Computers Have Been Composing Since 1957

Musical composition is not exclusively human. Algorithms have been used to generate original scores for over sixty years, with the first major computer-composed piece premiering in the fifties.

Long before artificial intelligence became a household term, composers and mathematicians were already teaching machines to write melodies. In 1957, the Illiac Suite became the first significant work composed by a computer using probability rules. Today, these algorithms are so advanced that they can mimic the styles of historical masters or invent entirely new genres. It turns out that the creative process of arranging notes follows logical patterns that machines have mastered quite well.