IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2008 - 32

PHOTO COURTESY OF HARMONIX AND MTV GAMES

group, The London Sinfoniname for himself as a cometta, which took the perputer-music expert with the
formance around Europe.
publication of a popular
book on the subject in 1993
(MIDI for the Professional,
Enter the Robots
coauthored by Tim Tully),
As if modernizing music
and asked for help creating a
from the 1920s to be played
computer program that
by computers and tour as
could control multiple playpart of a live film performer pianos at one time. "Modance wasn't engineering
ern player pianos don't rely
feat enough, then the
on air pressure," clarifies
robots were introduced into
Lehrman. "They use devices
the performance. In 2005,
called solenoids, which are
The National Gallery of Art
controlled electronically,
in Washington, D.C., asked
Eat your heart out Eddie Van Halen. With Rock Band, gamers can
and they have onboard not only shred on the guitar, but pick up the bass, drums, and
Lehrman to include the
microprocessors, which can even the microphone. It's the quintessential band experience
Ballet Mécanique in its new
be operated by MIDI." MIDI, without all the drama.
large exhibit of Dadaist art.
or Musical Instrument DigiThe piece was perfect for
tal Interface, is an electronic language
the exhibit; it was composed in the
A Sold-Out Performance
that is now about 25 years old and is
1920s at the height of the Dada (or antiWhile the original performance group
used to control instruments like those
art) movement and it is equally as
made a record and a video out of the
found in a music production studio.
"weird" as some Dada pieces. But
show, the composition was also picked
Recognizing the ability to combine
Lehrman wondered how he could put
up by other orchestras, thereby "touring"
multiple technologies-the piano and
on a concert that required live musithe world with ensembles in New York,
MIDI-Lehrman converted the original
cians every single day.
Belgium, Germany, British Columbia,
Ballet Mécanique score into a file that
Remembering Eric Singer, another
and more! Next, the music made its film
would make it possible to play the compocomputer music enthusiast whom he
debut when Lehrman edited it to accomsition with the intended 16 player pianos.
had met recently at a conference,
pany an abstract silent film of the same
The file, says Lehrman, "is extremely
Lehrman suspected that the solution to
name. Interestingly enough, Antheil had
complicated musically. It has about
this problem lay in yet another applicaoriginally composed the Ballet
150,000 notes and 640 time signature
tion of technology. Singer, founder of
Mécanique to be the score for this particchanges, which all needed to be put into
the group LEMUR (League of Electronic
ular film but the two were never put
sequence." But he stays silent on how
Musical Urban Robots) builds musical
together because the finished music was
long it took him to accomplish such a
robots-robotic mechanisms designed
too long to fit the film. Comments
task, laughingly calling it a "trade secret."
to play instruments. Together,
Lehrman, "It's almost as if,
Once completed, the Ballet
the two men set up the
after deciding to do the
Mécanique begged to be performed, as
National
Gallery
project, the producers
Video games
the original work also called for a conexhibit in March
of the film and the
like Guitar Hero
ductor, ten live players on xylophones,
2006 with 16
composer of the
and Rock Band are
drums, and a gong, and sound effects
grand pianos and
music
never
almost a bridge to being in
such as sirens and airplane propellers,
robotic xylospoke to one
in addition to the pianos. The first specphones, bass
another!" The
a real rock band. You can
tacular performance took place at the
drums,
airplane
present-day
play the music, but you
University of Massachusetts Lowell campropellers, bells,
score was then
don't have all the issues
pus, in 1999, where Lehrman was teachsirens,
and
edited further at
like band member
ing at the time. Played to a sold-out
gongs, all conthe request of a
drama-or hauling
concert hall of a thousand people, the
trolled by MIDI from
conductor in Baltimusic received a tremendous response
a single computer.
more to accompany a
equipment.
and was quickly embraced by the music
"The show was supposed
version of the film. This
and art worlds.
to be up for ten days," recalls
live show was picked up by a

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2008

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