Applications of Musical Information: Query, Analysis, and Style Simulation (Mus 254/CS 275B)
Stanford University
Music 254/CS 275B/SSP 254 is the second quarter of a two-quarter sequence, offered yearly at Stanford University in the winter and spring. Building on an understanding of musical information (Music 253/CS 275A/SSP 253), it provides an in-depth experience in one application domain (sound, graphics, analysis).

Students are asked to identify a particular area of interest, conduct a literature review, and either develop a hands-on project or write a review article including evaluations of existing approaches and outcomes. Here is a brief description of projects done by students of Music 254 and visiting scholars in previous years of the course. Mus 254/CS 275B is designed for research principally on computational analysis applications utilizing symbolic musical data. Application areas less frequently pursued include methods of data acquisition and interchange.

The lab component of the class emphasizes the open-source Humdrum Toolkit for Music Research (also see the user guide), which runs on unix and can be downloaded without cost. Other platforms may be used for the purposes of musical display, sound output via MIDI, statistical analysis, and document preparation.

The course can be taken for 1-4 credits and auditors are welcome. The main reference for the underlying musical codes is Beyond MIDI (MIT Press, 1997).

Course Information Spring Quarter 2006
Revised: 05 April 2006