Product Description

Notes from the Metalevel is a practical introduction to computer composition. It is primarily intended for student composers interested in learning how computation can provide them with a new paradigm for musical composition. Notes from the Metalevel explains through a practical, example-based approach the essential concepts and techniques of computer-based composition, and demonstrates how these techniques can be integrated into the composer's own creative work. One of the most exciting aspects of computer-based composition is that it is an essentially empirical activity that does not require years of formal music theory training to understand. For this reason, Notes from the Metalevel will be of interest to any reader with a high-school mathematics background interested in experimenting with music composition using MIDI and audio synthesis programs. The book will also be of use to computer science and engineering students who are interested in artistic applications of object-oriented programming techniques and music software design. The Aeolian Harp, a composition for piano and computer generated tape (see chapter 23) won the Eric Siday Musical Creativity Award as the top composition submitted to the 2003 International Computer Music Conference.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #904612 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 348 pages

Customer Reviews

A must-have book for computer-assisted music composers
I reviewed this book for the Computer Music Journal, giving it an overwhelmingly positive review. Since then I've re-read the book in its entirety, and my opinion has changed somewhat: If Amazon had six stars to give then I'd give it all six. :)

This is a first-class book for anyone interested in using the computer for music composition. Be forewarned though, it is not a guide to GarageBand or any other MIDI sequencer or hard-disk recorder. The author uses his own Common Music progamming language as the basis for an exploration into techniques and methods of making music that would be most unlikely without the assistance of the computer. Btw, the Common Music software is included with the book, in packages for Windows, Linux, and the Mac, so you can work with the book's examples immediately.

The text is clear and easy to understand, reflecting the author's experience as an educator. The examples are helpful and open-ended, lending themselves to further explorations. In addition to the regular examples the book includes a number of more extended projects based on work by composers such as Steve Reich and Gyorgy Ligeti.

No previous experience with a music progamming language is necessary, but if you have a background in Lisp or another object-oriented language you'll feel right at home with this book's Lisp-based example code. If you know nothing about programming the book's first chapters will bring you quickly up to speed on the basics needed to work with the rest of it.

The cost is a bit high, but the paperback edition is sturdy and well-printed, so I'll echo my CMJ review and state again that this book is worth every penny of its purchase price.

One of the best newer books on algorithmic composition
This book is a practical introduction to computer composition. Its intended audience is student composers interested in learning how computation can provide them with a new paradigm for musical composition. The book therefore uses an accessible example-based approach to explain essential concepts and techniques, showing how these techniques can be integrated into the composer's own creative work. One of the most exciting aspects of computer-based composition is that it does not require years of formal music theory training to understand. Thus if you have a high-school math background and are interested in experimenting with music composition using MIDI and audio synthesis programs, this book is for you. This book will also be of use to computer science and engineering students who are interested in the artistic applications of object-oriented programming techniques and music software design. The book is full of examples and exercises for the reader to perform, study, modify, and adapt to their own musical purposes. All of the examples are available on the accompanying CD. In addition to the many short examples, the book contains a nmber of "Etudes" chapters that appear at regular intervals throughout the book. These are large structured projects that explore some particular technique or topic in detail.

This book is divided into two parts. The first nine chapters comprise an introduction to music programming in the Lisp language. Chapter 1 is introductory, but chapters 2 through 9 give a good selective introduction to computer programming techniques in Lisp. By selective I mean that these chapters are specifically relevant to the material presented in the second part of the book and to musical programming in general. The second half of the book, chapters 10 through 24, provide an introduction to the essential concepts and techniques of computer composition. The first few chapters of this part of the book discuss the representation of sound, musical structure, algorithms, and processes. The material in the remaining chapters can be grouped into four areas of discussion: algorithmic design, mapping and transformations, aleatoric composition, and pattern-based composition. An appendix to the book contains pointers to Lisp documentation that can be found online. Highly recommended to the reader interested in algorithmic composition from a non-application specific point of view.

caveat emptor
[refer to 'calvinnme' review.] Reviewer stated that examples ,etc. are on the accompanying CD. I purchased and returned a used Amazon 'marketplace' copy of this book because it didn't include the CD. I had attempted to reach the author and the publisher to obtain it directly, with no success. I then re-purchased the book (a new copy) directly from Amazon. It arrived today, with no CD. Page 'x' of the forward specifically indicates that there is an accompanying CD. The publisher's website even has an ISBN number for it. If it is not included with the book (the author says you need it later in the preface), then this should have been made clear, and information provided as to how to obtain it. No such information was in the book, and the publisher has yet to return anything other than an automated "received..' reply my email two weeks later. The information in the book is very good, and has prompted several ideas I'd like to explore. I would give it 5 stars, except for the problems I've described.