Back Seminar by John Chowning on his computer music works

Seminar by John Chowning on his computer music works

08.06.2015

 

15 Jun 2015

John Chowning, father of FM synthesis and Computer Music Pioneer, will give a talk on "Composing music from the inside-out" on Monday June 15th at 15:00h in the Auditorium of the Communication Campus of the UPF. He will also participate in a round table on June 16th at 18:30h at the Barcelona Music Museum where his piece "Voices" will also be performed.
 
 
Lecture abstract: A lecture/demonstration showing how the capacity of computer systems 50 years ago limited composers/researchers to only one of the sound generating processes that are available today: synthesis.   But, we learned much about the perception of sound as we wrapped our aural skills around the technology and discovered how to create music from fundamental units. Using sound synchronous animated slides, I will demonstrate how my earliest work in spatialization led to the discovery of FM synthesis in 1967.  Their development gave rise to perceptual insights that led to the synthesis of the singing voice on which both Phonē (1981) and Voices (2011) depend.  Beginning with Stria (1977), the scale (pitch space) and the inharmonic timbres (spectral space) are rooted in the Golden Ratio.  On these underpinnings I composed my music—based on what was known and what we learned about perception—from the inside-out. With the participation of Maureen Chowning, the presentation will conclude with a demonstration of the workings of the MaxMSP patch complex that accompanies the solo soprano in Voices—“hands free.”
 
Biography: Chowning is professor emeritus at Stanford University and founding director of the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). One of the great pioneers of computer music, he was among the first to realize the tremendous musical possibilities of the digital computer. His discovery of the FM synthesis algorithm in 1967 was licensed to Yamaha and popularized in the most successful synthesis engine in the history of electronic instruments, enabling precise control over new realms of sonic possibilities. Chowning’s innovations also extend into sound spatialization and musical temperament.
 
 

Chowning's wikipedia entry

Multimedia

Categories:

SDG - Sustainable Development Goals:

Els ODS a la UPF

Contact