An Art to the Intention of Chance

Moving into the era of Web 3.0, the culture and content of our online experiences are constantly evolving. As a result of this evolution, generative visual art and generative music have begun to bloom more publicly. Through the use of algorithms, automation, and a guiding human hand, generative art allows for an ever-changing and unique experience with every iteration. On the cusp of this new Age of Web 3.0, genart and generative music are already becoming an integral part of the online experience, but we can trace early precedents for generative music as far back as the late 1400s.

Six-Sided History

Generative systems employ aleatoric techniques to produce a form of music that embraces randomness and chance as an inherent part of the creative process. In generative works, the composer intentionally introduces these elements of chance compositions, allowing the performers or listeners to determine certain aspects and properties of the music. Composition, in this respect, perhaps pertains to the generative system’s limitations and parameters, rather than the musical content itself.

Elements of chance music exist in works as early as the late 15th century, as seen in composer Johannes Ockeghem’s Missa Cuiusvis Toni (“Mass In Any Mode"), which contains the possibility of performance in the Phrygian, Dorian, Lydian, and Mixolydian musical modes. This sets a precedent of composing for a future performance in which the author may not know the exact outcome of their own work. Ockeghem’s piece allowed for a potentially infinite number of variations and his approach to composition shares DNA with future generative works that employ their own algorithms to produce music. Missa Cuiusvis Toni can be seen as a planted seed for a future of music rooted in chance, as it embraces the idea of indeterminacy to create a unique experience that can change with each exhibition.

In later years, composers used literal dice games (Musikalisches Würfelspiel) that became popular in the 18th century in Western Europe to generate music by way of chance. Some of these compositions took on apt names of brief descriptions of their rulesets, such as A table for composing minuets and trios to infinity, by playing with two dice by Maximilian Stadler or C.P.E. Bach’s A method for making six bars of double counterpoint at the octave without knowing the rules.

Even French conceptual artist Marcel Duchamp, who is most known for his dadaist sculptures and radical visual art, composed Erratum Musical, which was published in the early 1930s. The composition was written for a trio of voices with no indication on how the vocal arrangements should be performed. Experimental composer and musical theorist, John Cage asked Duchamp upon a later meeting, "How is it that you used chance operations when I was just being born?”

Music of Changes

In the 20th century, composers like John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen began to experiment with new forms of composition that embraced indeterminacy. Cage, in particular, was interested in using chance operations to create music that was free from the composer's ego and intention, instead allowing the natural sounds of the world to shape the music. One of Cage's most famous works, 4'33", a piece in which the performers sit silently on stage for four minutes and 33 seconds, allows the sounds of the environment to literally become the music. This work exemplifies the aleatoric philosophy of embracing chance in the creative process while also pushing the boundaries of what we think of as music.

Stockhausen, on the other hand, was interested in creating music that was not based on traditional musical forms, but rather on mathematical formulas and algorithms, perhaps bending the needle even further towards modern-day generative technique. This is evident in work such as Kontakte, which uses electronic sounds to create a complex and evolving soundscape unbound by traditional musical structure.

A Taste For Chaos

At every turn in the history of generative music, composers use variations on aleatoric techniques to introduce chance into their authorship. These labyrinths through which the composers create their music have to themselves be defined and refined by the composers’ own taste. By this virtue, listeners of generative music need to trust the musical taste of the composer just as much as their technical and musical abilities. This is why the curation process of any generative work is crucial to the work’s potential for success. The observer must trust the taste of the creator as a curator to show them infinite iterations and expect little disappointment.

Aleatoric music clearly poses some challenges. It is a Herculean task to take the reins of spontaneity, as it can be difficult to balance the elements of chance with pure intent. Collaborative, performed aleatoric music may also pose challenges for performers to interpret and execute, as they may not have a set score to follow — or perhaps worse for the unsuspecting sight-reader: a graphic score with music written in artistic, non-standard, visual representations.

Despite these types of challenges, aleatoric music continues to be an important form of generative art. Its emphasis on chance and indeterminacy inspires a search for new creative directions and pushes the boundaries of what is possible in musical composition.

Natural Generation

While the generation of Art within these systems may feel organic to the observer, there are also music generators that harness truly organic, natural elements as their sound sources. The Sea Organ in Zadar, Croatia uses the movement of waves to create an ever-changing soundscape. The Wind Organ in the Netherlands uses the movement of wind through pipes to create a musical sound. Wind chimes are also a popular example of simple, natural music generators, which may validate a question of long-forgotten artisans’ status as generative composers themselves.

In modern use, Giorgio Sancristoforo's Tableau is a generative LP that utilizes data from weather patterns to create a series of unique soundscapes. The project was developed using a Raspberry Pi and a Sense HAT, which allowed Sancristoforo to collect weather data and translate that data into musical parameters. The result is a series of evolving compositions that reflect the changing patterns of the weather. Tableau illustrates the potential for generative music to create unique and immersive experiences for listeners. By using natural elements, Sancristoforo invites us to connect with our environment in a new way, using technology to translate the patterns of the natural world into a sonic experience that is both meditative and constantly modulated.

Electronic Music, Modular Synthesizers, and Generative Music

Around the 1960s, musicians started to find more interest in electronic musical instruments that allowed users to create unique sounds by connecting and rewiring the instruments’ circuits externally via patch cables. Though they may have the appearance of a telephone switchboard, these instruments, modular synthesizers, still today lend themselves to the creation of generative music, as the user is able to create patches to produce self-generated music without further direct human intervention.

It’s difficult to discuss generative music without the name of Brian Eno. In coining the term, Eno may be one of the most publicly-recognized proponents of this music of systems. Beginning with Discreet Music, Eno’s career has contributed to the education and advancement of generative music as a genre as well as an artform. In his works, Eno attributes some of his own acknowledgements to French composer Erik Satie and his thoughts on musique d’ameublement (“music for furnishing”). Satie’s influence also had a profound effect on John Cage as the composer formulated his own theses about minimalist music.

Generative Music in Art Curation

Generative music has become increasingly popular in art curation in recent years. Gallery curators are using generative music to create unique and immersive experiences for visitors. The use of generative music in art curation allows for a more interactive and engaging experience, as visitors are able to move through the space while being surrounded by an ever-changing soundscape. This composition for space also bears striking similarity to the philosophies of the Japanese musical movement, kankyō ongaku — “environment music” — likely pulling some influences from ambient artists like Hiroshi Yoshimura.

As generative music continues to evolve to change by and for its own environment, the processes of the art may look or sound different, but the root is the same — the pull of chance, the beauty of chaos, and the weight of the unknown, untethered. With the rise of AI and machine learning, there is great potential for generative music to become a widely-used form of music creation and for others to see the artistry in the elegant balance of controlled chaos. While some critics argue that the use of algorithms and automation takes away from the creativity and individuality of human expression in music, there are still those that understand the unique sublimity of art by system, code on canvas.