COMPUTER CREATE OPERA 

EVER SINCE COMPOSER FRANCESCO MANELLI CREATED THE FIRST OPERA -- "ANDROMEDIE" -- IN VENICE IN 1637, THE WORK OF COMPOSERS HAS BEEN LONG, FRUSTRATING AND TEDIOUS. BRAHMS, FOR EXAMPLE, SPENT 15 YEARS COMPLETING HIS FIRST SYMPHONY.

RECENTLY, A PROFOUND EXPERIENCE OF THE SECOND KIND TOUCHED OPERA. A MEETING WITH MIDI (MUSICAL INSTRUMENT DIGITAL INTERFACE) AND THOSE FROM THE WORLD OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY.

"COUNTDOWN" (PROPHETIC?) AN OPERA COMMISSIONED BY THE BOSTON LYRIC OPERA COMPANY IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN THE FIRST IN THE WORLD TO UTILIZE SUCH TECHNOLOGY, IN THIS MANNER, TO GREATLY DECREASE THE LENGTHY PERIOD OF TIME NECESSARY TO PRODUCE SUCH AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL WORK OF ART.

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS AND OPERA AMERICA AND AS PART OF A COLLABORATION WITH OPERA IN THE EIGHTIES AND BEYOND, AUTHOR CHRISTOPHER YAVELOW CONDUCTED AN INTENSIVE 12-DAY COMPOSING SESSION WITH AWARD-WINNING LIBRETTIST AND PLAYRIGHT LAURA HARRINGTON.

EACH DAY AS COMPOSER YAVELOW RECEIVED THAT DAY'S CREATIVE WORK FROM MS. HARRINGTON, HE IMMEDIATELY WENT TO WORK TO PREPARE NEW MUSIC TO MATCH HER WORDS ON HIS APPLE MACINTOSH COMPUTER. UTILIZING A TECHNIQUE KNOWN ELECTRONICALLY AS "CUT AND PASTE". THEN RUNNING THROUGH A SOFTWARE PROGRAM CALLED "PERFORMER" HE WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY MOVE OPERATIC LEITMOTIVES TO DESIRED POSITIONS FOR HIS LATEST CREATION.

WITH A SEQUENCER CONTROLLING A KURZWEIL 250 SYNTHESIZER IN A "SYMPHONY-ORCHESTRA-IN-A-BOX" CONFIGURATION IT ALLOWED THE ORCHESTRAL SCORE TO AUTOMATICALLY BE REDUCED, VIA SOFTWARE, TO PIANO TRANS- CRIPTIONS FOR REHEARSAL.

EVERY NIGHT OF THE COMPOSING SESSION COMPUTER PRINT-OUTS IN MUSICAL FORMAT WERE AUTOMATICALLY PREPARED. EACH MORNING THAT DAY'S "NEW" MUSIC WAS GIVEN TO THE SINGERS - WITH ORCHESTRAL TAPES PREPARED BY THE KURZWEIL SYNTHESIZER AS ACCOMPANYMENT.

WITHIN THE TEST TIME PERIOD THE PIECE WAS COMPLETED, FULLY REHEASED AND PERFORMED BY THE BOSTON LYRIC OPERA COMPANY. NOT ALONE, BUT MACINTOSH COMPUTER ACCOMPANIED IN REAL TIME WHICH DIRECTED THE FULL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SCORE, EVEN THROUGH ACCELERANDOS, ROLLENT- ANDOS AND CHANGING TEMPOS !

FOR THOSE WHO VIEW SUCH DEVELOPMENTS WITH SUSPICION I WOULD POINT OUT THAT THE FORM OF THE COMPUTER CHIP IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE PRECISE GEOMETRY OF THE MIRABELL GARDENS IN SALZBURG, AUSTRIA, HOME OF MOZART. IS SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE BEYOND OUR PRESENT KNOWLEDGE?

AS CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS WORLD-WIDE SEACH FOR NEW METHODS TO CURTAIL RISING BUDGETARY DEFICITS THIS INNOVATION MAY PROVE TO BE ONE METHOD OF TACKLING SERIOUS FINANCIAL PROBLEMS.

ACCORDING TO COMPOSER YAVELOW, WITHOUT THE MAC (MACINTOSH COMPUTER), A WHOLE ACT WOULD USUALLY TAKE SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR TO PREPARE.

MUSIC LOVERS WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD!

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