The Music Animation Machine
By Ralph Graves
I ran across this amazing music program the other day. The Music Animation Machine does exactly what the name says — it takes music and converts it to animated graphics. But it does more than that. Those graphics show pitch, duration, and convergence.
You don’t have to read music to see what the Music Animation Machine illustrating. And that’s great. Because it’s now possible for someone to see what musicians hear — the organization and structure of music.
It’s particularly effective for contrapuntal music, where independent lines weave in and out of each other to create the harmony. Watch this example of a Gabrieli Canzon. Converted to animated graphics, the structure of the music retains its beauty.
