Author: Roberto Robidat

25.10.2024 || quantum, classic, avantgarde, electronic

The first Quantum Computer Music release!

QUBISM features compositions created with quantum computers. It results from Miranda’s research into harnessing emergent quantum computing technology to compose.

>> EDUARDO RECK MIRANDA’S INTRODUCTION TO QUBISM (Digital version) <<

While having learned classical musical instruments since childhood, my preferred tool for composing is the computer. I have been delving into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and innovative computing methods for composition for some time now. An intelligently programmed computer can collaborate in the creative process, offering fresh insights and ideas beyond my own.

Lumina Grooves #1, #2 and #3 are three renderings of a multifaceted piece commissioned for the festival Komplementārās pretrunas (Complementary Contradictions, in English), which took place in Riga, Latvia, in 2023.

I developed with my team a piece of software for a photonic quantum computer to deconstruct a given piece of music and deduce algorithms to reconstruct it from its bare bones. To begin with, I wrote a short composition scored for a chamber ensemble. It was in a minimalist style, inspired by the work of American composer Philip Glass. Then, I inputted the piece into the photonic software for processing.

Every time I ask the photonic computer to produce a new composition, the results will always be distinct. This is due to the statistical nature of the deduced algorithms and the inherent stochasticity of quantum computers. Metaphorically, it is as if Lumina Grooves lives in a multiverse with many observable versions.

Spinnings and Swirling Qubits are live recordings played with the Q1Synth instrument. Q1Synth is a software sound synthesiser that makes sounds with a qubit. The qubit is visualised on the computer monitor as a sphere. A continuously changing sound is produced while rotating the sphere with a peripheral, such as a mouse. At specific times, Q1Synth communicates with a quantum computer on the cloud to process the qubit. This results in an unpredictable dynamic sound.

For the rendition of Spinnings, three performers played a Q1Synth each using wireless gloves and rings. For Swirling Qubits, a performer donning a sleeve made with smart textiles played the piece with choreography information relayed wirelessly to four Q1Synth instruments.

The piece Zeno 2.0 is for alto flute, bass clarinet and electronically synthesised sounds. I composed the score for the acoustic instruments manually, without the aid of a computer. I meticulously scored the production of multiphonics. I leveraged the alto flute and the bass clarinet, which are monophonic instruments, to produce two or more pitches simultaneously.

Quantum computers were used in Zeno 2.0 to synthesise the electronic part and to produce responses to the alto flute and bass clarinet during the performance.

The electronic part for Zeno 2.0 was crafted in the studio beforehand for playback on the stage. Conversely, the responsorial interaction between the instruments and a quantum computer happened in real time. A music AI system listened to both instruments and used quantum mechanics to produce musical responses during the performance. The quantum computer acted as a buddy musician interacting with the performers, as if in a contemporary jazz-like gig.

>> EDUARDO RECK MIRANDA’S INTRODUCTION TO QUBISM (Vinyl version) <<

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The composition Qubism, for chamber orchestra and electronic sounds, comprises three tracks entitled Observe, Interact, and Revisit. Here I programmed a quantum computer to generate data patterns, which I manually converted into a musical score. I also synthesised the electronic sounds using these patterns.

It is fascinating that a quantum computer enabled me to design arrangements that produced unique timbres in Observe and Revisit. Although the second track may sound conventional compared to the others, Interact features moments where a quantum computer on the cloud responds to the violin during the performance. These responses, generated with quantum AI software, are heard on a synthesised saxophone and percussion.

Artwork, Design, Drawing by Mattia Travaglini Artworks

>> CURRENTLY VINYLS ARE NOT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE. THEY WILL BE AVAILABLE AT SPECIAL EVENTS <<