Xenakis and math

[contrapunctus]

All I know about Xenakis is that he was a Greek mathematician and architect. He used mathematical principles in his compositions and his building plans. I would like to know how he did that and what kind of music forms when using math to write it. I don't see how it could produce any kind of melody, harmony, or stay inside the boundaries of tonality or serialism. Could someone be kind enough to post a clip of one of his peices, of which Metastasis is one of the most famous, I think. Could someone also provide me more information on him, as I don't usually listen to the avant-garde that much. Thankyou.

[panic]

I am probably ignorant, but Xenakis comes across to me as a brilliant and excellent explorer of what is basically a dead end in music. His music has much value, but to me there is no advantage in putting scientific formulas and the like into music other than creating an interesting curiosity, because it does not sound like much of anything in musical form, and certainly little of significance. I am convinced that Xenakis was a brilliant guy, but he walked a tricky and unstable path in music (the incorporation of math and science) and one that I believe will peter out within the next few decades because it simply does not produce coherent music. Therefore he is just another composer, another thread in the fabric of music history for me.

[arch0wl]

There are many ways of emphasizing mathematics and science in music, but I don't think Xenakis did it in a way that people can appreciate. The closest I have seen any sort of musician come to using math is the rock band Spiral Architect, I don't know of any composers who focus so strictly on the technical elements as they do, but then again, I know more about bands than I do about composers.

I haven't heard much of Xenakis, but when I heard "concrete pH" it sounded like.. many rats in a large, glass box.

[I Love Xenakis]

All I know about Xenakis is that he was a Greek mathematician and architect. He used mathematical principles in his compositions and his building plans. I would like to know how he did that and what kind of music forms when using math to write it. I don't see how it could produce any kind of melody, harmony, or stay inside the boundaries of tonality or serialism. Could someone be kind enough to post a clip of one of his peices, of which Metastasis is one of the most famous, I think. Could someone also provide me more information on him, as I don't usually listen to the avant-garde that much. Thankyou.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=iannis+xenakis&btnG=Google+Search



ooooh so tough.

[BoliverAllmon]

google is the answer for everything.