Rick Bidlack
Banff Ctr. for the Arts, Media Arts, Box 1020, Banff, AB T0L 0C0, Canada
Many of the features of nonlinear dynamical systems that are intriguing from a mathematical and scientific point of view, especially the affinity such systems have with the behavior of natural phenomena, are likewise suggestive of musical qualities. A variety of musical textures may be elicited from chaotic systems, some quite novel, while others are evocative of historically established practices. Typical is a kind of continuous variation form, in which motivic materials are spun out within a constantly evolving context. Four well-known chaotic systems are discussed in terms of the quality of the musical raw materials they generate, as well as basic techniques for mapping their orbits into musical parameter space.