CESEM – FCSH: NOVA University

Computer-assisted harmony in practice

While composing the piece Equilíbrio (2017), several sonorities were created through computer-assisted composition (CAC) techniques. Random procedures produced a series of chords which were cherry-picked on the basis of their overall sonic impact.
Subsequent analysis and classification seemed to point to a novel way of systematizing chord characteristics: anatomical features, blend ability, along with the superimposition of different, individualized, sonic properties, could hypothetically help build a novel way of rationalizing atonal harmony and timbre. The practice-based compositional processes carried out while completing the musical work will be analysed, along with a proposed draft chord/sonority classification based on both structural and aural characteristics.

Keywords: harmony, computer-assisted composition, sonority, terminology, classification

Biography

Gonçalo Gato was born in 1979 in Lisbon, Portugal. His works have been performed in the UK, Germany, France, Portugal and Brazil. He is the 2018 Young Composer in Residence at Casa da Música, Portugal. As a composer, Gonçalo has worked with some of UK’s foremost orchestras: the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Britten Sinfonia. He has also worked with distinguished ensembles such as Ensemble Recherche (Germany), Chroma Ensemble (UK), and Sond’Ar-te Electric Ensemble (Portugal).
As a composer-researcher, Gonçalo has been most active in the field of computer-assisted composition. He recently finished his doctoral degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the supervision of Julian Anderson, researching how the use of computerised processes affects compositional decision-making. This research led to the publication of a chapter in the OM Composer’s Book 3 (2016), published by IRCAM.