polyphony occurs when several meters are played simultaneously

In this article I use the word time as a shorthand to refer to ways of measuring sequences of events.

In this article I summarize some obvious musical implications of polytemporality, and I will show some basic examples of its implementation in computer music.

Computers now offer unprecedented flexibility and accuracy for the composition and performance of music involving adventurous exploration of multiple time streams-polyrhythms, metric modulations, multiple tempi, and precisely calculated independent continuous tempo changes (accelerandi and decelerandi)-yet the methodology of composing with these techniques has not been very extensively documented or theorized.

His painstaking work with mechanized pianos was an important precursor to computerized musical performance with Music N scores and MIDI sequences, and it demonstrated the conceptual and practical potential of polytemporal music. Nancarrow's body of compositions for player piano is the most concentrated exploration of polytemporal music - music that proceeds with multiple independent beat rates. Octois the centenary of the birth of American-Mexican composer Conlon Nancarrow. The article includes a brief summary of some important precedents in pre-computerized music, a look at some implementations of polytemporality in computer music, and some suggested techniques for designing and manipulating multiple time streams in computer music composition. This article addresses some important musical and technical issues encountered in music with multiple simultaneous tempi, including music with independently fluctuating tempi. Techniques for Polytemporal Composition Techniques for Polytemporal Composition Christopher Dobrianĭepartment of Music, University of California, Irvine, of Korean Electro-Acoustic Music Society's 2012 Annual Conference (KEAMSAC2012)ĭigital computers offer unprecedented flexibility and accuracy for the composition and performance of polytemporal music involving multiple time streams: polyrhythms, metric modulations, multiple tempi, and precisely calculated independent continuous tempo changes (accelerandi and decelerandi).

Polyphony occurs when several meters are played simultaneously