Software Tools for Composers

This page is where I intend to post software tools for composers of modern music. Note that I haven’t done much in the last 10 years, but all hope is not lost! I hope to return to programming for music at some point.

Tools for Composing with Twelve Tone Rows

NOTE: The on-line version of these tools is no longer supported.

It used a very old version of JavaScript and they no longer seem to work reliably. I may update it in the future and republish.

In the mean time, you can download the old version (with all of the JavaScript source code) from here:

Click here for a stand-alone version of these JavaScript tools.

Caveat emptor – They don’t appear to work on my browser and therefore they probably won’t work on yours either.

The tools included in this package are:

Twelve Tone Matrix Calculator Computes the 12-Tone Matrix (or “Magic Square”) based on a 12-tone row which you enter. Shows all possible Primes, Inversions, Retrogrades, and Retrograde Inversions of your row. Twelve Tone Row Analyzer Analyzes a twelve-tone row that you enter. Identifies the Pitch Class sets contained in the row and gives an idea of how the row will sound in music by virtue of the intervals it contains.

(Twelve Tone Row tools are written in JavaScript)

Tools for Composing with Pitch Class Sets

Prime Form Calculator Compute the Prime Form, Forte Code, and Interval Vector of any pitch class set. Relationship Calculator Displays pitch class sets which are related (by a relationship that you choose) to a pitch class set that you select. For example: display all pitch class sets which are super-sets of the selected set. Updated: Now includes the set subcomplex (Kh) relation. (Note: may run slowly on older computers) Common Relationship Calculator Displays pitch class sets which have a common relationship between two selected Pitch Class Sets. (Note: may run slowly on older computers)

(Pitch Class Set tools are written in JavaScript)

MusicGraph

UPDATED: 8/3/2003 – Now handles a wider range of MIDI files

A program for plotting graphs for your compositions is now available. MusicGraph will take a MIDI file and produce graphs of Interval Content, Total Volume, Notes per second, intensity, and dissonance.

MusicGraph is a binary program that is currently available for the Microsoft Windows platform.

Click here for more information on the MusicGraph Program.