There's been several attempts at this. I studied artificial intelligence at university(it is a daft term LOL, after all, what's intelligence?) and had the post office done it's job and got a letter to me, would have secured funding to study the subject of artificial intelligence and music at post-graduate level, with full funding at York University.

During my interview at York they took me on a tour of the music technology department and they too were working on software that would emulate the music of Bach in a similar way. Identifying harmony, phrasing, sequences and other patterns that the software could identify. In some case quite easy, as indeed many of Bach's compositions were formulaic, in so much that they were studies of a particular form. But not the same applies to St Matthews Passion I don't think.

The same applies to Mozart, in fact I think I have come across the term 'The Mozart Cadence' and it is said Salieri completed Mozart's Requiem.

In the case of the software I heard at York, yes it performed quite convincingly, but lacked the X-Factor, those idiosyncracies that made the music novel and not mechanical. Even with pop music, seemingly relatively mundane when considering harmonic/melodic/rhythmic/lyrical structure, still results in appealing and notable music. Although formulaic, I don't think there is a machine yet where we can turn the handle and out pops a hit.

The letter confirming the offer and funding at York was sent to the wrong address and I never received it until many months later when the moment had passed, and I still rue the day when I missed out on the opportunity to play with all that fantastic equipment they had in the studios at York, and get paid for it! Ho Hum

BTW - reminds me of a joke regarding the word 'handle'

Apparently there was once some graffiti in the toilets at the Royal Northern College of Music, where on the WC the handle was loose, it said..."When using the crapper, don't forget to wiggle the Handel" and beneath it someone added,...."If I don't, will it wiggle Bach?"

I need to get out more don't I LOL

www.myspace.com/mikespost

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