Calder's violin

Abstract

Calder’s Violin is a compositional experiment in joining the two fields of algorithmic composition and live notation. The audio programming environment SuperCollider is used to define a series of musical functions and these functions are then distributed in time. Each musical function includes a variety of parameters allowing significant variation between evaluations and these variations represent a significant part of the compositional detail. The distribution in time is generally quite linear in this case, although there are a number of occasions in the scheduling where degrees of randomness are allowed to influence the timing and ordering of events. In addition, the functions mentioned above include code for the conversion of algorithmic data into a format suitable for its display in conventional musical notation in real-time. This means that the violinist’s part is not determined in detail until, usually, just before the moment of performance. The general style and mood of the music is, however, quite predictable. The result of this programming is, it is hoped, a balance between composed, improvised and performed electroacoustic music. Although there are very few predetermined pitches or durations, the piece has clearly recognizable musical characteristics and structures and so to that extent represents an amalgamation of different styles of and approaches to music.