Sounds, agents, works and listeners; A model of computer music performance

This article places computer music directly into Stan Godlovitch's Model of Musical Performance; an idealized conception of musical performance based on four fundamental constituents: sounds, agents, works and listeners. Godlovitch's model was originally intended to promote the unique value (Godlovitch 1998: 4) of scored instrumental music; as a result, one is not surprised to find computer music excluded on the grounds that it is not performed; it is played back (Godlovitch 1998: 100). Following a brief introduction to the Godlovitch model, this claim is rejected; performance is central to the computer music tradition and aesthetic, a fact that is frequently overlooked by those unfamiliar with the genre. In order to prove this point, a model of computer music performance is presented and defended; this may be seen as a direct challenge to Godlovitch's central thesis. However, it also represents a genuine attempt to align computer music with the performing arts and, in doing so, provide a framework through which the performance of such music can be accurately located and discussed.