Quasiperiodic Music

TL;DR

This paper introduces the concept of quasiperiodic music, detailing its composition process and exploring its connections to various musical theories and compositions that utilize aperiodic or large-period periodic structures.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed methodology for composing quasiperiodic music and links it to existing musical theories involving aperiodic and large-period periodicity.

Findings

Composition process for quasiperiodic music detailed

Connections made to existing musical theories and works

Introduction of a new musical concept

Abstract

Using the definition of quasiperiodic function as a motivation, we introduce the idea of quasiperiodic music and detail the composition process of a quasiperiodic music piece, Raindrops in A minor. We also discuss connections between quasiperiodic music and other works of music theory and composition that make use of aperiodic order or periodic order with large periods, such as Lindenmayer systems, Vuza canons, Messiaen's Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps, and the phase music of Steve Reich.