Music By Computers

Name: Ragnar Digital, LLC
Price range: $

Heinz von Förster James W Beauchamp Herbert Brün Max Vernon Mathews Arthur Roberts James Kirtland Randall Lejaren Arthur Hiller Jr Gerald Strang

1969

Music/Sound

Book + 4 records

The Listening Room

Description

Music by Computers, edited by Heinz von Foerster and James W. Beauchamp, was the first book on computer music to include sound recordings alongside text. Issued with four flexible vinyl discs (33⅓ RPM) that were tucked inside the back cover, the publication offered readers direct access to compositions that demonstrated the possibilities of digital sound. Essays, diagrams, and program listings surveyed the rapidly emerging field, while the recordings featured works by composers and programmers at Bell Labs, Princeton University, the University of Illinois, and Argonne National Laboratory. The pieces explored diverse strategies: duets between computer and violin (J. K. Randall’s Lyric Variations), hybrid works for live ensemble and tape (Lejaren Hiller’s Cosahedron), and wholly computer-generated compositions that pushed rhythm and timbre beyond the capabilities of human performers. Combining theoretical discussion with sonic examples, Music by Computers is a valuable resource for the study of electronic and algorithmic music.