Algorithmic notation: scores and timelines

Computer code is a form of notational language. It prescribes actions to be carried out by the computer, often by systems called interpreters. When code is used to write music, we are therefore operating with programming language as a relatively new form of musical notation. Music is a time-based art form and the traditional musical score is a linear chronograph with instructions for an interpreter. Here code and traditional notation are somewhat at odds, since code is written as text, without a representational timeline. In short: code does not come with a timeline but is rather the material used for building timelines. In this keynote, Thor Magnusson explores the context of creating linear “code scores” in the area of musical notation. He presents the Threnoscope as an example of a system that implements both representational notation and a prescriptive code score.