COG 316 - Cognitive Musicology

This course centers on computer models of music and the musical mind which are based on theories drawn from the field of Cognitive Science. The course features musically oriented “generative symbol systems” housed in a language called Clay that is accessible on the Web. These systems serve to express assorted musicological theories in computer executable form. Thus, they serve as laboratories in which to conduct a wide variety of investigations within the realm of music cognition. The course also features the modeling of musical objects and processes in CLOS (Common Lisp with Objects). CLOS is a very popular medium for expressing cognitive musicological theories. A wealth of ideas will be explored within the context of CLOS, including the application of genetic algorithm and genetic programming techniques to evolutionary composition and theories of improvisation. Two CLOS packages, CMN (Common Music Notation) and CLM (Common Lisp Music) enable scoring and playing compositions, including experiment driven compositional fragments.

Prerequisite: COG 166 OR CSC 212 OR COG 212
When Offered: Not on a regular basis
Credit: 3