Reviews: Publications - "The Algorithmic Composer," by David Cope | CU Experts

Comments on David Cope's newest book, the third installment of a trilogy, of which "Computers and Musical Style" (1991) and "Experiments in Musical Intelligence" (1996) comprise the first two volumes (A-R Editions Inc., 2000, 302p). Indicates that whereas the objective of the first two books is the use of "recombinancy" to create entire compositions in the style of the works in the database, "The Algorithmic Composer" has a somewhat different orientation. Reports that the software program described within - ALICE (Algorithmically Integrated Composing Environment) - is intended to function as a collaborative, interactive creative assistant, rather than as an independent virtual composer. Suggests that the book is guaranteed to be fascinating reading for anyone who has ever given serious thought to the problem of teaching computers how to think about music, or to anyone interested in the attempt to precisely describe musical style.

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