Generative Music Using Reactive Programming

Generative music, i.e., music produced using algorithms or assisted by algorithms, can be created using may different techniques and even methodologies. It can be generated from grammatical representations, using probabilistic algorithms, neural networks, rule-based systems, constraint programming, etc. In our work, we are interested in a new technique that combines complex combination of basic musical elements with stochastic phenomena, and that is made possible by the use of synchronous reactive programming. We have based our work on the HipHop.js programming language that allows composers to create music programs and that produces satisfying and unexpected musical results. In this paper, we present this new way of composing music and we comment some concrete realizations.