Inside Computer Music

Inside Computer Music is an investigation of how new technological developments have influenced the creative possibilities of composers of computer music in the last 50 years. This book combines detailed research into the development of computer music techniques with nine case studies that
analyze key works in the musical and technical development of computer music. The book's companion website offers demonstration videos of the techniques used and downloadable software. There, readers can view interviews and test emulations of the software used by the composers for themselves. The
software also presents musical analyses of each of the nine case studies to enable readers to engage with the musical structure aurally and interactively.

"This publication (the text and the software) aims to explore the relationship between new technical innovations in computer technology for music and the creative practice of composers employing these new techniques. It asks: does the new technology lead to new sounds and new ways of structuring music, and if so how? What are the creative options, sonic and structural, presented by new software and hardware? How can these be manipulated and shaped to form music? How have particular composers developed successful working methods in using this technology? To answer such questions a set of case studies have been examined in depth, specific works in which composers have adopted new techniques, whether developed by themselves or by others. Each of these works has been researched from a number of different perspectives: the technical and musical background, the technology employed in the particular work and, through music analysis, the musical outcome. Innovative approaches have been employed both in undertaking and presenting this research. On the one hand, it has been important to find appropriate ways of presenting the musical potential of what are often highly technical processes. On the other hand, it has been necessary to find ways of analyzing music that often evades even the most basic fundamentals of traditional music analysis: notes, harmonies, or instruments"--

"It is rare to find such well-curated analytical material on electroacoustic music. I have known Francis Dhomont's Phonurgie since its creation and talked with the composer about it many times. I analyzed, performed, and taught the work for the past 20 years, and yet, there was so much new
information to discover here. This book will deepen my appreciation for these compositions and present an excellent resource for my students." -- Hans Tutschku, Harvard University