The great debate over the ever increasing use of computer enhanced compositional techniques may well have found its ultimate answer – although the latest scientific breakthrough has not allegedly been discovered in a brass band test piece – yet.

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It comes in the orchestral world, as an article this week in The Guardian newspaper has reported on the first musical composition made by a computer deemed good enough to be performed by none other than the London Symphony Orchestra.

The ‘composer’ is a computer programme called Iamus, devised by a team from the University of Malaga, which has seen their invention produce the score to ‘Transits – Into an Abyss’.

Bird song

The name Iamus comes from the son of Apollo, who could understand the language of bird song, whilst the premiere in Malaga on Monday was made to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alan Turing.

He was the troubled genius credited with the invention of the modern computer – and the man who devised the test to distinguish humans from artificial intelligence.

Sceptic

The report states that despite the London Symphony Orchestra being ‘a little bit sceptical’ of the work to begin with, they were eventually ‘very surprised’ by its quality.

According to its programmers, Iamus can produce literally thousands of compositions — fully notated and ready to play almost at a touch of a button.

According to its programmers, Iamus can produce literally thousands of compositions — fully notated and ready to play almost at a touch of a button4BR

New age

Could it be that the age of the major brass band test piece written by computer is just around the corner – or as some people may already have argued – that it may have already arrived some time ago, and only now the orchestral world is catching up?

Read the article

Read the article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jul/01/iamus-computer-composes-classical-music