sold by most purveyors of expert systems. However, there are other points of view. In THE SOCIETY OF MIND, Marvin Minsky has observed that symbolic logic is much more valuable for POST HOC summary and explanation of reasoning than it is for guiding the reasoning process itself. One might view rules the same way, in which case rules are not so much "pieces of explicit knowledge" as they are attempts to summarize observations of knowledge being manifest. Perhaps, like Minsky, we should try to give more thought to what we can say about STATES OF MIND which are associated with musical behavior, particularly with an eye to how those mental states dispose agents to behave musically. ------------------------------ Date: 27 January 1990 4:21:14 pm From: Stephen Travis Pope Subject: SISEA Call for Papers & Participation To: Music-Research@uk.ac.oxford.prg CALL FOR PAPERS & PARTICIPATION SECOND INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ELECTRONIC ART (SISEA) GRONINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS, NOVEMBER 12-17, 1990 Organized by: Rijkshogeschool Groningen (Groningen State Polytechnic) Academie Minerva (Department of Visual Arts, Music & Architecture) SCAN, National Institute for Computer Animation Steering Committee: C.L.H.B. Verstegen (Chairman of the Board, Groningen State Polytechnic) A. van Hijum (Director, Department of Visual Arts, Music & Architecture, Groningen State Polytechnic) P.G.J. Leijdekkers (Director, School of Visual Arts & Architecture) J.H.J.M. van de Vijver (Director, Post Graduate Studies, Academie Minerva) Organizing Committee: Wim van der Plas (Director SCAN) Eric Kluitenberg Ben Warner (advisor) INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM COMMITTEE (proposed) Jurgen Claus (BRD, MIT) Roger Malina (USA, ISAST) Raymond Lauzzana (USA, ASTN) Charles Csuri (USA, OSU) Tom Linehan (USA, Texas A&M) Stephen Pope (USA, CMJ) Donna Cox (USA, SIGGRAPH) Yoichiro Kawaguchi (Japan) Michael Girard (NL, SCAN) Felix Hess (NL,RUG) Theo Hesper (NL, SCCA) Paul Berg (NL, CMA) Cees van Overveld (NL, TUE) John Lansdown (UK, Middlesex Poly/CAS) Christine Schopf (Austria, Ars Electronica) Paul Brown (Australie, ANAT) Francois Bayle (France) >From 12-17 November 1990 the Second International Symposium on Electronic Art (SISEA) will be held in the historical city of Groningen, Holland. Organizers are the Groningen State Polytechnic, the Department of Visual Arts, Music & Architecture "Academie Minerva" of the Groningen State Polytechnic and SCAN, the National Institute for Computer Animation. The Symposium will be the heart of a week of electronic art events. During this week, a large number of artistic applications of electronic technology will be brought together. The manifestation consists of: -a scientific symposium -workshops/tutorials on computer graphics and computer music -performances, concerts, film & video shows -an exhibition -events for the general public During the symposium the Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts will be founded. The Inter-Society aims at connecting all existing Electronic Art organizations and institutions. Target Groups The manifestation aims at several groups, ranging from specialists to the general public. The symposium aims at both scientific and artistic experts in the field. The workshops/tutorials aim at students, teachers and practicing artists. The performances and exhibition aim at the general cultural public. The special manifestations are meant for the general public at large. SYMPOSIUM For the purpose of the symposium, Electronic Art is defined as all art forms that use electronic technology as an essential prerequisite for their production. This symposium is a continuation of the successful FISEA of 1988, where many of the top experts of the Electronic Art world were present. The aim of the ISEA's is to systematically investigate the problems and potentials of Electronic Art. The ISEA's bring together all relevant organizations and many important individuals in the different fields and disciplines in Electronic Art. The symposium will be held on Wednesday, November 14, Thursday, November 15 and Friday November 16. It will take place in the cultural center De Oosterpoort, a perfect location, right in the middle of the city, close to the main hotels. The topics are: Computer Graphics, Computer Animation & Image Processing Electronic Music and Computer Music Video Art & Interactive Electronic Art Computer Poetry Computer-assisted Dance Robotics and Art Research & Development of New Electronic Mediums Systems Integration Special User Interfaces for Artists Artistic Productions in Realtime Synchronization of Electronic Images and Sound Encoding Standards for Electronic Music Databanks for Artists/a World-wide Art Network for E-mail A Permanent Electronic Art TV-channel Integration of different Electronic Art Forms Aesthetics of Electronic Art The Application of A.I. to Art Relationship between Modern Communication Media & Electronic Art SISEA is inviting PAPERS to be given during the symposium. The papers and proposals must be directly related to the above mentioned topics. A selection of papers presented at the symposium will be published in a supplementary issue of LEONARDO, the Journal ofthe International Association for the Arts, Sciences and Technology, that will appear on the occasion of SISEA. Since the ISEA's aim at connecting the existing organizations and institutions in the field of Electronic Art, these institutions and organizations are invited to propose a short PRESENTATION about their work and future plans to be given during some special sessions at SISEA. The proposals for both papers and presentations should focus on the currently most innovative (and preferably interdisciplinary) developments within the field. For further information see: Instructions to Authors. WORKSHOPS/TUTORIALS The workshops/tutorials will take place on Monday, November 12 and Tuesday, November 13. The following tutorials/workshops are planned: -Computer Graphics (using the Aesthedes design system) -Computer Animation (beginning) using Amiga's -Computer Animation and Simulation (advanced) using Apollo's -Computer