LEJAREN A. HILLER, JR. (1924-94): COMPUTERS, CHEMISTRY, AND MUSIC.
Carl C. Wamser and Christian A. Wamser, Department of Chemistry, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97207-0751 (WamserC@pdx.edu)

Lejaren Hiller was trained in chemistry but maintained a lifelong love of music. Like Alexander Borodin, the Russian chemist-composer, Hiller attempted to maintain professional careers in both music and chemistry, but eventually dedicated his career solely to music. His early work on the chemistry of polymers with Fred Wall at the University of Illinois introduced him to the ILLIAC computer, with which he did Monte Carlo calculations of polymer conformations. He collaborated with Leonard Isaacson, a graduate student also associated with the Wall group, to teach the ILLIAC to compose music, using simple rules to define what constituted acceptable music. Their String Quartet #4, produced in 1957, is often called the ILLIAC Suite, and it is generally acknowledged as the first piece of music composed by a computer. This symposium will trace the evolution of both computer chemistry and computer music and attempt to illustrate interesting and thought-provoking comparisons.

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