Computer-Assisted Composition

There is a long history of music composers using formal processes in the creation of musical works, which can be heard in note sequence, rhythm / beat, or longer-term motivic structural patterns. Computers have enabled music makers to explore new levels of automation in the composition process, both to create new works and also to explore the reproduction of music in various styles. A Brief History of Algorithmic Composition provides a good historical overview of formal processes used in music, with and without computers. Computer-Assisted Composition Today by Gérard Assayag focuses on more recent practices with computers.