Interview With David Cope

I interviewed David Cope for my DANM 249 final project. He agreed to meet with me between another ongoing interview and the beginning of the Algorhythmic Composition class.

David Cope has devoted a lifetime of study and effort to the advancement of algorithmic composition. That is, the generation of new and individually creative works form computation means. In his book Computer Models of Musical Creativity, he discusses the definition of creativity, the assumptions surrounding it and how he arrives at his conclusion that the creative act need not be conscious or even human. Speaking specifically of music he provides his own definition of creativity as:

“The initialization of connections between two or more multifaceted things, ideas, or phenomena hitherto not otherwise considered actively connected.”

His work relates to my own in that aside from a commonality with technological or scientific process and sound, Cope also touches on some topics in his book that speak to my interest in ownership and sound. Specifically, he uses a generalized definition of the first law of thermodynamics, namely that mater & energy can neither be created nor destroyed as evidence that creation can never begat anything entirely new. This would imply that all creative work is derivative and would seem to beg the question as to the question of authorship and by extension ownership.

Full Interview with David Cope