An Interactive Aural Approach to the Analysis of Computer Music

Computer music presents particular challenges for the analyst. This paper discusses the approach taken by the author to tackle these issues in analysing Jonathan Harvey’s work Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco [2]. The focus of the paper is not the analysis itself but the problems posed for the analyst by such a work and the methods used to try and resolve them. It describes a number of different techniques that were used, both in the making of the analysis and in its presentation. In particular it focuses on the interactive aural approach developed for this analysis using specially designed software and discusses its potential for wider application.