<p>“Artificial Intelligence to be used for completing Beethoven’s unfinished tenth symphony”. This was the caption for an article that caught my eye. My curiosity was aroused and I read it in full.</p>.<p>Beethoven, the German composer and musician extraordinaire needs no introduction to aficionados of music.</p>.<p>An immensely gifted composer, his symphonies, piano concertos, piano sonatas, violin concertos and many other gems sparkle in the realm of western classical music to this day. Now, as part of the celebrations of his 250th birth anniversary scheduled next year, there is an attempt to complete his unfinished tenth symphony using artificial intelligence.</p>.<p>It was known that Beethoven started writing his tenth symphony alongside his ninth, but for some reason left the tenth unfinished, save for a few jottings and scribbles. Now, a machine learning software has been fed with all of Beethoven’s music and is attempting to complete the symphony in his style. There is a hope that this work will be completed by April next year. It will be presented in a grand ceremony before an elite and eager audience in Bonn, his hometown in Germany.</p>.<p>One has heard of machines producing music. But, to enter into the complex, sacred, sacrosanct, inscrutable, mysterious and unfathomable depths of the world of classical music composing and to try to recreate the mind of the creator does raise one’s eyebrows.</p>.<p>Experts have been reserved in their opinions, with some citing the earlier experiments with Schubert’s music, which seemed too pedestrian in comparison to the maestro’s style.</p>.<p>Be that as it may, this news set me thinking about how it would work in the context of Indian classical music, particularly Carnatic music. Indian Classical music is hailed not only for its melody but also for its unique ability to harness the seven basic notes in uncountable patterns, weaving a fascinating musical tapestry that points to the unseen, underlying philosophical truths.</p>.<p>Carnatic music is devotional in content, packed with the wisdom of the Vedas and the Upanishads. When composer Shyama Shastry sang his song ‘Mayamma’ in Raga Ahiri, he was not just composing, he was conversing with Goddess Kamakshi.</p>.<p>A machine may compose technically correct music. But, can it infuse the music with feeling or emotions? Sanskrit calls this ‘Rasa’. This is the age of mass production and reproductions. But, the truly divine music, the sign of the creator manifesting himself through geniuses like Beethoven, Mozart, Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy,Meerabai and innumerable other souls will always remain where it belongs, in the hearts of the true connoisseurs who can differentiate between the ‘original’ and the ‘artificial’. As Aldous Huxley said “after silence”, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music!”</p>
<p>“Artificial Intelligence to be used for completing Beethoven’s unfinished tenth symphony”. This was the caption for an article that caught my eye. My curiosity was aroused and I read it in full.</p>.<p>Beethoven, the German composer and musician extraordinaire needs no introduction to aficionados of music.</p>.<p>An immensely gifted composer, his symphonies, piano concertos, piano sonatas, violin concertos and many other gems sparkle in the realm of western classical music to this day. Now, as part of the celebrations of his 250th birth anniversary scheduled next year, there is an attempt to complete his unfinished tenth symphony using artificial intelligence.</p>.<p>It was known that Beethoven started writing his tenth symphony alongside his ninth, but for some reason left the tenth unfinished, save for a few jottings and scribbles. Now, a machine learning software has been fed with all of Beethoven’s music and is attempting to complete the symphony in his style. There is a hope that this work will be completed by April next year. It will be presented in a grand ceremony before an elite and eager audience in Bonn, his hometown in Germany.</p>.<p>One has heard of machines producing music. But, to enter into the complex, sacred, sacrosanct, inscrutable, mysterious and unfathomable depths of the world of classical music composing and to try to recreate the mind of the creator does raise one’s eyebrows.</p>.<p>Experts have been reserved in their opinions, with some citing the earlier experiments with Schubert’s music, which seemed too pedestrian in comparison to the maestro’s style.</p>.<p>Be that as it may, this news set me thinking about how it would work in the context of Indian classical music, particularly Carnatic music. Indian Classical music is hailed not only for its melody but also for its unique ability to harness the seven basic notes in uncountable patterns, weaving a fascinating musical tapestry that points to the unseen, underlying philosophical truths.</p>.<p>Carnatic music is devotional in content, packed with the wisdom of the Vedas and the Upanishads. When composer Shyama Shastry sang his song ‘Mayamma’ in Raga Ahiri, he was not just composing, he was conversing with Goddess Kamakshi.</p>.<p>A machine may compose technically correct music. But, can it infuse the music with feeling or emotions? Sanskrit calls this ‘Rasa’. This is the age of mass production and reproductions. But, the truly divine music, the sign of the creator manifesting himself through geniuses like Beethoven, Mozart, Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy,Meerabai and innumerable other souls will always remain where it belongs, in the hearts of the true connoisseurs who can differentiate between the ‘original’ and the ‘artificial’. As Aldous Huxley said “after silence”, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music!”</p>