Music, using Atari's, Mac II's and synthesizers PROPOSALS for computer music workshops are welcomed as well as proposals that aim at connecting the results of both computer music and computer animation workshops. For further info see: Instructions to Authors. The tutorials/workshops will be held in the Electronic Music Department of the School of Music of the Groningen State Polytechnic and in SCAN, the National Institute for Computer Animation. SCAN is an independent educational institute, founded by the Groningen State Polytechnic. Equipment includes a network of Apollo workstations (including several DN 590's and a DN 10.000). PERFORMANCES/CONCERTS/SHOWS On all evenings from Monday, November 12 to Thursday, November 15, Electronic Art Performances will be presented, meant for both the symposium participants and the interested public. Planned are an evening with Computer Music Concerts, a film and video show (Computer Animation/Image Processing/Video Art) and an evening consisting of Electronic Multi Media Performances. Most of the program is planned in the same location as the symposium. PROPOSALS for PERFORMANCES and CONCERTS from institutions, organizations or individuals are welcome. A selection will be made on the following criteria: -aesthetic quality -originality (favourably premieres) -(especially for the Performances:) interdisciplinarity (f.e. combining music and graphics) FILMS and VIDEO TAPES: Electronic Art organizations and institutions, but individuals as well, are invited to submit the best and most recent examples of their work in the fields of COMPUTER ANIMATION, IMAGE PROCESSING and VIDEO ART. A selection of the materials will be made for inclusion in the Film and Video Show. A broad selection of all entered (video)materials will be shown continuously at the symposium location on monitors. Some of the materials will be included in the Exhibition. All participants whose work is accepted for the Film and Video Show will receive a letter of acknowledgement including a possible request to use materials for SISEA publicity. Entered materials will be returned shortly after SISEA. All participants will be credited properly for their work and the best of the entries will be shown to the international press during a press conference. EXHIBITION During the symposium an exhibition will be held. The Exhibition will consist of PRINTS, VIDEOTAPES, SLIDES and INTERACTIVE INSTALLATIONS. Again, SISEA is inviting Electronic Art organizations and institutions, but individuals too, to submit PROPOSALS. The best of the entered works will be presented to the international press during a press conference. All materials will be returned after SISEA. GENERAL EVENTS Entries are invited for Electronic Art EVENTS that reach the public at large. These can be open air events, events involving the local cable television or even national television. INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS All proposals, papers or other entries should be accompanied by a first page stating full name, address and position of the author(s), the title and a short abstract of the contents. Please note that only an abstract of maximum 200 words is required before the first deadline: February 1, 1990. After a pre-selection, authors will be requested to send their full materials, including illustrations. PAPERS Papers must be original, unpublished and in English. An abstract of the paper (maximum 200 words) must be received by the secretariat before February 1, 1990. PRESENTATIONS OF INSTITUTES AND ORGANIZATIONS Proposals should describe the work done by the institute or organization, the way the presentation is to be given and by whom. Documentation material concerning the organization or institute should be included. WORKSHOPS The proposal should describe the content of the proposed workshop, the aim, the target group and the intended result. It must include a clear statement of the necessary equipment, preparation time and other prerequisites. CONCERTS/PERFORMANCES The proposal should give a clear indication of content and duration of the piece. Visual or audio material (preferably audio cassettes and U-matic video tapes) should be included. The proposals must be accompanied by a complete list of the necessary prerequisites (hard and software, peripherals, preparation time, assistance etc.). FILM & VIDEO SHOW Entries must be accompanied by a letter, stating the copyright owners, the names and adresses of the makers, the format, the duration, information concerning hard and software used, other technical information (if relevant) and information concerning the artistic aim (if relevant). Since SISEA does want to show the most recent material, films and video's send later than April 1st (but before October 1st) will be accepted too, as long as a letter, stating date of entry, duration, format and the content (including names of authors)is received by April 1st. Film must be either 16 or 32 mm. Video must be 3/4 Inch Umatic (NTSC, Secam or PAL). EXHIBITION Proposals should clearly describe the content of the materials to be submitted, the necessary prerequisites (including hard and software, audio-visual equipment, necessary assistance etc) and include audio and/or visual material (pictures, tapes etc) to give an impression of the work. GENERAL EVENTS Proposals should clearly indicate the content and meaning of the piece as well as a complete list of the necessary prerequisites. REPLY CARD NAME INSTITUTE/ORGANIZATION ADDRESS CITY/STATE/POSTAL CODE COUNTRY PHONE/FAX/E-MAIL ADDRESS O I intend to submit a paper entitled: O The paper is enclosed (see instructions) O I have a proposal for: O Presentation of institute/organization, named........... O Workshop O Concert O Performance O Exhibition O General Events (Please note: only an abstract is required before the first deadline) O I plan to submit O Video Tape O Film (please describe) O I am interested in an advertisement (industry only) O Please send preliminary program SISEA Westerhavenstraat 13 9718 AJ Groningen The Netherlands phone: 31-50-138160 31-50-138343 fax: 31-50-138242 E-mail:SCAN@HGRRUG5 (Bitnet) ------------------------------ End of Music-Research Digest