Computer Music Analysis and Review

Contributed by Professor Howard Fredrics
Department of Music

Technical

Sound Materials - how are the sounds made? Electronic? Concrete?
Techniques -- what specific techniques are used in the piece? These may include: types of tape manipulation (speed change, splicing, backwards, etc.), synthesis techniques (additive, subtractive, FM, waveshaping), signal processing (filtering, flanging, reverberation, spatial location), MIDI/Analog sequencing, etc.
What equipment was used?
Where was the piece made, what studio/city? (might relate to influence - see below)

Composer/Composition Background

Composer (s) - Name, nationality, background, influences, general philosophy of music, ideas about this particular piece (from program notes, conversations or record notes)
Composition History - composed for a particular performer? First premiere, commission, collaboration, for radio? Film? Concert? To be performed live? Tape only? Performer with tape? Synthesizer band?

Analysis

Essence of the piece -- what is it ABOUT??? -- Mood, story, basic poetic/musical ideas.
Aesthetic or genre (not always an easy label) - musique concrete, rap fusion, post-Webern, post-modern, minimalist, etc.
Overall form, length -- What changes? When does it change? How much does it change? How is it organized? Sections (how articulated?), Continuous?, Transitions? How does time pass (Clock time vs psychological time)
Compositional processes -- how do they relate to the technology?
Musical details: tempo, harmony, melody, rhythm, timbre, texture, register, dynamics, phrasing, articulation, etc.
How does the technology influence/create the music?

Opinion