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Utilizing Computer Programming to Analyze Post-Tonal Music: Contour Analysis of Four Works for Solo Flute

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Mathematics and Computation in Music (MCM 2015)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 9110))

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Abstract

A computer application was written to complete the task of contour reduction. The application was used to complete analyses of twentieth-century post-tonal works for solo flute. The methodology of Rob Schultz’s Contour Reduction Algorithm was chosen for implementation. While contour reduction is a useful analytical tool, it is a meticulous and time-consuming process. Computer implementation of this procedure produces quick and accurate results while reducing analyst fatigue and human error. Java computer programming language is used to create a contour reduction application. This implementation greatly reduces the time needed to analyze a melody. Computer programming is combined with music analysis to produce informed and expressive musical interpretations.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For a complete discussion on the history of contour analysis, see [1].

  2. 2.

    Version 1.0 www.link.cs.cmu.edu/music-analysis/ Version 2.0 http://theory.esm.rochester.edu/temperley/melisma2/.

  3. 3.

    http://www.rubato.org/.

  4. 4.

    http://www.hud.ac.uk/tonalities/.

  5. 5.

    http://camil.music.illinois.edu/software/harmonia/.

  6. 6.

    http://web.mit.edu/music21/.

  7. 7.

    http://visimus.com.

  8. 8.

    For a complete discussion of pitch-class sets, see [9].

  9. 9.

    For a complete discussion of the form of Mei, see [1].

  10. 10.

    It is worth noting that of the possible LCPs, these analyses contain predominantly LCPs \(<\)0 1\(>\), \(<\)0 2 1\(>\), \(<\)1 0 3 2\(>\), and \(<\)1 3 0 2\(>\). The nature of these LCPs only allows for one transformation, generally the retrograde, to be created from the prime. The exception is LCP \(<\)0 2 1\(>\), for which a prime, retrograde, inversion, and retrograde inversion can exist.

  11. 11.

    Change in predominant diachronic LCP demarcates formal divisions of the work. For space limitations, the discussion of form is limited here. See [1].

  12. 12.

    Segmentation of this work refers to the segmentation process developed by James Tenney and Larry Polansky, see [14].

  13. 13.

    For a complete discussion of the form of Itinerant, see [1].

  14. 14.

    Roger Graybill uses the term “gesture” to describe a grouping structure with a distinguishing internal dynamic shape [16].

  15. 15.

    For the complete analytical discussion of Air, see [1].

References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, 1727 West Alabama Avenue, Chickasha, OK, USA

    Kate Sekula

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  1. Kate Sekula
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Correspondence to Kate Sekula .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom

    Tom Collins

  2. Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    David Meredith

  3. Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Anja Volk

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Sekula, K. (2015). Utilizing Computer Programming to Analyze Post-Tonal Music: Contour Analysis of Four Works for Solo Flute. In: Collins, T., Meredith, D., Volk, A. (eds) Mathematics and Computation in Music. MCM 2015. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 9110. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20603-5_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20603-5_23

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-20602-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-20603-5

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