Aesthetic considerations in algorithmic and generative composition

Models of chance operations, random equations, stochastic processes, and chaos systems have inspired composers as historical as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. As these models advance and new processes are discovered or defined, composers continue to find new inspirations for musical composition. Yet, the relative artistic merits of some of these works are limited. This paper explores the application of extra-musical processes to the sonic arts and proposes aesthetic considerations from the point of view of the artist. Musical examples demonstrate possibilities for working successfully with algorithmic and generative processes in sound, from formal decisions to synthesis.