COMPUTER COMPOSITION OF MUSIC: THE LEGACY OF LEJAREN HILLER.
James Bohn, Experimental Music Studio, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801 (jbohn@ux7.cso.uiuc.edu)

Computer-assisted composition entails the encoding of rules into a computer and the subsequent composition of a piece of music based upon output from the encoded program. There are two general paradigms in this musical discipline. One approach uses a computer to simulate the thought processes of an extrapolated composer. A contrasting method is the appropriation of models from fields other than music (e.g., information theory, genetics, or chaos theory). Hiller used both approaches to computer-assisted composition throughout his career, often within the same piece of music. The most prevalent technique utilized in Hiller's computer music is the application of stochastic distributions, also called Markov chains, transition tables, or controlled random walks. This approach entails the making of a decision based upon previous choices. Hiller was first exposed to this approach in his chemistry research involving statistical computation of the dimensions of idealized polymer molecules in solution. Its power and flexibility has made this technique the most common approach to computer-assisted composition.

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