Episode 167

Chapter 27, Computer Music (1971–2014). Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music 

Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes.

This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text.

The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings.

There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast.

Let’s get started with the listening guide to Chapter 27, Computer Music (1971–2014) from my book Electronic and Experimental music.

Playlist: EARLY MUSIC FROM MICROPROCESSORS

Time

Track Time

Start

Introduction –Thom Holmes

01:36

00:00

1.     David Behrman, “Figure in a Clearing” (1977). KIM- 1 computer- controlled harmonic changes for 33 electronic generators and accompanying cello.

19:10

01:40

2.     Dorothy Siegel, “Rondo from Sonata in B flat for Clarinet and Piano” (by Wanhal) (1979). Realized using an Altair S- 100 microcomputer.

03:53

20:52

3.     Larry Fast, “Artificial Intelligence” (1980). Music generated by a microcomputer self- composing program.

10:46

24:44

4.     Laurie Spiegel, “A Harmonic Algorithm” (1981). Created on an Apple II computer with Mountain Hardware oscillator boards.

03:05

35:30

5.     Nicolas Collins, “Little Spiders” (1982). For two microcomputers equipped with gestural sensing programs, that generated sounds based on analysis of keystrokes.

04:46

38:30

6.     Gordon Mumma, “Than Particle” (1985). For computer percussion and a percussionist.

10:16

43:30

7.     Morton Subotnick, “And the Butterflies Begin to Sing” (1988). For string quartet, bass, MIDI keyboard, and microcomputer.

06:38

53:50

8.     John Bischoff, Mark Trayle, Tim Perkis, “Dovetail” (1989). Three microcomputer programs interact and respond to each other in real time.

05:04

01:00:30

9.     Tim Perkis, “Wax Lips” (1992). Performed by The Hub, an electronic music ensemble networked by a Microcomputer.

04:37

01:05:32

10.   Jin Hi Kim, “Digital Buddha” (2014), recorded live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Electric komungo, Jin Hi Kim; percussion, Gerry Hemingway; MAX/MSP programming, Alex Noyes. The world’s first electric komungo that his equipped with MIDI and controlled using MAX. The komungo is a traditional 6-string instrument from Korea.

12:33

01:10:08

Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.

My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022.

See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation.

For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.

Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.