Les Unites
Semiotiques Temporelles
Nouvelles cles pour lecoute
(Outil danalyse musicale)
CD ROM by MIM (Laboratoire
Musique Informatique de Marseille)
Marseille, 2003, ISBN 2-9506677-4-0
CD ROM, comes with a
color informational insert
Reviewed by Chris Cobb
ccobbsf@hotmail.com
You cant help but learn something
new every time you use this fascinating
CD Rom by MIM. It offers historical background,
composer biographies, sample analyses and
multiple ways to examine musical compositions.
Rather than being just
a tutorial or a manual, Nouvelles cles
pour lecoute (New Tools for
Listening) also addresses issues of nuance
and philosophy in music.
Whether you are a composer, a musician or
are simply curious about how music is created,
Nouvelles cles pour lecoute
will hold your interest. Young people and
students will benefit from its intuitive
and easy to use interface. There are games,
puzzles and text that illuminate various
musical terms. In fact, the more technical/philosophical
concepts such as "Trajectoire inexorable"
(relentless trajectory) and "Lourdeur" (heaviness)
are explained in a section that presents
a context for numerous ideas. It is a pleasure
to see some of the more esoteric and philosophical
aspects of music placed alongside the technical.
One great strength is the section with links
that allow you to find more information
outside of the CD. With Nouvelles cles
pour lecoute, its encylopedic
nature makes this a great resource that
would be a good addition to any library.
My favorite part is when a cursor floats
over the written score of Debussys
"La Terrasse de audiences du Claire de lune."
You can see and hear the score as
it is played. I like the feeling of insight
this gives me. Whats more is that
upon seeing a direct relationship between
the written score and the music I feel closer
to the composers ideas. I can imagine
how Debussy must have changed notes to get
it just the way he wanted. After all, I
can see it right there in front of me. There
is something reassuring in the knowledge
that every written note has a corresponding
sound. But thats not all - the same
thing is done with an anonymous Gregorian
chant from the 12 th century (Alleluia
non vos relinquam), and music by Dutilleux
and Reibel. Each section contains hyperlinks
and is extensively cross-referenced. More
than 76 musical topics are examined.
MIM promotes music education and has sponsored
conferences on various subjects. This will
work on any computer with a processor that
runs at 200mz or higher.
Check out MIM activities and events at their
website: http://www.labo-mim.org