Real time transformation of musical material with fractal algorithms

This paper is a chronicle of the composition of four pieces during the period 1988–1993: These works are part of ongoing research in the application of fractal models to the composition of musical form and structure. A method used in several of the pieces is the recursive subdivision of time, pitch, and amplitude intervals with a fractal algorithm that automatically generates an accompaniment from notes played on an electronic wind instrument (the “MIDI Horn”). In other works, a symbolic replacement grammar (Lindenmayer Systems) was used to create the formal structure of the solo parts in works for solo flute, violin and MIDI Horn. The models and methods are discussed from both technical and esthetic viewpoints with some speculation about future directions for research.