03.Jan.2024
Mastodon
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Recovered: Early music programs "Computer Composer" and "Magic Harp"
Josh Renaud's blog about BBS history, retro computing and technology reminiscences also manages a curated collection of software believed to be lost by Israeli cartoonist Yaakov Kirschen. The collection comprises ten games, demos and experiments on artificial personality and artificial creativity, which also includes the two music programs "Computer Composer" (1986) and "Magic Harp" (1986/87) for the Amiga.
Perhaps Kirschen's most ambitious idea was to make software that could generate music autonomously using "artificial creativity". Early versions of the project, called "Magic Harp", were developed for the Amiga 1000, using digital sound samples. The Amiga software was never published commercially, but was profiled in several large newspapers in 1988 under the name "JFY Box" or "Jiffy Box" after it was used to score a BBC TV documentary.
"Computer Composer" (demo version) is a colorful early demo of Kirschen's process to generate new music by recombining patterns extracted from existing music. Unlike the later "Magic Harp", which featured large (silent) animated "artificial personalities", this demo uses speech synthesis to announce when it is "writing an original composition". It was probably intended to be shown by Kirschen at technology and music trade shows in summer 1986. This software was created on an Amiga 1000.
This demo allows the user to create or play music in four styles: "Maharishi Madness", "Saxman Rock", "Peruvian Indian" and "Bugle Boy Blues".
In "Magic Harp" Kirschen arranged the production of two themed music discs ("Pop" and "Baroque") with Irving Gould, which were to be included with the Amiga 1000. Only a beta version of the Baroque version has survived. (dr)
[News message: 03. Jan. 2024, 11:10] [Comments: 0]
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