Computer Music Journal, Vol. 26, Number 4, Language Inventors on the Future of Music Software

MIT Press, Berkeley, CA, 2002
128 pp., illus. b/w, $30.00.
ISSN: 0148-9267.

Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen,
Hogeschool Gent,
Jan Delvinlaan 115, 9000 Gent, Belgium

stefaan.vanryssen@pandora.be

This issue of Computer Music Journal covers a symposium entitled "The Future of Music Software", held in Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA in October 2001. The main idea of the conference was that successful programs or music software languages can provide lessons about the criteria for the development of future software. Accordingly, some of the most illustrious names in the history of computer music were invited and agreed to speak at the conference. They include, in historical order, Max Mathews, the pioneer of digital sound synthesis for music and the originator of Music V, Gareth Loy, key contributor to the CARL software from the University of California, San Diego, Barry Vercoe, developer of Csound, the most widely promulgated language from the Music N family, Miller Pluckette, creator of Max, the graphical patching environment for real-time applications, David Zicarelli, developer of the commercial version of Max and its audio offshoot MSP, and James McCartney, author of the OO synthesis language SuperCollider.

The six of them participated in a panel discussion on the future of Computer Music Software, an edited transcription of which is included in the journal. Five of them all except Max Mathews) also presented their personal views, and these presentations are included as well. There are some very interesting lessons about the influence of technological advances on music and about the impact of the languages on the music itself to be learned from their stories. Along the way, they also discuss intellectual property and the processes involved in developing software.

This issue of CMJ comes with a CD curated by James Harley and dedicated to the memory of Iannis Xenakis, one of the most outstanding figures in Twentieth Century music and probably one of the most influential composers of computer music. CMJ devoted an entire issue to Xenakis in Spring 2002 (Vol. 26: 1) and this collection illustrates the enormous impact he has made on several composers of later generations. There is music by Cort Lippe (Music for Bass Clarinet and Tape — here of course performed by Harry Sparnaay), James Harley (Per Foramen Acus Transire), Richard Barrett (The Unthinkable), Agostino Di Scipio (Natura Allo Specchio), Gerard Pape (Le fleuve du Desir VI) and Paul Steenhuisen (Pomme de Terre). The music and the composers are expertly introduced by James Harley, who does a fine job in guiding the ear to some insight (!) in what the music is all about. The pieces and the accompanying information are worthwhile even for readers who have no access to the original Journal.

Also on the CD are some sound examples to accompany the articles 'An Acoustical Analysis of Col Legno Articulation in Iannis Xenakis's Nomos Alpha' by Evan Jones (Vol. 26: 1) and 'FMOL: Toward User-Friendly, Sophisticated New Musical Instruments' by Sergi Jordà (Vol 26: 3).

In the Review section of this issue are articles about events, publications, recordings and products. A short review of Fred Lerdahl's Tonal Pitch Space, by Bruce Quaglia, attracted my attention, together with a review of Bill Alves' The Terrain of Possibilities.