Last summer during registration I decided to enroll myself in a "discovery" class with a very interesting title: Music, Science, and Technology. The relationship between music and technology/electronics is easily seen in our modern western culture. They share much common ground and the products of the two are some of the most beautiful things that I have heard so I was eager to enroll in it and it hasn't let me down.
The class covered a wide aspect of topics: the history of computer music, fundamental ideas in computer music and recording, sound synthesis using computers etc. This all sounds very exciting and cutting edge but in my opinion, the most interesting part of the course came up when we were actually listening to some of the final works of music which were made with these 20th+ century techniques. The immediate question that confronted me when listening to some of these strange compositions was: can I call this music? Do I even find it aesthetically pleasing? Even if I don't, is there an objective answer that defines what music is?
The final part of the class was learning to use an online software, soundmaker, that was develop here at UIUC and make a common composition together as a class.
It sounds like a hell of a mess, and it is. Yet the questions still arise.
Our professor posted it online:
http://ems.music.uiuc.edu/courses/tipei/M199/final09.wav
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