Networked Computer Music

Abstract

This dissertation is an overview and introduction to music made with computers over local area networks (LANs). By summarizing the historical context and some of the current state of the art, this dissertation culminates in some very broad compositional introspection and aesthetic theorizing.

Chapter 1 contextualizes networked music in terms of its history, materials, and recent practice. The “materials” in this case are simply people, computers, and modes of connection (between people, between computers, and between people and computers): what do people and computers each bring to the table, musically speaking, and what added dimensions does networking add? The chapter complements these large-scale considerations by zooming in to take a close look at some recent repertoire.

Chapter 2 is a detour into the background logistics of networked music: it looks at the technical challenges inherent in networked music, followed by considering some of the software utilities that different individuals and ensembles have created to address them. This chapter ends by presenting LANdini, which is my own contribution to the field, providing some background into the motivations for writing it and the strategies adopted in designing it.

Chapter 3 looks to the future through the lens of composing. Picking up where Chapter 1 left off, this chapter offers some thoughts on networks as they relate to player and audience experience, and elaborates on how creative thinking about network flow can help to support positive experiences for both parties. This chapter explores diagramming network topologies as a creative pre-compositional tool, and ends with zooming out to large-scale questions about the artistic possibilities, perils, and even the point of networked computer music.